What a Discovery! A 16-foot Old Town Discovery canoe has been retro-converted to a hot tub by Dan Kidd, resident mechanical genius of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. And Dan brought it to yesterday's monthly meeting.

Cathy Fessenden and Dan Kidd relaxed last night in the Old Town Discovery hot tub.
ALL PHOTOS SCOTT ANDREWS

Dan's basic concept is simple. Set the canoe on level ground, then fill it with water. Install a submerged wood stove to heat the water -- Dan shows his MIT credentials with this sort of outside-the-gunwales thinking! -- and hop in when the temperature hits 106 degrees.

I'm including a few pix of the revolutionary hot tub, which recently made the trip down the Machias River. Note that Dan is a former president of MOAC, while Carey Kish is likewise. He's also MaineToday.com's Trail Head. Nancy Dorrans, formely a high-ranking Girl Scout, is MOAC's current president and Cathy Fessenden is the sparkplug of the Bangor Chapter.

Another shot of Cathy Fessenden and Dan Kidd.

Nancy Dorrans and Carey Kish checked out the scene last night. Note the submerged wood stove (lower right corner in red) and the protruding smokestack.

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