My wife and I were paddling up a creek and we ran into some fallen trees, so we decided to turn back instead of carrying around, and it was getting late, and hot, so we headed back to the launch site. A little ways back we conversed with a young couple in recreational kayaks. The guy was fishing and his wife was just enjoying paddling. They asked how far we went, or could go, up this creek before it got to shallow. We replied that we turned around about a mile further up because of the fallen trees. He sort of snorted, ya know a snirky sound people make when they think their better then you, and said, "Well we wouldn't have any trouble getting around fallen trees in these". I didn't reply, just wished them the best and we left. I'm pretty sure my strip canoe weighed less then one of those yaks they were on, and how do you carry one of them bulky things? I have nothing against one of them short recreational kayaks, but I don't want one. They look harder to get into with out getting your feet wet, and from what I've seen they look to be slower then a canoe. The longer sea kayaks are different, they scoot on pretty good from what I've seen.
There was a person that drowned swimming near a boat dock area here on my local lake last year. It was due to electrocution. Most outboard engines have anodes in the lower unit that absorb any electrical current in the water, when docked around other boats. I've seen a boat motor that was deteriorated from the lack of an anode. The lower unit was completely destroyed by pitting and looked like it was getting dissolved by acid. It sat for years beside other house boats, on a fresh water lake.
I wonder if some motorized boat owners complain about small paddle craft because some state laws state that a boat owner is responsible for the wake their boat creates. If their boat's wake rolls a person over or causes other harm, the person that created that wake is responsible. I think that is law in TN. I'm sure circumstances are arguable.
Roy