Improve your boat control techniques to enhance all types of canoeing

[Glenn MacGrady]

This topic title is an obvious truism to me, but others seem to consider learning multiple boat control techniques to be optional or even frivolous.

Well, I'll just describe my experience and state my opinions, mainly with respect to solo canoeing. Others can do the same, either agreeing or disagreeing or smoothing off my sharp edges, since this topic is intended to P.O just about everyone.

Observation 1: Too many people who propel canoes, even for decades, don't really know how to paddle at all.

Observation 2: Too many decent flatwater paddlers have little ability to control a canoe in strong river currents, much less in serious whitewater.

Observation 3: Too many competent whitewater paddlers don't have sophisticated flatwater canoe control strokes. This can include even basic flatwater correction strokes. And some of these whitewater hotshots project a false arrogance.

Observation 4: Too many competent flatwater hit & switch paddlers are not skilled in even one, much less the several, single-sided correction strokes.

Observation 5: Too many competent flatwater single-sided correction stroke paddlers are not skilled in, or appreciate the practical usage of, hit & switch paddling with lighweight bent shaft paddles.

Observation 6: Too many paddlers who paddle single stick limit themselves to being unidexterous paddlers on one side of the canoe only, instead of practicing all strokes and moves ambidexterously.

Observation 7: Too many paddlers restrict their paddling position in the canoe, and hence their available paddle strokes, to stern-only, centralized-only or cab-forward-only sitting or kneeling positions, instead of becoming competent from all all positions, with both sitting and kneeling, and with pitching the canoe bow up and bow down, and with heeling the canoe in both directions.

Observations 8/9: Too many paddlers who paddle single blade ignore the occasional benefits of double blade paddles, and vice versa.

Observations 10/11: So also for open and decked canoes, and vice versa.

Idealistic Conclusion: To be a maximally skilled canoeist, who can be maximally confident in all waters, and who can have maximal spice in a maximal canoeing life, one should learn to be proficient with all these types of canoes and paddles and positions, in all water venues and conditions, with all the relevant control strokes and moves. Of course, no one can really be a master of all these forms of canoeing. The one who came closest in my personal acquaintance was the late Harold Deal.

PRACTICAL CONCLUSION: At least take some lessons, and practice them, in canoe control techniques or hydrological conditions that are new or challenging to you.

In subsequent posts in this thread, I will focus on the practical conclusions of some of these 11 observations, using videos if I can find them. Anyone is free to join in, agree, disagree, ooh-ah, pooh-pooh, or ignore. The intent is to be eductional.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Let's start with some single blade flatwater control techniques that can be confidence building and hence practically helpful in many circumstance faced by day tripping/playing and wilderness canoeists alike.

First, take some lessons in or practice so-called Canadian "style" paddling (or "Omering" after Omer Stringer). Becky Mason and Rolf Kraiker are perhaps the best known recent teachers of this technique and we've posted many of their videos. Here's a video of a young paddler from South Carolina who exhibits superb solo skills in a 16.5' Bell Northstar tandem canoe:

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

In the U.S., take some flatwater instruction in so-called "freestyle" techniques, which incorporate many of the Canadian "style" strokes and maneuvers but also use many cross-side strokes in much narrower solo canoes. Marc Ornstein is a master of this style and has posted many informative freestyle videos and articles.

Here is the last freestyle performance by teenager Jonathan Hammond, who (I believe) was the national interpretive freestyle champion before Marc. He exhibits brilliant boat control moves in this exhibition:

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

On the distaff side of U.S. flatwater canoe control, there was the incomparable Karen Knight, who was the national interpretive freestyle champion from 1995-2000.

Both Jonathan Hammond and Karen Knight (as her opening move) implement the "Hiding Harold" 360° heeled gimbal, which is named after Harold Deal, who invented it in the mid-80s while paddling with Eric Schooley in Florida. Harold actually first did the heeled "hide" maneuver as an underwater forward stroke to bamboozle spectators on the shore into thinking there was an overturned, empty, moving canoe, rather than as a pivoting gimbal, which he soon thereafter perfected also.

