kayaks to canoes
I started with kayaks. Then got a canoe (Magic) so I could take my dog along with me. Now the only kayaks I have left are an Epic V8 for fitness/training and a SOF I made a few years ago that I’d gladly sell if someone wanted to buy it. Otherwise the shed is full of canoes from racing to tripping to floating in the solo and tandem variety. I just find them a lot more enjoyable to paddle.
And I’m the opposite of you, I’ve grown to dislike the double blade paddle quite a bit. The single blade doesn’t make me as sore over the long haul and once you get a good stroke down it’s not much slower. It’s also drier and I find easier to make small corrections. Not too mention a lot lighter than a double blade. Even in the V8 I’ll use my 46" single blade quite a bit.
Alan
Yes
When folks as me which I prefer, kayak or canoe, I always answer with a definite “yes.” Although I paddle a canoe most of the time, I also love spending time in a kayak. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to choose only one.
If the Summersong isn’t fast enough for you, you could consider getting something faster - perhaps a Wenonah Advantage or Voyager or a Bell Magic.
Speed, distance, endurance
Those aren’t mutually exclusive to canoeing. I was shocked at the speed when I went to my first race with marathon C1 canoes. Incredibly fast with good paddlers in the seat. At the recent South Dakota Kayak Challenge a C1 with I’d guess a 60 year old padder took 4th place overall, beating many Epic 18Xs, V8s, V10 sports, Pax 20, and other “fast” boats. And this was with a brutal side and head wind over 72 miles.
Even in my Bell Magic, which isn’t a racing canoe by any stretch, I can hold 5.5mph plus for 6 or more miles.
Paddling a canoe at a fast pace is fun!
Alan
along the rocky maine coast = nothing
better than a rock-n-roll kayak, OTHW in the streams and ponds I’m in the canoes.