Canoe for kids?

[Alan Gage]

Thinking of building a small, kid friendly, canoe. Probably tandem rather than solo. I'm leaning towards 12-13' long and 32-33" wide. Symmetrical with a little rocker and relatively low shear. That spec should also make it soloable for an adult or larger kid. Or an adult could take it out with a kid too young to be in a boat without direct supervision. Anticipated usage will be small, calm, inland water on short day trips or just messing around in a pond.

Those who have spent time around paddling kids: what have you found does and does not work?

Alan

 

[stripperguy]

I had built a 14 ft solo as a tandem for my daughter and nephew when they were 7 and 9 years old. It worked well for them, but I never liked it as a solo, it was a freestyle boat.
Anything for the kids should be shorter enough that they never get beat up by the wind, yet enough freeboard to avoid unecessary swims. Beef up the stems, the kids are usually not too careful launching and landing.
With all that said, my daughter and nephew also used to padle my stripped USCA cruiser, but only in flat, calm water.
My next build will likely be a pink 10 ft solo for my grandaughter...

 

[madmike]

I worked for a time for Wild Rivers. We had a fleet of Blue Hole Sunbursts we used for tandem river running. The size worked well for tandem teams up to 275 lbs total.

 

[Jim Dodd]

100 yrs ago, when I was first ALLOWED on the water. It was on West Lake Okoboji.
A resort we stayed at,(Clear on the North end) had several Whiteshell wooden row boats. They were sleek and heavy.
At 10yrs old, so long as I Wore a life jacket, I was allowed to take one out. WOW, I was instantly in heaven when I pushed away from shore !
I soon thought I'd mastered rowing ! Until I lost control of one oar. My only recourse was to jump in and retrieve it. It was easy to reenter.
Had I tipped it over I would have been beached for the rest of the week. Early lessons stay with you

So here is my advise. Stability, Stability. and Stability. 17' Aluminum.

Jim

 

[Sven]

I have four boys and would like to start introducing the two older ones to paddling. I can't add any advice here, but would be willing to pay for some plans for a custom designed children's size canoe. Solo or tandem, whatever you come up with!

 

[latremorej]

I started my girls out with a 13' kayak, small, light, safe, wind not an issue, only a half skirt for breaking waves and sun protection. I know, I know, dirty word here. I found that sitting low in a kayak, mostly unaffected by the wind, in a craft that moves easily through the water (can't compare to a short and squat canoe for glide, sorry, just can't) the kids were able to keep up without any trouble at all. At 8 to 12 years old I think it's easier to get them out in their own boat.. no compromise with another paddler, total sense of "I did it by myself" and as they get comfortable and confident on the water I move them up to a canoe. Especially when they want to bring friends! "Sure your friend can come along! But you are paddling with them in the canoe!" Each kid is different but it's what worked for me. I'll scrounge around for the pics

Jason

 

[Canotrouge]

My daughter is 9, been paddling for 9 years... She has been on many longer trips, starting at 6 months old for a 10 day trip that ended up being a moose hunting trip lol...

Since then, she became a great bow paddler, on flat water, on ww up to class III, and on long trips loaded with gear on up to class II rivers( going on a 8 day trip this summer on a multi classIII river). She sometime paddle stern wile on trip to brake up the boredom, and she does really well. All that to say that I don't think kids need a special canoe, especially if they are on sheltered water, just any tripping canoe will do. I think a 15-16 foot prospector type would do just fine, that is how I learn goofing around on a lake with an old beater...

Make them a real canoe!

 

[latremorej]

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And 10 years later she's in the canoe with her friend...kayak passed down to my little one, then on to my brothers kids

 

[yellowcanoe]

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The Mohawk Solo 14 was a great kids tandem. Mohawk would even outfit it with a solo seat in the middle and two kneeling thwarts at the bow and stern station.

My grandson when he was five paddled his own canoe with a double paddle. He did very well even in a 10 -15 mile an hour wind paddled two miles. The boat he used was 11 feet long and 23 inches wide. He was tethered to one of our canoes so he would not get blown away but he had to do his own paddling work It was nice to have him be able to solo paddle an appropriate sized boat. Having taught kids for many years but having to make do with camp boats if you have young ones they do much better in smaller boats. After nine or ten it really doesn't matter.
But some of us used to teach kids as small as four.. One of the best solo females I did a small trip with was a four year old girl in a solo canoe. And one year the national FreeStyle Champion was 12. He started canoeing at seven in a small solo. Kids learn a lot from soloing. I have a painting done at the WCHA kids class of 12 kids all in small canoes figuring out why the canoe does this or that without adults yammering at them

Then later they learn teamwork in a tandem which is also important.

