Canoeing (If thats even how you spell it)

Either way, I'm going tomorrow and I've only gone twice in my life. I'm mucho excited. Are there any avid canoe-ers here?

 

My family used to have a canoe, my dad and I used to go fishing with it on rivers you couldnt even take a small boat. Good times, the last time we went out we canoed for about a mile to a spot, and my dad dropped the tackle box in the water and leaned over with no idea of the psychics involved to get it and tipped the canoe. It was april so the water was pretty cold and we had to canoe a mile back cold and soaking wet. He sold the canoe shortly after that, I miss it sometimes. When I get older and have kids I'll have to buy one, its a cool way to get around. Algonqiun park was my favorite place to canoe, you find your own place to camp by canoe, priceless.

 

We'll be renting but when I'm older and settled down thats definitely on my list of things to buy.

 

You going to be doing any fishing or just sight/nature watching?

 

canoes are alright for tandem paddling; i'd prefer a kayak for solo (or even if you just want to go faster/get better exercise/look cooler/becooler/have a lower center of gravity to prevent tipping and potentially swamping or falling out)

 

We ended up taking kayaks and drank our fair share of rum. It was a beautiful day.

 

sounds like it

rum and kayaks sounds like a good combination...assuming you're moderate enough to not drink so much to make it hard to do....

 

Actually, we were VERY moderate (a little too moderate, if you ask me).

 

I have a 16' Ram-X, would like a kayak with a large enough deck to strap a 60L drysack. Shop, shop, shop...

 

Ive only been canoeing once in my life and it was one of the best things ive ever done. It was so peaceful out on the water... I was with my cousin though cause we dont have a canoe.. but my grandparents do!!

 

i very handy with a canoe and go out canoeing quite often....keep your thumb on the outside of paddle or youll hit the gunnel....keep a knee down on the floor of the canoe and dont be afraid to lean over the side for a good stong stroke. if you want to switch the side your paddling on then let the other paddler know...paddling on the same side is retardedly unnessessary unless youre whitewater canoeing. also if youre in the back steering, its much more useful to use your paddle as a rudder to steer. the person in the front should keep an eye out for obstacles and prevent run-ins. the person in front is also responsible for more power. dont worry bout steering from the front, its how you piss off the person in the back. any other questions i can answer. ive been paddling canoes and kayaks for 15 years and have 6 years small boat sailing experience.

 

thats the phoenetic spelling, but it's spelled "gunwale." a good j-stroke is best for keeping the canoe straight, but i never had great form and don't tend to use it. never had problems though, you can mostly do trial and error and see what works best. proper strokes are most important when paddling solo.

keeping a knee down is best. in fact, i personally would recommend not even using any seats (assuming your canoe has them, as most do these days) but instead kneeling on a rolled up towel or better yet a gardener's kneeling pad. this significantly lowers the center of gravity in the boat and really helps prevent tipping over and ruining your day.

another good idea is to "feather" the paddle. this is turning the paddle sideways when bringing it forward. i've seen accomplished paddlers do this even without removing the paddle from the water, but i've had my best luck with just feathering through the air. reduces resistance and splashing, making things easier and more pleasant for the paddlers.

both kayaking and canoeing can lead to bad blisters on the hands. i suggest getting a nice pair of neoprene paddling gloves, with or without fingers. remember: your hands get wet, and water is NOT a lubricant, it is a solvent...it will actually make it EASIER to get blisters. wearing some sort of glove will really help.


still though, canoes are great but i greatly prefer kayaks in almost every regard. then again, some folks prefer inline skates to bicycles....

 

I've never done a canoe but I've been taking some kayak and sailing lessons this summer. I've grown fond of both kayaks and sail boats. I want to purchase a rigid shell sea kayak eventually. Right now I'm renting and using inflatable kayaks.

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never used an inflatable kayak before. don't know how i'd feel about it....

but i went sea kayaking in the keys somewhat recently and loved the kayak i got to use there. it was pretty much the same as every other kayak i've used, except for a foot-operated rudder to significantly assist your steering. considering the water conditions i was quite thankful for it, once i got used to using it.

 

I've paddled the Perception Carolina. It seems to fit me well. It's not a completely configured sea kayak, but it's a nice 14.5 ft kayak. Cuts through the water nice and is fairly stable. The higher end sea kayaks are over 15 feet long and usually have at least 3 bulkheads and grab lines all around.

I've paddled the Ocean Kayak sit-on-tops. They are sluggish compared with a sea kayak but are very stable. Good for beginners.

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Inflatables have improved over the past 5 years. They started out like bathtub toys but now some of the higher end ones are not all that bad. They have multiple plys of woven polyester or nylon, urethane coatings, and some have aluminum struts built in to stiffen the boat. They fold up into a backpack and can be taken on airlines. Their portability is something you just can't have with a hardshell.

The long touring sea kayaks are more difficult to steer than the sit-on-tops or shorter kayaks. The same design that makes them track well also makes them resistant to steering.

Inflatable canoes can be a problem. Some are high profile and the wind can really grab them and make it difficult to get back to shore. Much the same for hardshell sit-on-tops.

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this is the only reason i'd even consider one, but its a good enough reason i would definitely consider an inflatable kayak....if it were a good one and affordable.....kayaking is a great exercise, and fun at that....it would be nice to be able to not have to borrow my parents car and mess with a roof rack and tethers and things....

 

What type of kayak do you have?

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There's a couple other advantages. An inflatable bends a little and hops over waves, compared with a hard shell sit-on-top which tends to come to a stop when it hits a wave.

An inflatable tends to have a smoother ride compared with a hardshell. You can also sometimes feel the rolling of waves against you a little in an inflatable which makes you feel more intimate with the water. It's like being in socks instead of hard shoes.

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Canoeing. an excelent way to see the world. Doing the Upper Delaware river in The Catskills is a wondereful trip, clean water, good camping. Plenty of boat rentals and campsites.