 

[zekabl]

This post hits home. I am a 1, 2 and 8/9. All I am trying to do is slow life down and take in the scenery being out on the water. It is cool to see all these techniques and to see freestyle first hand at WPASCR was a different experience. But to be proficient takes an enormous of time and effort that I don't have and probably will never have unless I commit to it full time when I retire. I have taken a couple of lessons this summer and they have been helpful. What I really need is someone to go with me at all times in different water types to help me become proficient. Don't ever see that happening.

 

[Rusty Ole' Bucket]

Great thread start Glenn, as a noob to this sort of boat, I'll be following along closely. Some of the control skills displayed in the videos are amazing.

 

[stevet]

When Karen Knight first came to the Adirondack Freestyle Symposium I was teaching the first class she attended…blew me away instantly. Told her there was no need for her to continue in the class and sent her to a more advanced one. Describe something and she would do it perfectly…the first time. It was such a joy to watch her for the years she was active in FS. The definition of graceful paddling.

 

[yknpdlr]

After I had been mainly self-taught for many years, I met Caleb Davis. born a Canadian, Moved to USA, became a guide and BSA High adventure instructor, a canoe builder and well known Traditional American Freestyle Flatwater Program Instructor and museum demonstator in the Notheast. Caleb tuned my technique and introduced me to the practical side of freestyle canoeing. He has easy to watch videos in paddling and paddle making. For only $100 you could take his guided paddle making course and end up with one his style otter tail paddles that retailed for nearly $200.

 

[dutchlennart]

Observation
Not many touring paddlerd over here do not do any change in speed during daytrips to prepare for when it can be handy. Regardless of their paddling style ( single or doulbe bladed, s and s or one sided)
To me it is very handy if you have a 15 tp 30 min burst to cross a lake ot head in wind .

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

freestyle

interpretive freestyle

"Freestyle" has a second and completely different meaning when it comes to whitewater boat control competitions. Here are two videos of whitewater freestyle competitions, a discipline which emphasizes three-dimensional canoe control techniques on surfing waves and holes.

First, a European championship decked canoe (C1) freestyle ride:

Next, a more local freestyle competition with open canoes (OC1s), which are completely air-bagged but not cockpit-skirted, and which don't look like tripping canoes:

Before reaching the level of OC1 or C1 freestyle levels of whitewater canoe control, the beginner must first master the basic two-dimensional moving/whitewater maneuvers, which will be illustrated in my next posts.

 

[tketcham]

Deleted. Not relevant.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

whitewater freestyle

Whitewater freestyle is for whitewater experts.

First, the basics of whitewater boat control must be learned: How to read moving water; how to feel and react to currents, current differentials and waves buffeting the hull; how to J-lean (heel) your canoe for turns and water avoidance; how to execute cross-forward strokes, eddy turns, peel-outs, back ferrying, upstream ferrying, and bracing.

We have a thread on the following three Tom Foster videos, in which he explains and illustrates all these basics from a whitewater solo perspective.

These videos are long and may not be for everyone, but if you can master what Tom teaches, you can become a confident and advanced level solo canoeist.

(NOTE: Read my next post before watching the first video. I try to explain something key that Tom Foster should have done more clearly.)

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

In his videos, Tom Foster always talks about paddling in (carving) circles. That is, he teaches that all paddling in whitewater, including forward paddling, is actually paddling along the diameter of a circle, which can be a very tight diameter or a very large diameter circle. However, in my opinion, he doesn't do clear job of explaining beforehand WHY.

Paddling in the bow quarter with a forward stroke in an on-side circle, or with a cross-forward stroke in an off-side circle, requires no correction. That's WHY. No J stroke. No Canadian stroke. No pitch stroke. No C stroke. No correction at all. You paddle in the circle for the very reason of avoiding the need for correction and allowing all the power of your forward and cross-forward strokes to vector straight ahead.

