Why am I the only one in a Canoe?

[canoekevin]

I have been paddling here in southwest Florida for about 9 years, and this picture is typical of what I experience. I am usually the only person in a canoe. Most are in kayaks although in the last couple of years inflatable SUP’s are giving them a run for their money.
I see people struggling to get in and out of their kayaks and SUP people having difficulty in the mangrove tunnels.
A canoe just seems like a better option. What am I missing?

 

[Tryin']

The path of true enlightenment is sparsely populated

 

[RogerMac]

A canoe just seems like a better option. What am I missing?

Most people don't want to expend the effort to develop what they see as an intimidating skill set to master the single blade. I believe that is a contributing factor in the current trend to pack canoes, as they offer the ease of getting in and out of a canoe, combined with the ease of paddling a kayak.

 

[MrPoling]

Kayaks, SOT, and paddle boards are:
- easier to store
- easier to transport
- available new at a lower price
- lighter at entry level price
kayaks are:
- more stable
- more seaworthy for beginners

Paddle boards are very easy to self-rescue

Both entry level kayaks and paddle boards are performance limited - they aren't well suited to paddling long distances away from safety. Either will quickly remind you to be careful if the water is cold.

If you did want to paddle big, open water, a touring kayak is safer and no more expensive than a canoe.

At least paddleboards are single paddle. It's funny, I always felt like a total goofball standing up to paddle my canoe. I'm sure a stand up paddle board would be fine - if you didn't have a canoe.

 

[memaquay]

Satan and his Dirty Double Blade has successfully infiltrated canoe communities across North America. We need and old priest and a young priest for the exorcism. Be prepared for lots of explosive vomiting and 360 degree head turning as we attempt to yank the DDB away from the infected. Satan's shadow has even touched stalwart solo canoeists - when we see them thrashing across a lake in their beautiful solo canoes using a DDB, prepare the Holy Water! They will hiss and smoke as we cast the demon out of them, but in the end the Holy Single Stick will prevail!

 

[Robin]

I didn’t even read the post above before I liked it.

 

[scoutergriz]

Kayaks, SOT, and paddle boards are:
- easier to store
- easier to transport
- available new at a lower price
- lighter at entry level price
kayaks are:
- more stable
- more seaworthy for beginners

Paddle boards are very easy to self-rescue

Both entry level kayaks and paddle boards are performance limited - they aren't well suited to paddling long distances away from safety. Either will quickly remind you to be careful if the water is cold.

If you did want to paddle big, open water, a touring kayak is safer and no more expensive than a canoe.

At least paddleboards are single paddle. It's funny, I always felt like a total goofball standing up to paddle my canoe. I'm sure a stand up paddle board would be fine - if you didn't have a canoe.

I would argue 3 of your first 5 points and one of you other 2 points- canoes are actually far easier to store than kayaks- whether it's on the ground, racks or even a paved driveway, canoes are far less likely to distort over time. Canoes have a plethora of mounting point when transporting and need no cradles for support, and can be tied more safely using bow and stern lines with far less worry about bending or distortion thanks to rigid gunwales, and of the same material canoes almost always run 15-25% lighter.
also stability is more a function of design than type, I've seen kayaks that will roll if you even think of shifting, and I've personally run a 7.5 motor on a couple of my canoes, while standing up even. but I've seen some SOT's that you could square dance in as well as some very twitchy canoes

 

[scoutergriz]

I think to be honest it's all about price, availability, convenience, and skillset.
A newbie who's never been on the water can go to Walmart with a few hundred bucks, pick up a cheap blow-molded SOT yak, pfd, bailer kit, and adjustable paddle, throw it in the back of a pickup, and be on the water in 1/2 an hour, and figure out control as they go
The future canoeist has to basically go to either a large sporting goods store or outfitter, pick from an astounding number of layups, designs, and purposes, or take the time to research all the available models, decide on a budget and needs, and get a properly sized paddle along with the bailer and pfd as above, even a cheap, plastic canoe will generally cost a minimum of double that of a comparable yak, then they need to be instructed in safe cartopping and loading, finally when they do reach the water, without prior knowledge or instruction, they'll generally have a hard time controlling and paddling a canoe with it's various strokes and quirks. So essentially more money, more skills to learn, and more time doing it, but in MHO, they'll have a more versatile craft, more opportunities to grow their hobby (interior tripping, fishing, passengers, etc), and will learn a life-long skill.

 

[ppine]

This thread makes me sad.

 

[MrPoling]

While I was out this morning I saw a guy in a pickup truck with a poly kayak smashed over the tailgate. The tailgate was up and pushing the bottom of the kayak 4 inches up. I felt sad for the kayak.

A crappy poly kayak was probably the right boat for him. For no other reason, then he would have had to work too hard to make a canoe fit in the pickup truck without destroying it.

 

[yknpdlr]

I have a cottage on a small private non-motors lake with about 70 members with lake shore property (all 200 inland members have lake access from a beach and three other member access points). Kayaks far outnumber canoes. I am regularly on the lake doing my race training, and monitoring the lake as my part of the lake management and protection committee. As far as I have seen there are only two other owners of canoes ever visible on the water (and one of them most often uses an allowed electric motor). As part of the association board of directors I have publicly via newsletter offered to give canoe paddling lessons to anyone who would like to expand their boating experience on this or any other body of water. In two years, none have come forward to learn.


There is a nearby kayaking club (consisting mainly of senior citizens well past their prime), who regularly paddle in group on the many various lakes here in the western half of the Adirondacks. One day the gate to our association lake road and nearby beach area was broken and left up for member access. As association president, I drove into the large beach parking lot to find zero open spaces for our own lake members, plus more cars parked along the enry road. There was no one using the beach. I then witnessed a solid line of 28 kayaks heading east, densely covering the 200-yard lake width from shore to shore. I feared harassment for the skittish loon family with two hatchling chicks that live in the area. So, I quickly drove to my place beyond them to get into my canoe and encountered them to find out what this was about. No one could tell me who authorized them (the kayak club) into this private lake. None were lake association members. Finally, one gave me the name of a lake association member who was not even part of the group paddling event on that day. I asked them to turn around and leave right away, which they did. Later the local guy club member said he was sick that day but did not tell the group to go to our lake without him. Even with him it would be against association rules for a group that size to take over our lake.This incident does nothing to help me to like kayakers at all.