Optimal weight

Are there general guidance percentages of the optimal weight of the paddler(s) and gear to the listed maximum carrying weight of a canoe? 60%-70% for example. I'm most interested in that ratio as it relates to a recreational canoe and flatwater paddling.

This may not be of much help so I'll let you decide if it's worth your consideration...

When I used to teach a hiking & backpacking class, the guide I gave my students is that men should not try to carry more than 25% of their body weight; the limit for women is 20%. Even at those percentages, some people just shouldn't try to carry heavy weights since their body may not be able to handle the stress and strain on their joints and/or muscles.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

I don't have a problem of combined weight being near 100% but depends some on how that canoe manufacturer rated it. When I've shopped for canoes, I probably aim for 80 to 85%.

The carrying capacity has a lot of variance from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some use waterline, some use freeboard, it can get weird.

Most modern manufacturers seem to give an ideal weight range, which seems to correlate with the 3-4" waterline, give or take.

My experience, which is nothing compared to many here, is that the weight at 4" waterline is a good target for the high end of what I will put in it. But that can change with rocker and hull cross section...

For the older canoe ad copies that list total capacity, 70% seems to work out ok as well. Again, my experience.

Wow! Did I read the original post incorrectly! My peanut brain interpreted the question as to how much should you be carrying when doing a portage. Sorry about that. I'll let the more educated and better read people continue this discussion. Please proceed...

Until next time...be well.

snapper

Page 24 of the 1974 Old Town Canoe catalog stated, "Some regulating agencies have established formulas that limit the number of persons and/or total loading capacities of canoes. Old Town believes that a combination of canoeist's experience, type of canoe, and water-weather conditions, rather than arbitrary formulas, is the best guide in such matters."

I would encourage you to do some testing under different conditions to see what feels good for you. The link below has more details on this topic.

Benson

Old Town is famous for listing high carrying capacity like 1.100 pounds in their large canoes.
A more reasonable max is more like 750 pounds.
Most canoes are going to perform best around 500 pounds or less.

The optimal is going to be the least amount you can put in it. Wenonah doesn't list maximums. I remember the Old Town Tripper (17'2") listed at 1100 pounds, which, I think was based on a 6" freeboard. To me, a 6" freeboard in roughish waters is pretty spooky. The 3" and 4" waterlines pertain mostly as an industry standard for typical loads for that particular boat, e.g. a pro racing boat ("3x27") was measured at the 3" waterline because that's where it sat with two typical paddlers. The 4" waterline is pretty much the standard measuring point nowadays. Regarding capacities, the 17' PakCanoe, which I've spent a lot of time in heavily loaded, lists a maximum of 910 pounds. I just figured out an approximate weight (food, gear, paddlers) for our PakCanoe set up for a 7 week unsupported trip around 700 pounds. It's a pretty beamy, high volume boat, and it was pretty stuffed. Although it was sloooow to get up to speed, it was (reasonably) maneuverable, and rock-solid stable. We did use a spray deck for big lakes and whitewater, and it was needed even with the relatively deep 14" depth. So that's just a bit under 80% max. How it would handle with another 200 pounds I'm not sure I want to find out, especially as most of my trips involve portages.
Percentage of max capacity is going to vary with different hull designs. What happens when you approach max? A boat with lots of flare will just keep eating up weight with only momentum changing until you're awash, while a boat with lots of tumblehome will get more and more unstable as you get to some point as the change in the volume of the hull starts declining (sort of seat of the pants conjecture as I'm not an engineer, but it sorta makes sense from well accepted stability analyses).

So, load up all your buddies (3-4 at least!) and test it in a warm lake! And don't forget the beer cooler!