How do you start and stay in a circle? You must start the canoe to "carve"—i.e., to naturally turn in a circle by increasing the water pressure more on one bow plane than on the other. Once the the canoe is in motion and carving, the hull will tend to keep carving in a tighter and tighter circle away from the side with the greater water pressure (which Tom confusingly calls the "side of opposition."). You balance this carving tendency with your uncorrected forward (or cross-forward) stroke.

In a whitewater hull, if you want to carve a tight turn, you heel (J-lean) the side of opposition—the side experiencing the greater water pressure—up. This means you lean into a turn, as with a bicycle. (Many lake canoes carve better if you lean away from the turn.)

If you want to go relatively straight ahead, you must create a carving circle of very large diameter. You expand the circle diameter by (1) paddling further away from the keel line, and/or (2) by increasing your stroke force, and/or (3) by increasing your stroke rate. It becomes instinctive with experience. You do vice versa to tighten the diameter of the circle to make a tight turn, as for an eddy turn.

I hope this prefatory explanation makes sense when Tom illustrates on-side and off-side circle paddling in the first video.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Here is another video that explains and illustrates how to paddle carving circles more pithily than does Tom Foster. It is based on Andrew Westwood's "2x4" explanatory meme.

The point is that a whitewater paddler seated at the pivot point of the canoe can control and keep adjusting the direction of the canoe—on-side turn, off-side turn, straight ahead—simply by using bow quarter forward and cross-forward strokes balanced against differential bow wave pressures caused by different diameter carving arcs (circles). No correction strokes or stern strokes are needed.

This video explains that you can also tighten or widen a carve arc by (4) shortening or lengthening your stroke and/or by (5) heeling (leaning, tilting) your canoe more or less.

 

[eckilson]

Idealistic Conclusion: To be a maximally skilled canoeist, who can be maximally confident in all waters, and who can have maximal spice in a maximal canoeing life, one should learn to be proficient with all these types of canoes and paddles and positions, in all water venues and conditions, with all the relevant control strokes and moves. Of course, no one can really be a master of all these forms of canoeing. The one who came closest in my personal acquaintance was the late Harold Deal.

A worthy goal, but probably not realistic for those of us with a life beyond paddling, which is all of us. I focus on what I need for the types of boats that I have and the types of trips that I do. I'm always looking to improve, but I don't need to be an expert at everything.

Observation 3: Too many competent whitewater paddlers don't have sophisticated flatwater canoe control strokes. This can include even basic flatwater correction strokes.

Whitewater paddlers use the J and C stroke just like everyone else. Even cab-foward paddlers sometimes need to go back to the stern for corrections. It could be a big turn that can't be done up front, surfing or just paddling the flatwater between rapids. The duffek is the basis for the freestyle axle and cross axle and also the whitewater eddy turn and peal out. Whitewater and flatwater paddlers use draws and sculling draws to sideslip across the river. It is best to master all these moves on flatwater before you try them on whitewater

Observation 6: Too many paddlers who paddle single stick limit themselves to being unidexterous paddlers on one side of the canoe only, instead of practicing all strokes and moves ambidexterously.

Personally, I have no desire to become an ambidextrous paddler. I'm a leftly, and I'm fine staying on the left. I still paddle on the right (off) side of the boat, but when I do it is usually with cross strokes rather than switching sides. In order to do this you need to have narrow solo boats, which I do. In flatwater, I will switch sides with the hit and switch, but that is pretty much it for the right side.

It took me a long time to feel comfortable with the full array of on-side and off-side stokes on my left side. It would be time consuming and redundant to try and develop them on my right side as well. The only time it is a problem is when I paddle tandem with another lefty. Fortunately, I have a lot friends that are righties.

 

[ppine]

I met an old cowboy from Utah at Mule Days in Bishop, CA many years ago.
He summed up his profession in a few words, and they apply to canoeing.
"A bunch of simple skills, that take a lifetime to perfect."

 

[memaquay]

On a canoe tripping site, a post like this can stir some controversy. I'm not a big AI guy, but I asked Chat Gpt to define canoe tripping.

