Why am I the only one in a Canoe?

[Steve in Idaho]

It's not about price with them. They could all afford a high end canoe, they just don't want one. Not one of those friends has asked to try one of my canoes. They're content in their plastic tubs.

I see a lot of this too. To be fair, we all have our priorities that we're willing to spend money on, and those less important. Those in that group who I know well put a higher priority on really nice homes (which is a puzzlement to me) and new cars (which I fully understand), among other things. I'm sure that they see my collection of boats, bikes, and skis, and where I live and what I drive; and question my sanity, or at least my judgement.

 

[sailsman63]

A data point in favor of perceived accessibility: Yesterday, I overheard part of a conversation between a couple of retirement-age ladies. Apparently, kayaks are preferred because they don't want to deal with having to get their shoulders outboard to handle a single-blade.

 

[Alan Gage]

A data point in favor of perceived accessibility: Yesterday, I overheard part of a conversation between a couple of retirement-age ladies. Apparently, kayaks are preferred because they don't want to deal with having to get their shoulders outboard to handle a single-blade.

Everyone here locally knows you can go places in a kayak that you can't go in a canoe because kayaks draft less.

Alan

 

[Punkinhead]

A data point in favor of perceived accessibility: Yesterday, I overheard part of a conversation between a couple of retirement-age ladies. Apparently, kayaks are preferred because they don't want to deal with having to get their shoulders outboard to handle a single-blade.

On the flip side, a lot of my older friends have a lot of trouble getting in and out of a sit-in kayak due to aging knees and hips. They'd be better off in a sit on top or a canoe.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

A data point in favor of perceived accessibility: Yesterday, I overheard part of a conversation between a couple of retirement-age ladies. Apparently, kayaks are preferred because they don't want to deal with having to get their shoulders outboard to handle a single-blade.

Everyone here locally knows you can go places in a kayak that you can't go in a canoe because kayaks draft less.

Alan

Misperceptions abound.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Is there an analogy between single blading a canoe vs. double blading a kayak . . . and . . . driving a stick shift/manual clutch car vs. an automatic transmission car? It used to be said that maneuvering a stick and manual clutch was real "driving of" a car, while using an automatic was merely "riding in" a car. (James Bond always made manual shift "racing changes" in his Aston Martin.) Yet, stick shifts are dying or already dead.

Perhaps the novice to intermediate paddling market is approaching an even more extreme analogy: stick shift vehicles vs. autonomous vehicles.

This is an interesting discussion, and has been going on with increasing frequency, if not alarm, in the Freestyle canoe community, the WCHA, and many other clubs and organizations devoted to traditional canoe forms and paddling styles with which I am associated or familiar.

 

[Alan Gage]

I think it boils down to the fact that most people don't want, and never have wanted, to really become proficient paddlers. Most people just want to get out on the water, soak up some sun, be with friends, and maybe drink some beers. By far the lowest threshold to do this in terms of price, availability, transport, storage, and skill level required is a kayak.

Most are happy to float more than they paddle. They aren't interested in learning any strokes or paddling efficiently. They aren't interested in multi-day wilderness trips. They're perfectly happy doing what they're doing. It's perfect for what they want to do.

To them we, who spend many thousands of dollars on boats and paddles, have to baby our boats, spend countless hours learning new techniques, intentionally paddle in inclement conditions to improve our skills, and buy trailers and expensive racks to transport and store our boats probably seem like crazy ones.

Alan

 

[Gamma1214]

...have to baby our boats...

Misperceptions abound.

Indeed.

Personally, I don't mind having fewer people in the backcountry and the fact is that yaks are suited best to day paddling so backcountry access is more difficult.

Granted, that doesn't bode well for someone like Mem trying to keep routes open and keep the pressure on the logging companies to maintain riparian buffers along those routes but people seem to have 10 second attention spans, seek instant gratification with as little input as possible and be unable to disconnect from society these days.

Maybe we can't blame them for wanting maximum ROI and it's just the old curmudgeon in me that bristles at the sight of kayaks, kayak paddles and stomp-n-steer transmissions in cars (and now even in large trucks).

There may be hope for me though... I DO tip on the rare trip to my local Hungry Heifer.

 

[bxh360]

For YEARS I NEVER saw another canoe being paddled. I was on the Puget Sound paddling my canoe and would be asked about it. Paddling the Colorado River outside of Moab in a WW canoe and ANOTHER WW canoe came up. We had the greatest time talking. Finally I asked him.

"You are originally from the Northeast aren't you?"
"Maine, how did you know?"
"Rarely have I ever met anyone from the West w/ a ww canoe and those were ALWAYS from back East or MN, WI, MI. "

Know that you are not alone....the road less travelled and all of that.

 

[redcanoe]

I see a lot of this too. To be fair, we all have our priorities that we're willing to spend money on, and those less important. Those in that group who I know well put a higher priority on really nice homes (which is a puzzlement to me) and new cars (which I fully understand), among other things. I'm sure that they see my collection of boats, bikes, and skis, and where I live and what I drive; and question my sanity, or at least my judgement.

Your post reminded me of the real estate commercial that’s out now where the actress states that most of life’s best memories are made in the home. I thought about that for a minute and reached a conclusion opposite of her assertion. Most of my best memories were made outside a house.

Of all the people I know that have kayaks, none of them mentioned ease of paddling as a reason why they have them. Their paddle is an afterthought. They like short, wide boats they sit on top of. They don’t really care about efficient paddling. As mentioned above, they just want to float around.