Pack canoe or kaye-anoe

[Canoer60]

IMO, these are a great trade-off between a canoe and a kayak, especially for beginners. As I stated in another thread here, a lot of people can be hesitant in starting out in a kayak due to the mental block of being trapped upside down in one. So you have to go into rolling and righting even before they get into the water, away from the guides/instructors/helpers.

Canoes? Anyone can fall out of a canoe, so there’s not that mental apprehension someone could have to starting out their paddling interests. And the longer the canoe, the more difficult it’ll be for them to control it. And often it’s best to reverse the longer canoe to paddle from the former back seat, but facing forward to push their weight/paddle stroke more forward.
Or kneel down and do it.

The easiest way to get someone to do something is to have as low of an “entrance fee” as possible.
Thus the kayak/canoe combo, aka the pack canoe.
You sit lower in a real seat built just for that, so it’s located to operate and balance it. There are footpegs in it, so you can learn/do efficient paddling.

This is me in a pack canoe. Yes, I’ve fallen out of it. I’ve also had it half full of water. This is a great thing to have to get people into paddling.
And it’s also very handy for one person to do various adventures. I’ve deer hunted out of it and fished out of it. Most was exploring rivers out of it.
Skirtless, I’ve even gone through class III rapids with it.

Something things to

think about.

[castoff]

It really matters where you plan on paddling as to which choice should be made on the boat to use. I happen to do both. I would not want my canoe off shore.

[string]

I tried that once in our Folbot Supèr. We wound up on the beach with a boat full of water.

[szihn]

As with most things in life, to gain something you must often give up something at the opposite end.

Some kayaks are as stable as canoes, because they are very wide. Sit-on-top fishing kayaks come to mind. And like canoes, they are not very fast. If speed is irrelevant (as it would be in fishing) you loose nothing in that particular mission-statement. But I also think a canoe might be just as good for fishing (I don’t know because I am not a fisherman)

For touring and longer trips the canoe beats the kayak in cargo capacity. But is that a down side for the kayak? Maybe. Depends on how much you have to or want to bring. Not on how much you could bring. Being able to carry 850 pound on a 2 day trip seems to be like going to visit mom and driving an 18 wheeler to get to her house. Yes you can, but why would you want to?

Going into the back country to hunt elk or moose, you need a craft you can bring out your game in. Your plan is to come out far heavier then you went in. A kayak is not going to be the best choice for floating out a moose or elk, but even a mid size canoe does it very well. Even a back country trip for 3 weeks camping, the canoe is going to be able to bring a far more comfortable camp.

But if distance and time are factors the kayak will out run the canoe with no effort. In big waves a kayak can capsize just like a canoe can, but a kayak is also not hard to roll back up, and if you get “thrown” you can re-enter a kayak far easier then you can a canoe. That’s important if you can’t easily get to shore.

I go out from 5-12 days easily in my kayaks. I could go longer, but so far I have not. I prefer them to my canoe. I can’t pack as much clothing or “comfort-camp” gear in a kayak, but I don’t seem to miss it either. I take bar soap to wash myself, and to use for shaving but I also use it to wash my land clothing so one set of clothing in warm weather is all I need in addition to my water clothing.
I HAVE packed out deer and antelope from my hunts up river in my kayaks. But bringing out an elk with a kayak is something I would not even bother to try. That’s what the canoe (or the mules) are for.

Overall I am a kayaker, and enjoy paddling a kayak far more then I do a canoe, but I also prefer Strawberry Ice Cream to Chocolate ice cream. It doesn’t make me right and someone else wrong. It’s just what I like.

I enjoy waves and chop in my kayaks. I am far more able to handle big conditions in my touring kayaks and my Greenland kayaks than I can in my canoe. 30" waves would not be comfortable for me in my canoe and dealing with wind in my canoe is very difficult.

I think of my kayaks as sportscars and my Canoe as a 1-1/2 ton flat bed truck.

I like them both.
But for different tasks.

[Canoer60]

@castoff

where you plan on paddling

True, sort of. I’m talking about introducing a person to paddling, so I’d not take him offshore. If it’s big water, I’d stick close to shore with him.

But this brings up a good point. I never learned to roll as I’m a canoe guy. But in deep water, I can swamp a canoe, get out, right it, then jump back in. That’s even easier with 2 people, atleast getting back in the canoe is.

