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Choosing Your First Canoe
by Canos Avontur
http://www.canoesadventure.com
With so many different styles and designs, no wonder it's
challenging choosing your first canoe. Before choosing a
canoe, you must think about how you will to use it. Will
you canoe on quiet lakes or rivers? How about competitions?
Will you use it alone or with your friends and family?
Canoes come in a variety of lengths, widths and hull shapes.
They may have flat, round or arched bottom profiles and
flared, straight or tumblehome sides.
The length of the canoe affects its directional stability
and its speed. The shape and width or beam of the canoe
determines the performance. A wide beamed canoe will carry a
greater load but will be slower, whereas narrow canoes are
less stable but have greater speed and efficiency. The depth
of the sides of the canoe affects the carrying capacity and
wind resistance of the canoe.
Canoe hulls may be symmetrical identical bow and stern ends,
or asymmetrical where the bow is finer than the stern.
Asymmetrical designs are very efficient but symmetrical
designs can be easily converted from solo to doubles
paddling.
Good initial stability is a feature of flat bottom canoes
but secondary stability is poor. Round bottom canoes are
initially not very stable but they do have excellent
secondary stability. Most recreational boats have flat
bottoms. These are designed for placid water conditions.
Racing boats often have round bottoms to minimize the
surface area which makes them travel faster.
Experienced paddlers can use a shallow arch hull shape. A
shallow arch hull is a compromise between flat and round
hulls. This allows initial stability and speed for the
experienced paddlers and works well in waves and whitewater.
It is not recommended for beginners.
The bow to stern shape of the keel line is what determines
how much the canoe rocks. Canoes that are heavy rockers
are easy to maneuver but has little directional stability.
It is best to leave these to the specialists in whitewater
canoes. Canoes that moderately rock have the bow and stern
raised slightly for improved maneuverability.
Efficient forward paddling and excellent tracking is due to
a straight keel, but these are also difficult to maneuver.
A narrow beam at the gunwale makes changing paddling sides
easier on a tumblehome. Solo paddling on whitewater is
usually done on a tumblehome. A compromise between flared
and tumblehome sides is a straight-sided canoe. This gives
the canoe reasonable stability and a dry ride. Most
general-purpose designs are straight-sided.
Understanding the basic of your canoe is essential when
purchasing a canoe. First decide how you will utilize your
canoe then narrow your choices down to two or three styles.
You can purchase your canoe offline at a department store or
online. Buying online can save you a lot of money
especially if you purchase from an online auction such as
Ebay.
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