Where are all my fellow canoers? Spring is just about here and I am ready for some river tripping. My annual father/son canoe trip is just a few weeks away.
As this forum by most appearances seems to be dedicated to kayaking rather than much to do with caonoeing, I do not tend to participate here much. I am much more often to be found on the adkforum.com, or the canoetripping.net forums.
Years ago I had subscibed to the American Canoe Association, but when their publication only featured kayaks and 20-something young hot kayakers with just maybe a single token uninteresting canoe article, I dropped that organization from any hope of my participation.
Having said that, during this much warner than normal winter, I am well into training on my canoe trainer machine, in preparation for the upcoming race season. However, the surfaces of local lakes are still whte and hard for a few more weeks. I’ll be out on them as soon as it is reasonable to do so.The first of the season canoe race is “Round the Mountain”, on 11 May in Saranac Lake NY, not far from where I live.
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Here I am! Got into solo canoeing last year, and found that I prefer it to kayaking.
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There’s actually a dedicated canoe following here. Perhaps most are not as vocal. More likely when they discuss their adventures, it sounds like they’re kayaking.
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Good God, I hope not. Not at all the same skill set.
Agree, they might be better.
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I was a camper that was introduced to canoe camping. I was instantly hooked. A canoe is just more comfortable and gives me plenty of room for all my gear, so I can enjoy what I love about camping. But I also love, putting in on a river in the quiet of early morning. Just taking in all of God’s creation and listening to the music of the birds singing and my paddle in the water. Such a joy!
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If you mean that learning to skillfully perform a large variety of forward, side, and control strokes is better than simple monotone dip, swish and drip, then I agree.
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That’s it.
We used to be canoeists. Now canoers is the term I hear most.
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Canutter
Yeah, I spend 8 to 10 days a year at kayak skills camps because all there is to kayaking is monotonously dipping, swishing and dripping. Good to know that.
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Canoeists are definitely outnumbered on this site, but we’re still here.
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HEYYY! Who says “dipping, swishing and dripping” has to be monotonous!!!? You madame have obviously never bathed with a cheetah and electric eel simultaneously in your cast-iron tub.
Might I suggest the Jim Fowler Mutual of Oh My Marlin’s Too Perky Summer Skill Camp? (ask for the rubber tub, though.)
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Darn tootin’!!!
Some of us could use a good hull upgrade, though. Maybe a paddle, too.
And many of us paddle both. I’m on my 3rd canoe, by the way, a vintage Curtis solo. (And 8 kayaks.)
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Embrace the dark side.
My apologies to Pete Seeger (Where Have All the Flowers Gone) and Canoeswithduckheads
Where have all the CANOERS gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the canoers gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the Canoers gone?
Bad knees plague this one
Oh, When will you ever learn?
Where have all the cboaters gone?
Cartiladge smashing
They’ve gone to the doctor
Every single one.
They’re now in kayaks
Oh when will .you ever learn?
Oh when will you ever learn?
Pain is just no fun!
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Somebody needs to find a playmate that plays like they do. It can be lonely out there when you feel different. If you really want to insult kayakers just tell them that “1/2 the paddle makes you twice the man or woman” and that your “Closer to God because you can paddle on your knees and can pray your way down the river”. Personally yknpdlr, I think all of that is just plain backwards. You only have to use half your brain for 1/2 the paddle. Now can we just go back to just being nice instead of hurling insults? Posturing is bulls##t.
Can we go to a world where kayaks and canoes can coexist peacefully? The truth is that there are a whole lot of good paddlers in different boats, environments, and disciplines. I’m also sure you are good at what you do. Just realize there are lots of different ways to paddle. I like the diversity on this site, but it sounds like you found your niche on other forums. My world has room for both Paul Mason and Eric Jackson.
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“Good God, I hope not. Not at all the same skill set.”
I think I disagree with the idea that it’s not at all the same skill set. I think what I’ve experienced is that doing either you have one working blade in the water, and as you advance, you start to figure things out with blade and shaft angles and interacting with the boat on the other end. The connection to the water with 2 hands on a paddle is quite similar. The connection with the craft can be different. I tend to see some pros and cons with either.
'If you mean that learning to skillfully perform a large variety of forward, side, and control strokes is better than simple monotone dip, swish and drip, then I agree."
I’m all about working and improving the wide variety of forward, side, and control strokes. But I really don’t know how this wouldn’t apply to any paddlecraft. Which one do you skillfully perform strokes in, and which do you do a simple monotone dip, swish and drip? In my experience, whichever way that goes, it doesn’t have much to do with the paddlecraft or paddle. A person can use the one they have developed a fondness for to help guide exploration of the other. There are some new things you get to develop either way. I can see where things might seem worlds apart at lower skill levels. But once a person is skilled at one or the other, that seems a solid foundation for either.
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I figure that it’s all good, playing in little boats. I’m in a canoe in moving water & tripping in Canada. I’m in a kayak in the Great Lakes & playing at a local lake. There are a lot of strokes to learn & improve on for either craft. I will say though that solo canoe has it for complexity with the range of cross strokes. Especially with a Whitewater canoe - cross forward blending into cross draw/cross scullling draw to cross reverse.
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