Swift Canoe Stories- Surviving The Storm of 2022 & Paddling Out With a Damaged Canoe

We met up with customer Ken Davy to hear his story about surviving an epic storm while on a solo trip in the Kawartha Highlands. His tent, and his brand new canoe, were destroyed by a massive tree, which forced him to abandon his trip and try to make it back to safety with a badly damaged boat. Check out his amazing story and see how his canoe fared despite the damage!
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[@ApexWoodworks]

Great story, indeed! Ken didn't panic, but kept his wits about himself. I'm also very impressed with how well the canoe held up to such punishment. Testimony to how well Swift canoes are made! Thanks for sharing this tale with us,

[@matthewho826]

10:45 "It's a new canoe... it's a new canoe." OmG...!!! 😵🥺😭

[@nicknchrist]

I was out on my sportspal on Temagami Lake during that storm lol. Blessed that I was already set up when the storm came. It was wild to watch the storm. Some day a Swift owner

[@seanmartin4750]

I took my swift canoe to the Kawartha's and left Turtle Lake site 553 yesterday! The piece of Carbon Kevlar gunnel is still there, I picked it up and thought how could this happen.. Almost brought it home, wish I did. Took some pics of the site and wreckage one with the gunnel hiding in the background

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

Too funny... I could not get the piece out from under the tree at that time so I regrettably left it there. I figured the park staff would dispose of it when they cleaned up the site. Has the park staff removed the tree?

[@SwiftCanoeKayak]

that is just amazing that you found that piece of gunnel

[@michaelwolf8781]

That’s even better then a canoe falling off a roof… Build Tough!

[@kdaniel8721]

My granddaughter and I saw a lot of the damage along Highway 7, while driving to Ottawa last month. Amazing story of resourcefulness and strength.

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

Thanks Bill, Joe, Scott and James for telling my story. I am looking forward to picking up my new Prospector 15 Combi at the end this month...maybe I should have ordered two just in case :-)

[@SwiftCanoeKayak]

we'll have you back on the water soon! Thanks again for coming to visit and telling your story. If you ever need a backup boat you know where to find us! - Scott

[@Saltfly]

That’s heartbreaking they are such nice canoes. But this story could of been a whole lot worse. Glad you’re still around to tell it.

[@jeremytoms9698]

Absolutely a great story!!! 👍 The key is to always chill out; relax and think! Ken nailed it. KZbin sent me here as I'm also from Brampton and a former Swift Pack Canoe owner which I sold as my family grew... Swift's boats are amazing and I miss mine (but sold it to a person who truly loved it). My kids are older now... Maybe this is a sign to buy another? Or two (for the wife)?

[@mattvaandering]

What a story. Good for you staying so level headed!

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

Thanks.

[@UnchartedPaddle]

Awesome story! It's very interesting to see an extreme test of that composite material.

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

Really held up well. The canoe has the kevlar fusion laminate and carbon innegra exterior. There were multiple cracks and impact points on the hull, but no leaks!

[@TapioBlue]

Must have had some looks hauling that canoe back home.Did you have a satellite communicator? Would have been some interesting discussion to home base.

[@prospector14]

It looks like a kevlar fusion laminate with carbon trim - correct?

[@ronbaker9971]

Just viewed this video. Insurance probably works differently in Canada than the U.S. but was your canoe covered under your homeowners policy? Glad you kept a level head, I’d probably have went full panic mode.

[@darrendavidsonoutdoors]

Yup, one of my biggest fears while camping is having that happen. I always look at the trees and their condition before leaving my canoe or tent under them. Just lucky he wasn't in the tent or canoe when it happened. But just goes to show how tough a Swift Canoe is. Sure Nova Craft brags about tossing one of their canoes off a roof top but how does it look after a maple tree falls on it?

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

I too look at my surroundings when I set up my tent and tie up the canoe for the night. The tree was well away from the tent and it looked in good health. When the storm front hit the wind blew the tent so hard it pulled up the front stake out. Being a trekking pole tent it collapsed on the ground before the tree landed on it. That saved it from being damaged. True, if I had been in it I would have been in trouble. One group on the lake just made it to their site minutes before the main part of the storm hit. They were lucky as they could have been on the lake when the front hit. That would have been disastrous for them. My guess is that a second group were on the portage from Cherry to Turtle when the storm hit as I saw them paddle to their site after the storm passed.

[@darrendavidsonoutdoors]

@@TheFleetcaptain210 yes, storms like that will take down live trees as well so just bad luck with that. Glad you and everyone made it through it OK. Other than your canoe. Makes me wonder about getting insurance or something for mine.

[@vicselixir]

Can the canoe be repaired?

[@bradlepaddle9512]

Are trees covered under the boats warranty 🤷🏼‍♂️🤣

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

Unfortunately not, however, the insurance responded very quickly and I was able to put in an order for a new identical canoe within a week.

[@twoolhouse7644]

@@TheFleetcaptain210 did you have a separate policy for the boat or it’s included in a current one? I’ve heard of some cases of stolen off property it’s home owners, damaged on car - that policy covers. But on a lake in use?

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

@@twoolhouse7644 It is one policy. Check with your insurance broker/agent to confirm if your canoe is covered

[@mflacke]

So did you guys give him a new Canoe?

[@UnchartedPaddle]

I'm also curious. Maybe they did a trade, I'm sure Swift would like that canoe hung on the wall.

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

The insurance covered the cost for a new canoe.

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

What happened to the wrecked one? Want to sell it?

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

@@downeastprimitiveskills7688 It has been passed onto a friend who will repair it.

[@bradlepaddle9512]

See this is what happens when you don't immediately use your boat the first night..🤦🏼‍♂️😂 JK this is the worst thing I could possibly imagine I would rather have a grizzly in camp then a tree on my new Swift

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

I am planning to do that when I pick up my new canoe at the end of the month :-) Fingers crossed

[@tomcook8897]

no duct tape?

[@TheFleetcaptain210]

Duct tape forever:-) Actually, I had tape wrapped around my water bottle, however, it had been on there so long that the adhesive did not have any stickiness left after I removed it from the bottle. I did have a small roll of medical tape that I could have used in a pinch in case I needed to seal a leak in the hull. Fortunately that was not necessary.

[@exmormonsongbook]

Has anyone claimed this gunwale reward yet? lol