About DENNIS KORTZE
My journey with canoeing began as a Boy Scout at camp, where I earned merit badges in canoeing, rowing, and swimming. At 15, I bought my first canoe off the rack at a Sears surplus store in Toms River. In the 1980s, I started paddling whitewater, covering the entire Delaware River from Hancock to Trenton over several summers in a tandem canoe with my six-year-old son. By the time he was 10, I had taught him to solo, and by 12, we were paddling rivers like the Esopus, Mongaup, Lehigh, Upper West, Tohickon, Lower Yough, New Boston, and more.
Two years later, we were tackling more challenging waters like the Dryway, Kennebec Gorge, Indian-Hudson Gorge, Lower Moose and The Dead at 5,500 cfs. We spent nearly a decade paddling together year-round, building a vast repertoire of rivers.
I’ve never paddled a kayak and have always used a single blade. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, I owned and paddled several canoes, including a 14’ Whitesell, 13’ Whitesell, Dagger Impulse, Mohawk XL 14 tandem, Mohawk Viper 12 and 11, and a Mohawk Probe 12. After my son went off to college and with the decline of Roylex, I took a hiatus and shifted to owning a boat with a motor.
Fast forward to today, thanks to my son’s encouragement and the allure of Blackfly Canoes, I’m back on the water with a Blackfly Octane 91. I’m now hooked again and currently paddle an Esquif L’Edge, which I believe is the best boat I’ve ever owned.
