Which one should I buy? Whether you are new to paddling, crossing over from kayaking, or a sea- soned canoeist, you should determine your needs and desires before you wander into your local retailer or builder’s shop to buy a canoe. Be wary of the “a canoe is a canoe” sales pitch or the “does it all” model and be sure to test-paddle a canoe before buying. It’s best to test-paddle a canoe under the conditions you will likely use the canoe—outfi tted, loaded with gear or on your favourite class of whitewater. Some trim options, such as moulded, adjustable seats and sculpted
yokes, aff ect the performance and handling of the canoe. Others, such as wooden gunwales, wicker seats and cherry deck plates, serve the same functions as aluminum or vinyl alternatives, but improve the overall feel of the canoe. Buying a canoe is about understanding how the design elements af-
fect performance and identifying which performance characteristics are most important to you. If you take your time and do it right you’ll be thanking yourself for a lifetime.
Materials
Once you have chosen a design that suits your needs, your choice of material will be based on durability, cost, weight, aesthetics, and the shape requirements of the canoe.
There is a staggering number of materials used to make canoes including wood (sealed with canvas or fi breglass), polyethylene plastic, Royalex, and composites like fi breglass, Kevlar, carbon or graphite fi bres mixed with adhesive resins.
Strong, lightweight composites such as Kevlar are good for trippers, racers or anyone else willing to spend money to shave off weight.
Heavier Royalex boats are favoured by whitewater paddlers who need a canoe that will bump, bounce, slide and bend over rocks. Royalex, a supple vinyl-and-foam sandwich that looks like plastic and bounces back to shape when deformed, is also well-suited to the round, blunt shapes of most whitewater designs.
Wood canoes—expensive once the craftsmanship is factored in—are in a class of their own. Though relatively fragile, maintenance-intensive and not exceptionally lightweight, wood canoes are simply beautiful. Many paddlers are willing to give a little more care and take a little more weight for the timeless beauty and authenticity of a wood canoe.
Less expensive materials like fi breglass and polyethylene are used in a variety of ca- noes for a wide range of purposes. In the simplest terms, these materials share the ad- vantages of their higher-end cousins—composite for lightness, plastic for durability.
Finally, many manufacturers have their own versions or combinations of these materi- als, proprietary constructions with trademarked names.
Dimensions
Length, width and depth are rough indicators of a canoe’s speed, stability, capacity and seaworthiness.
Length = Speed Length is the primary factor in determining speed. Given two canoes of diff erent lengths, with all other specifi cations being the same, the longer canoe will be faster. It will also track (travel in a straight line) better and carry more gear. Shorter canoes will be lighter and more manoeuvrable.
Width = Stability The canoe’s width and cross-sectional shape govern stability. A wider canoe will generally be more stable. Width, also called beam, is given in two measurements: gunwale width and waterline width. The waterline width has the greatest infl uence on performance be- cause this area forms the footprint of the canoe—the width of the canoe actually in the water. Wide-beamed canoes off er great stability but also present greater resistance to the water. Narrow canoes may be less stable, but are faster and more effi cient.
Depth = Capacity and Dryness Depth refers to the distance between the bottom of the hull and the top of the gunwale. Depth is typically measured at the bow, centre and stern of the canoe. The amount of depth infl uences the freeboard—the distance between the waterline and the gunwales. Greater depth allows for increased carrying capacity and protects against swamping. Deeper canoes, however, are harder to handle in windy conditions and will be heavier.
LxWxD = Carrying Capacity Taken together, the basic dimensions add up to a canoe’s volume—the total amount of internal space. Carrying capacity is measured in diff erent ways, but typically refers to how much weight the canoe is able to displace while maintaining at least six inches of free- board. Carrying capacity can be increased by making the canoe wider, longer or deeper. Widening without adjusting the length increases drag, reducing effi ciency. Increasing the length is usually the best solution, while increasing the depth can help as well. This is why cargo-hauling tripping canoes are long and deep but not excessively wide.
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