Legal to tow this combination in Alaska
We will be in Alaska during September and meeting up with good friends who live there. One of our fun things is to hunt Ptarmigin and grouse. We use a powered canoe to cross some sloughs. For the...
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I'm sure that there will be other opinions, but FWIW, here's mine based on living in Alaska (although some would argue that Los Anchorage is at least an hour away from Alaska) most of my life:
- Even if legal (and I've seen quite a few combos of 1 puller, two toweds), it is awkward and cumbersome.
- Many of the handy spots for getting into sloughs and creeks from the roadside will not be big enough to accommodate a "triple tow" and you'll have to disconnect and rearrange to get side x side to fit in the "pullout".
- Alaska is pretty sizable, so everything varies, but I think you'll find that you want to use the canoe more for running up creeks and sloughs vs. "crossing": not to get bogged down in nomenclature, but both ptarmigan and grouse are quasi-upland game and, while one could certainly cross a creek or a river to get to the forest or hills on the other side, the more usual activity is to take the canoe/raft/plane and use it to go upriver to a place a bit farther away from the parking lot. If that is the intended use, then a triple tow is fine since you'll be mobilizing at the pullout for a few days trip anyway.
- If the intent is to drive along and "let's cross this lake to try that stretch of hills" or "that plateau across the creek looks pretty good", a triple-tow will be cumbersome. If the intent is to run up the creek for a 3-day excursion, a triple-tow (while cumbersome on the road, at stops, and at the gas stations) won't be a big barrier to enjoying the trip.
- Depending where you are going with your friends, there might be better access to ptarmigan and grouse via ATV/UTV than with a canoe.
....and depending on where and when, if you're working on or relatively near the road system in the fall / early fall: a) have your paperwork ready to prove that you're not big game hunting; and b) you'll likely be overrun with road hunters for moose or caribou.
- Even if legal (and I've seen quite a few combos of 1 puller, two toweds), it is awkward and cumbersome.
- Many of the handy spots for getting into sloughs and creeks from the roadside will not be big enough to accommodate a "triple tow" and you'll have to disconnect and rearrange to get side x side to fit in the "pullout".
- Alaska is pretty sizable, so everything varies, but I think you'll find that you want to use the canoe more for running up creeks and sloughs vs. "crossing": not to get bogged down in nomenclature, but both ptarmigan and grouse are quasi-upland game and, while one could certainly cross a creek or a river to get to the forest or hills on the other side, the more usual activity is to take the canoe/raft/plane and use it to go upriver to a place a bit farther away from the parking lot. If that is the intended use, then a triple tow is fine since you'll be mobilizing at the pullout for a few days trip anyway.
- If the intent is to drive along and "let's cross this lake to try that stretch of hills" or "that plateau across the creek looks pretty good", a triple-tow will be cumbersome. If the intent is to run up the creek for a 3-day excursion, a triple-tow (while cumbersome on the road, at stops, and at the gas stations) won't be a big barrier to enjoying the trip.
- Depending where you are going with your friends, there might be better access to ptarmigan and grouse via ATV/UTV than with a canoe.
....and depending on where and when, if you're working on or relatively near the road system in the fall / early fall: a) have your paperwork ready to prove that you're not big game hunting; and b) you'll likely be overrun with road hunters for moose or caribou.
