Water for ballast is always safe
There’s no need to leave a bit of air in the bag full of water. If the bag is totally full of water, it will be weightless when immersed in a swamped boat (other than the weight of the bag itself). On the other hand, leaving a bit of air inside WILL keep the drybag itself from sinking if it gets loose from the boat. Putting a big rock in the front of the canoe as ballast, as some people do, definitely presents the risk of sinking the boat if the boat gets swamped. Maybe the boat will roll and the rock will tumble free, but maybe it won’t and the rock will take it to the bottom. I wouldn’t risk it. Using water is definitely the safer method.
In my own experience with the MRE
I found a third seat mounted with the front edge 12" behind center to be ideal for solo paddling with the boat empty. That trimmed the boat slightly bow up but was very close to the center thwart so it was kneel-only. It allowed my draw stroke to pull the canoe straight sideways and was almost neutral in the wind.
You can experiment for optimum position with an unattached saddle or bolster about 10" high to kneel over. On some calm water, find the position you want and mark the rail accross from your belly button. That is the front of the seat or solo thwart.
If you use ballast or have gear or dog in the boat you have three seats to choose from depending on load and preference.
Paddle choice is personal preference I think. I use single blade which I think is better in tight spots but kayak paddles are definitely better in a head wind and the Explorer catches plenty of it.
Thank you!
Some great feedback and lots for me to experiment and try. Thanks to all the posters and be safe on the water.
Rob
I think over time
you will end up paddling in different positions depending on the situation you find yourself in.
I use a kneeling thwart
or a low stool like a prayer bench…just high enough to tuck my feet under and paddle Canadian Style from just in back of the yoke. I have some stuff somewhere on You Tube.
Kneeling is sometimes very comfortable with a good thick pad under your knees and ankles. Actually ankle pressure can be the killer. But work up to it. Five min today 10 tomorrow etc. An hour today would for sure cause you grief.
Couple of…
simple considerations…
If your rivers have some very shallow places, the less weight you have in the canoe the better, which means that the less ballast you have to use to keep it trim when paddling from the bow seat backwards or from the stern seat, the better. In that case, a seating position closer to center, so that you only have to use the dog and gear for ballast, is better.
If your rivers have lots of slack water that you have to paddle through, you won’t want to be sitting in the stern, because you can’t get up any real speed from the stern with normal paddle strokes. On the other hand, if your rivers require a lot of maneuvering around obstacles, the stern position might be best.
All in all, though, I rate a removable seat somewhere fairly close to the center of the canoe as most likely to work best, sitting in the bow seat backwards as second choice, and sitting in the stern seat the worst.