So here I think it’d be easier to get a newbie to do the canoe. But by the time he can go into bigger, deeper water, he should know how to and be able to fall out of a canoe, clear it, and get back into it. He can do all of that w/o dunking his head below water.

[Jyak]

Depends on where you go. I’ve taken novice paddlers in kayaks that I wouldn’t take a canoe into, but I’m sure experienced canoeist would have no problem handling the conditions Each craft has advantages and disavantages

[MartinF]

I just hate the term “pack canoe” as it seems to suggest a portable or collapsible canoe. Far more descriptive would be “kayoe”, “canayak” or just “hybrid canoe-kayak”.

[davbart]

Verlen Kruger paddled his decked canoe thousands of miles in all conditions, and many still paddle Kruger canoes on ocean, river and lakes. Of course they also sail them and I imagine some even use a kayak paddle.

[castoff]

It doesn’t make sense to start with a canoe. if coastal and open water paddling is what an individual wants to do to start with. In my opinion it’s easier to get back into a sea kayak even if you can’t roll than a canoe. As stated a canoe isn’t that good of a choice in rough water and high winds. I know there are amazing canoeist in white water but if capsizing in those conditions they don’t get back in on the water. A kayaker rolls back up.

I actually think something like a Pungo is easier to learn to paddle than a canoe. More stable as you have a lower center of gravity. And easier to paddle with a double blade.

I started out in the surf zone to gain experience with the kayak after learning to paddle and self rescue. I have put a canoe in those conditions and it is very difficult compared to the kayak. Paddling a canoe doesn’t really teach you much about a kayak. It comes down to where and what type of paddling you want to do as to what you should start with.

Think about Throwing a football to throwing a baseball to throwing a frisbee. They all involve throwing but have different mechanics.

I’m not knocking a canoe. When in my canoe I feel it’s great for what I am doing. When in the sea kayak I feel the same way.

[Rhambleton1956]

I have a Packboat, Its a Swift 15.8 Cruiser. Its made of carbon and weighs 32lbs. I love it. Iv never paddled a Kayak and have no interest in owning one. Its just not for me. Iv had my boat/canoe since 2020 and I love it. It is a joy to paddle. I use a double paddle. It is the most efficient way to move and control this type of craft. The only issue with my boat/canoe is the wind, when it is extreme, like white cap conditions. It is more difficult to control and can be a challenge, but only in those conditions. So, Im cautious of the weather, when it is windy, and that should apply to any type of personal paddling craft whether a packboat/canoe or a kayak. Part of the reason why my boat is succeptable to the wind is because it is mostly empty, when i paddle(day trips) with the boat sitting higher out of the water than a Kayak. I know that once my type of craft is loaded for backcountry trips, it is perfectly controlable in most winds up to whitecaps, I have seen many Youtubers using these packboats, without any problems, Once whitecaps happen, its time to get off the water.

[Canoer60]

@MartinF

I just hate the term “pack canoe”

Me too, but it seems like a term most people know what I’m talking about–a small canoe that’s sort of like a kayak-ish.

[Canoer60]

@Rhambleton1956

Swift 15.8 Cruiser

Looks like an interesting vessel. I’ll look into that one.
As far as wind, I have the same problem with a 16’ and a 20’ alum motorboats. I got alum due to me wanting the greater efficiency of lighter weight. I also wanted more freeboard/flare at the front for seaworthyness.
So naturally, unless I’m driving the boat good, it’s going to be subject to wind drift.
I built those boats with keeping a low center of gravity in mind and it looks like your canoe also has that. Looks nice.

[Rhambleton1956]

Hi Canoer60
Instead of showing you a picture of the boat on a beach, how about actually in action just recently on September 16th, 2025. Barron River Canyon, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada.

[mciro]

I have had a Hornbeck pack canoe for years and love it. I do mostly quiet water in rivers or estuaries and find it easy to handle, stable and lots of fun. I do a lot of photography from my boat and feel like the Hornbeck Classic that I have is so stable that bringing cameras and phones with me is not worrisome. I would like to someday get out on the ocean in an appropriate kayak but for now the pack canoe is so comfortable and at 18lbs, so easy to carry.