One aspect of paddling that I dislike is shuttling or having someone drop the equipment off, then waiting to be pucked up. That is what guided me to kayaking open water. I like the challenge and being able to launch then return to the same point.
The main reason kayaks are so popular is probably that many people don’t take the time to learn to paddle. Anyone can waddle around in a Wal-Mart kayak with a kayak paddle.
Try a kayak paddle when you paddle your canoe solo. Paddle from behind the middle thwart, not from the rear seat. When you get that figured out, turn the canoe around and paddle from the front seat.
When you capsize on a river in a kayak, a roll gets you out of trouble. Otherwise you are suspended upside down with your head exposed to the rocks. A wet exit is not so easy.
A capsize in a canoe is easy to get out of most of the time unless you hit a wrap rock or a strainer.
Dogs and Coleman stoves fit in a canoe. So does your girl friend.
1 Like
The typical rec kayaks you find on non-whitewater rivers can’t be rolled because there are no thigh braces and the cockpits are too big for a sprayskirt. On the plus side, a wet exit is extremely easy due to the huge cockpit opening. In fact, the combination of a huge opening and no thigh hooks means you can’t realistically stay in even if you wanted to. But personally I’d rather be in a canoe. More room, easier to step in and out of, and I can switch around between sitting and kneeling to give my butt and back a break. The one exception is on open water with high winds. Kayaks are better on windy days when you don’t have current helping.
1 Like
Some people don’t fit in kayak cockpits. I shudder to think of what happens in a capsize. Practice wet exits and removing the spray skirt. Much more perilous even on slow rivers.
Indeed, this is all true, I’m just not sufficiently competent of a canoe paddler (plus the canoe I own is also not up to bashing around in rocks)!
Thanks Ppine, words of caution always welcome! I’ve actually probably done more of this type of paddling than any other, in a plastic boat I no longer own, hence the thread. I even had a “real” wet exit, slightly embarrassingly.
1 Like
Finally got around to reading this thread and really enjoyed it. To the OP I can be of no real help. He wants a boat and specifically a kayak that is suited for rivers and camping. I’ve been doing river and swamp camping from a kayak for a few years now. I simply go with what I got (often ww boats) and make do. XP10, 12r, vanguard, perception mirage, and my pakayak are all kayaks I’ve done that in. I understand wanting the right boat for the job but I tend to use whatever boats are under my rear porch. I can tell you that crossovers, IKs and rafts are too slow (inefficient and thus more work) for what you want to do. Longer ww boats- while faster are still difficult to paddle straight (more correction strokes needed and often don’t have hatches (a pain in as# to pack). I’ve enjoyed overnighting my pakayak (breakdown rec boat) more than I thought I would. If you have to carry water for five days then you would be pushing the capacity of the boat. Some folks might want something a bit more stable than a pakayak (in the tail) if you are truly bouncing off of rocks. I think you are on the right track with the carolina or something similar.