You will NOT get left behind.
Your kayaking friends will load their stuff in your canoe because they lack room. Make sure they give you stuff that is really really important to them and they will not leave you behind.
decked canoe vs. spray cover
Interesting thread.
I was wondering how a decked canoe and a similar sized canoe with a fabric cover compare. The advantages of the decked canoe seem to be lower windage and the assistance of a rudder.
Yaks
The number one reason i sold my yaks is they are crammped!!! Why on earth would you want to paddle for 4-months in a space tighter than jam packed closet? AND have to get out of the boat every 5 hours just to get the circulation back in your body… i.e Kayaks for sale…cheap!!
I use a decked canoe…hybrid. More open and ROOMIE!!! COMFORT ="s effieciencey='s speed…its a proven fact.
Verlen Kruger at AGE 79 BEAT two young guys that were in a tandem sea kayak by over a day to break the world record down the Mississippi from Itasca to the Gulf in about 19 days…its since been broken by others ALSO not paddling a sea kayak.
Ive goot friends whove dont the WHOLE mississippi…I know only ONE guy that used a kayak.
Types of kayaks
OK - I’m a canoeist first and last.
This is pretty basic, but I thought I’d mention it.
Kayaks come in a great variety. If I kayak, I like those tight sleek British/Greenland type boats that make me think I could be 5 star someday.
For inland waters, though, and in reality for most of us, the no-longer-fashionable “North American” boats tend to have bigger, more comfy cockpits, larger hatches and fewer bulkheads, and more room all-around. I think these would rival many solo canoes for stability and comfort.
The QCC 500 comes to mind, though I haven’t tried one. I spent time in a Northwest Kayak Cadence, and that was fairly roomy.
If I was buying a boat for this trip only, I’d go with the semi-decked canoe too, but just throwin’ out the idea of a big kayak.
Party barge might be nice too. Throw some solar panels on the roof a bank of marine batteries, and a couple of electric motors to negotiate obstacles/move in to shore. Quiet, drifting, grilling on the bbq.
But I digress.