 

[BWCA66]

All that to say that I don't think kids need a special canoe, especially if they are on sheltered water, just any tripping canoe will do. I think a 15-16 foot prospector type would do just fine, that is how I learn goofing around on a lake with an old beater...

Make them a real canoe!

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Guest]

Thinking of building a small, kid friendly, canoe. Probably tandem rather than solo. I'm leaning towards 12-13' long and 32-33" wide. Symmetrical with a little rocker and relatively low shear. That spec should also make it soloable for an adult or larger kid. Or an adult could take it out with a kid too young to be in a boat without direct supervision. Anticipated usage will be small, calm, inland water on short day trips or just messing around in a pond.

Those who have spent time around paddling kids: what have you found does and does not work?

Alan, you have mentioned your reasons for thinking “probably tandem rather than a solo”, but my preference for a kid boat was always an appropriately sized solo. My sons started in an Old Town Rushton model and a Dagger Tupelo (and occasionally a Wilderness Piccolo kayak). The Rushton was 10 feet and 18 lbs (don’t recall the width), the Tupelo was 10 ½ feet x 27 max beam, 9 inch center and 12 inch stems and a half inch of bow rocker. 28 lbs in RX light.

Both were nifty little canoes, even for a lightweight adult; the boys never actually outgrew them; we just eventually needed more hull for them to carry some of the tripping gear.

Pack style canoe are admittedly not the best craft in which to learn single stick skills, nor tandem teamwork, but my objective was focused more on getting them out enjoying paddling and they, like many folks, were happiest as Captain of their own wee ship.

(OK, I also wanted them out the bow of my canoe so I could go back to paddling solo myself)

 

[Fitz]

This is a 1957 Peterborough "Shorty" Trapper (12 ft) wood and canvas. It is a very tender canoe, but my son essentially learned to paddle solo and kneeling in it. He was about 11 years old in the photo. He might be too big for it now .

 

[Iskweo]

I have heard from others who had the 12 foot petes and chestnuts that they were quite tender. Even our 14 foot chestnut, although we found it fine, was reported to us to be a little unstable. I figure that is because most people paddle them empty and we paddle them loaded. The extra weigth makes them sit down in the water for more stability.
So Alan, perhaps a 14 foot is the smallest you want to consider. In my opinion, a nice 15 foot Bastien or Faber would be awesome. That is why I scooped up Martin's...it's the ideal solo canoe but is great for a kids tandem. 15X 32. I have a 14 here too but its pretty rough at present.

Just two cents from a w/c chick.

 

[Alan Gage]

Lots of great ideas. Thanks. Hopefully I'll sit down and start working on a design later this week and see how things shape up.

That little Peterborough that Fitz posted is about what I had in mind. I'm not opposed to the idea of a kid sized solo but my thinking is that with just one canoe siblings will be fighting over who's turn it is (I know, I know, they'll find something to fight about no matter what) or that friends will be unable to paddle together. A small tandem would allow both tandem and solo use. Not to mention a nice little solo for an adult.

Like many of you mentioned kids will probably learn just fine almost no matter what they're using. I learned to paddle in a 12'x38"(?) fiberglass tub and thought it was a best thing ever.

The impetus behind this idea is I need to decide what I'm going to build for the nature center raffle next year. I like the idea of building something that will help get kids out on the water and hopefully kids will actually use it and not worry about getting dings and scratches.

Alan

 

[boatstall]

The impetus behind this idea is I need to decide what I'm going to build for the nature center raffle next year. I like the idea of building something that will help get kids out on the water and hopefully kids will actually use it and not worry about getting dings and scratches.

Alan

That is an admirable effort you are doing for the kids. Kudos Sir.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Don't worry Alan.. What kids like most about canoeing is flipping the canoe. This drives adults crazy as most are terrified of capsizing. A tandem would also be more appropriate for the game of cantilever.. take a long board put it across the canoe and start loading kids on it. Teeter totter.

You just want something kids can manage without adult help.. Whether upside down or sunny side up