2008 Buyer’s Guide
EVERY SEASON we put out a whole issue devoted to what we believe is as sound an investment as you can make. Canoes have been commercially produced for more than 150 years now, and pieced together by native builders for millennia before that. You can’t argue with that kind of research and development. Over those years they’ve become specialized to suit different purposes.
We’ve organized our buyer’s guide to reflect this by grouping the canoes into six categories—recreational, performance, sporting, whitewater tripping, lakewater tripping and solo—with each category introduced by a story.
Turn the pages and read about North America’s other canoeing icon, get fit
with a program designed for paddlers, forage your way down a desert river, learn how to turn your new hull into a whitewater tripper, find out what it re- ally means to be a Prospector and join our former editor on the first and last day of his first solo trip (we can’t tell you what happened in between). Below you’ll find our primer on canoe design. We hope it provides you with
waypoints as you explore the canoes the builders have recommended for each of the six categories.
Shape
After the raw dimensions of length, width and depth, canoe performance is determined by hull shape. Front, side and overhead views of the boat reveal cross-section, rocker and symmetry characteristics.
Cross-section— Initial and Secondary Stability
The cross-sectional shape of the bottom and sides of the canoe will influence its performance, especially its stability. Stability is divided into primary (initial) and secondary (final).
Primary stability is what you feel when you first get into the canoe. In a canoe with great primary stabil- ity, you can stand up and walk around. It takes a lot of effort to flip the canoe on flatwater. It resists leaning until it reaches a point of no return, beyond which it quickly upsets without much warning. That’s because secondary stability was sacrificed for the stable plat- form providing primary stability.
Secondary stability refers to how the canoe behaves as it tilts. A canoe with great secondary stability feels stable and predictable when on a lean. This is a useful characteristic for whitewater, rough-water paddling and soloing.
Flat-bottomed canoes offer great initial stability at the expense of speed and rough-water performance. Being very secure on calm water, they’re great for sportsmen and recreational paddlers.
Round-bottomed canoes are the other end of the spectrum. Perfectly rounded bottoms allow for clean entry and exit lines and minimal surface area in the water. They have great speed and efficiency but virtu-
1 6 n C ANOE ROOT S spring 2008
ally no primary stability. This is why rowing shells are round-bottomed but canoes, except for a few fast, specialized designs, usually are not.
Most canoe designs are a compromise between flat and round, with shallow-arch or shallow-V bottoms. These designs sacrifice varying degrees of primary stability for good secondary stability and all-around performance.
The cross-section of some canoes is modified by the addition of a keel. A keel is a ridge that runs the length of the outside of the hull bottom to help the canoe track and resist the influence of crosswinds. Keels are most often found on short, wide canoes used for recreation and sporting. They are undesir- able in whitewater because they reduce manoeu- vrability and snag on rocks.
The sides of canoes can be flared, turned-in or straight. Flared sides deflect water. Tumblehome describes the shape of a canoe with turned-in sides. Tumblehome results in a narrower beam at the gun- wales making it easier for the paddler to reach over the side of the canoe when paddling. Straight-sided canoes are a balance between the paddling efficiency of tumblehome and the dryness of flare. Canoe de- signs will incorporate one, two, or all three of these in different areas of the hull.
Rocker—
Tracking vs. Manoeuvrability Viewed from the side, the amount that the canoe’s keel line (the bottom profile of the canoe) curves upward toward the bow and stern is termed rocker. The amount of rocker determines how easily a canoe turns versus how well it tracks. A straight keel line (no rocker) allows for exceptional tracking, ideal for cov- ering long distances in a straight line. A canoe with a lot of rocker offers exceptional manoeuvrability.
Hull Symmetry and Taper Viewed from above, symmetrical canoes have identi- cal bow and stern ends with the widest point at the centre of the hull. This design offers more versatility because it can be paddled as a tandem or a solo canoe. Asymmetrical canoes typically have the widest section behind the centre of the canoe creating a longer bow. This shape increases forward speed and tracking and is often seen in touring and performance canoe de- signs. Touring and performance canoes will also have sharper tapers at the bow and stern to cut through the water efficiently. Whitewater and general-purpose canoes will have blunter ends to add volume and give buoyancy in waves, providing a drier ride.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60