stats
Willi, you rock! Surprised at the number of canoes.
Kayak / Canoe
Whoever believes that a kayak is just a covered canoe is probably not an experienced kayaker or canoeist.
bazillions…NM
of “kayakers” doesn’t equal # of kayak
I am not surprised at the reported number of citizens who allegedly participate in paddle sports. However, I don’t think that is pertinent to determining the number of boats in circulation.
As a past veteran of dating through personal ads, I can report that virtually EVERY single guy within the age ranges that I perused listed "kayaking" as a hobby or interest. No, it was not because I sorted for that, it would show up on the majority of ads scanned at random. In 90% of cases if I corresponded with the person it would turn out that he didn't own a kayak but had been on a few rental outings, or even had never kayaked at all but had always wanted to (in fact, I have to confess I bought my second kayak primarily so I would have one to offer potential dates as an option for an introductory outing.)
So I would caution making too many extrapolations on quantity of kayaks from reported numbers of enthusiasts.
But then, mayabe there are enough of us with serious boat collecting compulsions (I confess to owning 9 to date, though there are only 6 in the current fleet) to balance out the percentage of self-identified "kayakers' who don't actually own a boat.
canoeing’s higher numbers
At least in the Northeaster and Midwest states where I have lived, hunters and fisherman make up the largest cadre of canoeists. I suspect they make up a large proportion overall of that survey indicating higher canoe than kayak activity.
I’d also be willing to bet that the sales of kayaks (or, at least, iterations of same) are proportionally higher in recent years owing to the way they have been mass-marketed by big box stores, the much lower price points of low-end rec boats and SOT’s and their popularity with kids and young adults. I’ve seen kayak shaped objects for $150 at Big Lots stores.
Styles
It’s a big number, finite, but very large. Between this site, EddyFlower, TopKayaker and maybe others you could try to create a complete list, but by the time you got them all the manufacturers would have updated their lineup at least once. Perception has probably made several hundred models on their own.
And do you count the same mold with a new label like the Dagger Torrent? It’s the same mold Perception used for a decade or more.
It is good to know the basic types of boats and differences. How is a rec boat different than a serious sea kayak? How are SOTs different and what are the advantages and disadvantages? When someone says a boat is efficient, what do they mean? Are they racing, lilly dipping, or somewhere in between? Is longer faster and to what limit is that true for you?
If you are out to fish and take scenic pictures, a short stable SOT may be “better” than a sea kayak or surf ski for that purpose. But it may not be much fun on a long paddle and it may be totally impractical for other uses. Early on we all take a stab at picking the right boat and we often learn why we were wrong a bit later. Buyinh used eases that pain.