What to paddle?

You have made the decision to begin paddling. Now you must decide what it is you wish to paddle, a canoe or a kayak. Perhaps you already know what it is you wish to purchase. If not, in making this decision you must take into account your personal skill level and what you intend to use your boat for. Are you going to paddle with a partner or all by yourself? Do you own a cottage or will you constantly be transporting your canoe/kayak on your vehicle to your paddling destination.

Kayaks are easy to paddle, present a lower profile to wind, and tend to ride out waves exceptionally well. They are, however, difficult to portage, difficult to pack for extended trips, and the cockpit size may make you feel a touch claustrophobic, especially if you are a non-swimmer.

Canoes on the other hand require some skill to paddle, present more boat to the wind, and depending on the type of canoe may not ride waves out very well. They are easier to portage, fairly simple to pack for extended trips (with a little skill), are wide open, and lend themselves to both solo and tandem paddling depending on the load range of the canoe.

Always buy for the activity you plan on participating in the most. For example, you may wish to buy a canoe for day trips, mostly on quiet lakes and small streams but you might want to try open canoe white water level III and above. “Might” is the key phrase here. Buy your boat for day paddling and rent a boat for your whitewater activities. In the end you may find that you own more than one boat. There are many canoe and kayak enthusiasts out there who own two or more boats, each specific in its use as designated by the type of boat and how the owner chooses to use them.

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