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Last Update: 2 November 2023


Books and Manuals


Books, ordered by themselves, are not subject to our minimum order amount. They are normally shipped by media mail unless part of a materials order.

Burmeister River Guides

We have also turned up a supply of Appalachian Waters, Walter F. Burmeister’s series of guides to eastern US whitewater streams. These were originally published by the Canoe Cruisers Association in 1962 in two volumes in 8½" x 11" format. They were republished by Appalachian Books as an expanded and updated five-volume set in the mid-1970s. They appeared in both paperback and hard-cover editions. We have Vol 1 in hard cover and the paperback Vol 3. These are plain-text books without any photos or drawings or any color. Each stream is divided into short sections, usually bridge to bridge, with distance and difficulty rating for each section and accompanying descriptive text. The descriptions are obviously dated since they contain no information on changes that may have occurred over the years. The maps referred to below are very generalized location maps.

These books are primarily of historical interest. Most of the statistical data are accurate and remain useful to paddlers; however, readers should be aware that Burmeister ran many of these streams from his living room via topo maps, hence significant features are occasionally omitted from the descriptions.

Gougeon Brothers Manuals

Six how-to manuals by Gougeon Brothers, makers of WEST System epoxy resin and related products, cover boat repair and resoration, gelcoat blisters, fairing and finishing, vacuum bagging. Available online via West System. Complete list here.





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