Didn't mean to imply that there aren't some very sporty canoes and canoeists out there - just noting our experience with our boats, in our waters, for our purposes...
When I think canoe, I think flatwater cruiser, as I do when I think 'kayak' for that matter. Whitewater is, to us, a separate sport, and freestyle isn't even on the horizon in our waters.
And, hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with station wagons, in my opinion - they're very useful, practical, flexible vehicles, with lots of room for folks and gear, just like our Bluewater Prospector and our venerable Oneida 18. Our family's wheeled fleet includes a '95 Escort wagon, which we've found to be an excellent boats/gear/folks/dogs lugger.
Canoe or Kayak Canoes and kayaks come in many different models for many different purposes. But canoes can do some things kayaks can’t and versa vice. The question should not be which one is better, but which boat should I use for a particular task. I think everybody should own at least six of each. Now if I could just convince my wife that I really need one more canoe and two more kayaks.
Salt = deck, fresh = open boat. At least for me. I’ve had both on both many a time, but lately I stick to that rule. Class II/III is my limit.
I would classify my 17’ Royalex tandem as an S.U.V., or even a minivan, using the car analogy. My shiny red Kevlar solo? Well, I guess I’d have to label it a roadster of sorts - like a two-seater, capable of a long weekend, but mainly used for quick fun in good weather.
It’s all mood, bro. All in the mood. I paddled canoes for decades, and loved it. Then I got a flat-water trip on an eco-tour on vacation. The company used recreational kayaks (I believe it was a Wilderness Systems Manteo that I first used). I loved it right off. For about four or five years, I didn’t get in a canoe again. I stuck to the kayaks.
Then I got in a canoe again, and guess what. I loved it too.
So, my paddling is almost exclusively limited to mild rivers (class 2 and under) and intended to get me to fish. Some days I use a kayak. Some days I use a canoe. On the days I feel like playing a little, or getting into more rough water than usual, I take my Dagger Approach. If I feel like taking it easy, stretching my legs, standing and sight casting with a fly rod, I take my canoe (with rowing station - a real barge). If it’s somewhere in between, then I go with a boat somewhere in between.
The reality is, I don’t always WANT to take 1,000 pounds of crap but sometimes I do. And I don’t ALWAYS want to be able to hit eddies fast or surf a roostertail, but sometimes I do.
One of these days, I’m eager to try a solo recreational canoe. I’ll probably buy one if I do.
By the by, Pilotwingz, given that you fish in my back yard, I’d be happy to join you and allow you to borrow any or all of my kayaks for a test paddle or day of fishing. Just let me know when. I would prefer to wait until the water has warmed up before putting someone into a kayak for the first time even if they are an experienced canoe paddler.
Matt, “easier to carry”? Is that because you are mostly a whitewater paddler so you see mostly whitewater kayaks that can be carried like a suitcase? The kayaks used by most of the people I paddle with are a lot harder for one person to carry than a solo canoe (they are heavier and have no overhead carrying option).
in a straight line. Actually I'm more a canoeist than a kayaker. And as I said, it is hard to call a fast flatwater cruiser equivalent to a sports car. Sports cars are for turning.