It’s definitely not the type of paddle used. A friend of mine who is far more skilled than I am regularly paddles his sea kayak with both a canoe paddle and a kayak paddle. He is equally fast with both. He does the same with his Kruger sea canoe.
Well, most whitewater open boaters are pretty tight in their canoes. C-1 decked canoe boaters are even tighter in theirs. Sit on top kayak paddlers are not very tight at all.
Well, I have seen some SOT paddlers on the Current River that looked like they were pretty tight.
Yup. This topic has been the subject of many a campfire gathering among paddlesport aficionados.
It’s a Möbius strip folks
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The thing is that there are boats that 100 out of 100 people would recognize as a canoe and there are boats that 100% would recognize as and call a kayak.
But when you sit down and try to compile a list of features and characteristics that differentiate a canoe from a kayak, for a every such feature or characteristic there is an exception.
Well before that point
My new favorite quote…
Just to be clear, I don’t mean I only consider skin-on-frame boats to be the "only’ type to be called a “kayak”, I meant that the configuration of the boat (regardless of hull material) should resemble those boats which were originally called “qajaq” (or baidarka). Also acknowledge that there are plenty of skin boats which are NOT kayaks (such as coracles and umiaks, and even SOF canoes, dories and Adirondack boats).
Speaking of which, maybe it would be more linguistically appropriate to call rec’ boats “coracles” and open sit on tops “umiaks”.
My Rapidfire. When you want one canoe for both. This hull was designed with a drop seat and single or double blade use. I use both depending on conditions. Double for open water and wind, single for streams and maneuvering.
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Considering the overlap, maybe a more generic term that describes both kayaks and canoes should be used. Like “paddle boat”.
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We still have one of these paddle boats in Pennsylvania (still in service on the Susquehanna):
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Looks like that ferry would be in real trouble if it lost power.
That looks like a fantastic place to paddle, though I imagine a strong upstream wind might make things dicey.
The Susquehanna is a wonderful river to paddle. I am mostly familiar with its West Branch but there are Water Trails on both the West and and main river channels that wind hundreds of miles through some beautiful contryside and deep green canyons. PA is blessed with more miles of rivers and sreams than any state except Alaska and this is one of its best. . The Susquehanna has even been recommended for Federal Wild and Scenic River designation.
Per Willowleaf, ‘paddle boat’ is already taken. The term ‘paddlecraft’ gets used fairly often, that would include paddle boards as well.
I agree. Heard it discussed many a-time by instructors, competitors, manufacturers, recreationists, symposium organizers, ad infinitum. It’s strictly rhetorical. There is no right answer.