Although kayaks have gained in popularity, canoes are both a traditional choice for a quiet paddle on a lake, float down a river or portage between water routes. Made from wood, aluminum, fiberglass or Kevlar, there is a wide variety of sizes and weights available. And one advantage of a canoe is that extra passengers and equipment can be carried with more room and stability than most kayaks.
Canoes can be double ended, motorized, sailed, rowed facing to the rear or paddled facing forward. They can be handled singly or with a buddy and even turned upside down for shelter. Fitted with a yoke the canoe can be carried by one person for some distance.
What to Look for
The cross-section shape of the hull should accommodate what the canoe will be used for. Short rounded bottom canoes turn better in white water while longer, "V" bottomed hulls track straighter and have good stability over quiet lakes.
The more "rocker," the lift at bow and stern, a canoe has, the more stable it is from rolling side to side. A novice will feel much safer in a canoe with a little over an inch of rocker at each end.
While traditional bent wood strip canoes are beautiful and can be made fairly light in weight, upkeep and possible damage to the structure, let alone cost, mean these are more often a hobbyist or collector's item. Most novices, and even regular canoe users, will want Kevlar, fiberglass or plastic hulled canoes.
Look for ratings (capacity, weight and number of people), unladen weight and primary use guides on the canoe label or paperwork. Shorter and more rounded for stream and white water contrasts with longer and more "V" keeled for portaging and lake use.
Common Pitfalls
As with most items, the cheapest or "garage sale" deal may well cost the most in effort, weight, and most of all enjoyment in the long run.
There is also a learning curve with a canoe, with various strokes and balance to keep in mind. Also, remember the stability of any canoe is relative to the center of gravity and it behooves the novice to stay low in the canoe and move slowly.
In handling a canoe, car-topping, portaging and getting the canoe in and out of the water, weight is crucial. It is more likely to get a canoe bigger than needed and too heavy to handle by one person. Go shorter and lighter with a two-person potential and a combination hull shape if you aren't sure what type of canoeing you will be doing most.
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