I think there is reason to question the sanity of someone attempting to take scouts 70 miles on a very fast river (this year) sitting in tarps and pvc pipe. Canoes that were designed to last about 70 feet.

I don’t know how long your trip was in homemade canoes and it sounds like the ones you built were sturdier but 70 miles on a river with a homemade canoe is a bad idea. Actual canoes or kayaks? I’m on board.

I’ve been on many river trips both rafting and canoeing and they are a blast. And as a kid, I would have been stoked to build a canoe out of wood and canvas and give it a go on a river trip. I would hope a leader would question the safety aspect of a 70 mile trip in that canoe I just built though.