Initial stability is what you feel when you first get into the boat. In a boat with great initial stability, you can stand up and walk around. It takes a lot of effort to flip this boat 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 platform of initial stability. Secondary stability refers to how the boat behaves as it tilts. A boat with great secondary stability feels stable and predictable in the lean. This is a useful characteristic for whitewater moves and rough-water paddling.
home and the dryness of flare. Canoe designs 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 bow and stern is termed rocker. The amount of rocker determines how easily a boat turns versus how well it tracks. A straight keel line (no rocker) allows for excep- tional tracking, ideal for covering long distances in a straight line. A canoe with a lot of rocker offers exceptional manoeuvrability.
The material you choose will be the greatest determinant of your boat’s price.
Flat-bottomed canoes offer great initial sta- bility at the expense of speed and rough-water performance. Very secure on calm water, they’re great for sportsmen and recreational paddlers. Round-bottomed boats are the other end of the spectrum. Perfectly rounded bottoms allow for clean entry and exit lines and minimal sur- face area in the water. They have great speed and efficiency but virtually no initial stability. This is why racing 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 initial stability for good sec- ondary stability and all-around performance. The cross-section of some canoes is modified by the addition of a keel. A keel is a moulded ridge or attached piece of material that runs the length of the canoe on the bottom outside of the boat to help the canoe track and resist the influ- ence of crosswinds. Keels are most often found on short, wide canoes used for recreation and sporting. They are undesirable in whitewater because they reduce manoeuvrability and are vulnerable to rocks.
The sides of the canoe are either flared, turned-in or straight. Flared sides shed water. Tumblehome describes the shape of a canoe with turned-in sides. Tumblehome results in a nar- rower beam at the gunwales making it easier for the paddler to reach over the side of the canoe when paddling. Straight-sided canoes are a bal- ance between the paddling efficiency of tumble-
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www.canoeroots.ca Hull Symmetry and Taper
Viewed from above, symmetrical canoes have identical 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 cen- tre of the boat creating a longer bow. This con- figuration produces enhanced forward speed and tracking and is often seen in touring and per- formance boat designs. Touring and performance boats will also have sharper, more knife-like tapers at the bow and stern to cut through the water efficiently. Whitewater and general-purpose boats will have blunter ends to add volume and give buoyancy in waves, providing a drier ride.
Materials
Once you have chosen a canoe design that best suits your needs, your choice of material will be based on durability, cost, weight, aesthet- ics, and the shape requirements of the canoe. There are a staggering number of different materials used to make canoes including wood (sealed with canvas or fibreglass), polyethylene plastic, Royalex, and composites (glass, Kevlar or carbon/graphite fibres mixed with adhesive resins). The most expensive boats are generally either made of composites, Royalex or wood. Strong, lightweight composites such as Kevlar are good for trippers, racers or anyone else willing to spend money to shave off pounds. Heavier Royalex boats are favoured by whitewater paddlers primarily concerned with bumping, bouncing, sliding and bending over rocks unscathed. Royalex, a supple vinyl-and-
foam sandwich that looks like plastic and bounces back to shape when deformed, is also well-suited to the rounder, blunter shapes of most whitewater designs. Wood canoes—expensive once the crafts- manship is factored in—are in a class of their own. Relatively fragile, maintenance-intensive and not exceptionally lightweight, wood boats excel in beauty. They’re still popular because to many people canoeing is about aesthetics. 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 boat.
Less expensive materials like fibreglass and polyethylene are used in a variety of boats for a wide range of purposes. In the simplest terms, these materials share the advantages of their higher-end cousins—composite for lightness, plastic for durability. Finally, many manufacturers have their own versions or combinations of these materials, pro- prietary constructions with trademarked names. To compare boats, do a bit of research to com- pare not just what they’re made of, but also how they’re put together.
The Big Purchase
Whether you are altogether new to paddling, crossing over from kayaking, or a seasoned 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 boat before buying. It’s best to test-paddle a canoe under the conditions you will likely use the boat – outfitted, loaded with gear or on your most fre- quently travelled class of whitewater. When you’ve narrowed down your choice of
models, it’s the little things that may help you make up your mind. Some trim options, such as moulded, adjustable seats and sculpted yokes, affect performance and handling of the boat. Others, such as wooden gunwales, wicker seats and cherry deck plates, serve the same functions as cherry or vinyl alternatives, but impart an overall feel, increasing the boat’s intrinsic value or showroom appeal.
Once you have determined your needs and matched a boat to those specifications, the ulti- mate decision comes down to two things: price and colour.
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