Canoe tripping is the practice of traveling over waterways (and sometimes portaging over land) by canoe, usually for recreation, exploration, or adventure. It often involves multi-day journeys through lakes, rivers, and wilderness areas, where participants carry their supplies—such as camping gear, food, and safety equipment—in the canoe.

Key elements of canoe tripping:

Travel by canoe across interconnected rivers and lakes.
Portaging, meaning carrying the canoe and gear over land to bypass obstacles or move between water bodies.
Camping, since trips often last multiple days.
Self-sufficiency, with participants responsible for navigation, cooking, and survival skills.
Connection to nature, emphasizing exploration, solitude, and outdoor living.

It can range from short weekend trips on calm lakes to extended wilderness expeditions in remote areas.

I routinely trip with a fella who never moved beyond the goon stroke, and whose whitewater skills involve a series of strokes known only to him. He routinely buries the posers on flatwater, clicking off 30 mile days with an abundance of energy left over at camp. I have never seen him capsize in whitewater, and we usually run anything Class 2 and sometimes 3.

It's great to be an expert in the field with a quiver full of strokes, but the simple enjoyment of taking a canoe into the wilderness for an extended trip relies mainly on common sense and risk management, not mastery of a 2x4.

One key skill you forgot Glenn, is the fine art of portaging. You can't ignore this on a canoe tripping site, and I have watched some most excellent stroke masters suffering on the portage trail.

 

[ppine]

I have paddled with a lot of green paddlers over the years. The one type of paddler I cannot stand are really confident people with a low level of skills. They say things like "just stay in the current and paddle hard." When scouting rapids they roll their eyes and ignore the discussion. They are the first group to crunch boats in rapids.

 

[gumpus]

Speaking of practical boat control techniques, yesterday I had a paddle jam between the boat and a sunken tree branch and had to let go of the paddle to maintain boat control. It took me a while to learn that one.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

On a canoe tripping site, a post like this can stir some controversy. I'm not a big AI guy, but I asked Chat Gpt to define canoe tripping.

The purpose of this thread is not controversy, but rather to stir up some interest and perhaps motivation to learn additional boat control skills that can be useful in various types of canoe sport, including the kind of canoe sport tripping you and Chat GPT have in mind.

As for the adventitious name of this site, it is not a limiting nomenclature. It was picked from a certainly limited number of available domain names, for reasons and purposes unknown by a founder who died 13 years ago, when there were less than 100 registered members on a site that was more than adrift. The site's canoe-related interests, and hence its subject matter forums, have grown far beyond the limited definition supplied by Chat GPT, a form of canoe "tripping" that is not available in the USA nearly as much as in the infinite watery wilderness of Canada. A site limited to that definition, or any narrow definition, of canoeing would not survive. There simply would be an insufficient number of threads to maintain interest. Most canoeists in the world are day trippers.

Therefore, the "canoe tripping" this site encompasses is now very broad and has been clearly stated for four years in our Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules thread: "Whether your canoe trip is 30 days in the wilderness or 30 minutes around a pond, you can talk about it here. And you can talk about any of the related topics in the rich list of forums."

That rich list of related forums has now grown to 40—to all sorts of canoe-related subjects such as strip building, to wood/canvas restoration, to all sorts of gear discussions, to outfitting, to DIYing, to hunting & fishing, to photography, and even to tangential activities like winter trekking and ice fishing. This is not a site limited to any one aspect of canoe sport or to any one geographic region for canoeing. And for those very reasons, I believe, CanoeTripping.net has grown and thrived to become the most comprehensive and active canoe discussion forum on the internet, and the one with the highest SEO.

Anyone can limit themselves to reading and responding only in the forum(s) or to the threads of most interest to themselves. And that's probably what just about everyone does, including me.

I and others have an interest in the technical (and terminological) aspects of boat and paddle control, which encompass techniques and maneuvers that can be complementary even though some may initially appear to be contradictory. Techniques and maneuvers that can be useful, more or less, in the many varieties of canoe sport. That's what this one thread in this one forum (out of 40) is about. If it stimulates educational interest in just one current or future member or lurker, I will consider it a success . . . even though I may never know about it.