Where Are All The Canoes?

riverstrider · Sep 19, 2024

yknpdlr said:
What has surprised me was when the first SUP entered the Adirondack 90 miler a few years ago. He was absolutely last to cross the finish line on the final third day, but he got a rousing applause (in part because finally now the awards ceremony could begin). Since then there have been more entries, with slightly better time results.

Then even more unbelievable, SUPS were allowed to enter the Yukon 1000 mile race. The Y1K is totally unsupported externally and all racers must carry all food and gear they need with them for the entire time of the trip, which is normally up to 2 weeks for slower boats. Although, like any other solo paddler, they must travel in pairs for safety. I know there have been days (even more than one day), when they have been weather bound due to high winds as canoes and sea kayaks easily paddled past them.

I waited all day to see any SUP paddlers as I manned my safety boat outpost the Saturday of the 90-miler, and didn't see any. Were there any entries for SUP this year? I imagine it is a tough race for the SUPers, standing most of the time.

yknpdlr · Sep 19, 2024

riverstrider said:
I waited all day to see any SUP paddlers as I manned my safety boat outpost the Saturday of the 90-miler, and didn't see any. Were there any entries for SUP this year? I imagine it is a tough race for the SUPers, standing most of the time.

yes, there was one SUP finisher.

Gamma1214 · Sep 19, 2024

I broke quite a few traffic laws today in VA trying to catch up to & photograph a boat for this thread but, when I finally got within range, it turned out to be just another yak.

SouthernKevlar · Sep 22, 2024

I started this thread after a cross country trip across the southern tier of the United States, South Carolina to California, and now have just returned from a two week trip to Maine. I can say that I noticed a higher percentage of cars with canoes in the north-east than on the trip out west, but an even higher percentage of cars with kayaks or SUPs (Can an SUP really be called a boat?). It appears that the "immediate gratification" of these easier-to-use boats helps in garnering a greater number of new boaters, but hopefully as these boaters get out on the water they will also bring a greater awareness when it comes to protecting our waters and watersheds. A louder voice is always handy politically and perhaps we can educate some of these new paddlers to the beauty and joys of the open canoe.

Gamma1214 · Sep 22, 2024

@yellowcanoe once stated (and I hope she's right), that 'yaks were the gateway drug to the paddling world

Steve in Idaho · Sep 23, 2024

Gamma1214 said:
@yellowcanoe once stated (and I hope she's right), that 'yaks were the gateway drug to the paddling world

It was for me. But I think that role has maybe been taken by SUPs now.

boy&hisdogs · Nov 7, 2024

I live in the PNW where three major rivers meet, and every garage in town has some kind of paddle craft in it. Even still I hardly see canoes. I think kayaks (mainly SOTs) are more popular because they are safer in the eyes of the average person as they don't fill with water and sink if you get splashed. They are also smaller and cheaper, with all the benefits that brings. SUPs seem to be getting more and more popular too, probably for the same reasons.

StillChargen · Wednesday at 2:24 PM

SouthernKevlar said:
I just returned from a 6,600 mile, two and a half week motorcycle journey from South Carolina to California, Oregon and back. Along the way I watched for canoes on cars and saw a grand total of FIVE canoes! Where are they hiding? The first that I saw was a well-used Grumman on a car in Louisiana. Next were 2 on the same car in New Mexico, travelling east on I-40, with one in a cover and blocking the sight of the canoe on the other side. The next was a green Prospector-ish canoe near Klamath Falls, OR. The final canoe was what looked to be an Alumicraft canoe in Oklahoma. I did not count the number of kayaks, sit-on tops and paddleboards that I saw on top of cars but they each far outnumbered the grand total for canoes.

I think that part of my lack of canoe sightings may be due to the fact that my travels took me through the Deep South and the Southwest, not areas known to be bastions of canoeing. Judging by the numbers of kayaks and paddleboards, self-propelled water sports are still popular. Why aren't the canoes out there, too? Are they that scarce in these regions?

Maybe I will start leaving an old canoe on my car just to say "Hi" to other paddlers on the road and make them feel less lonely.

Canoes are making a comeback in my neck of the woods in Central/Northern California where we have a fair amount of flat water and wilderness reserves to Bird watch, fish and tour. Between the Sacramento River Bed and Monterey Bay area, we have lots of lakes and sloughs to venture out on now that are currently full of water and wildlife. In fact wildlife has been on the upswing here for nearly 7 years since we blew through the drout and ridiculous predictions of 3 decades of above average rainfall needed to come back to normal. Putting the politics aside, it's all good news for us born again canoeist and the canoeing industry.

Where Are All The Canoes?

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