Where Are All The Canoes?

[riverstrider]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Steve in Idaho]

@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]

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]

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.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I noticed that REI no longer has canoes on its website.
Most of the canoe accessories are gone too.
At the local lake, where I do all my fitness paddles, SUPs outnumber kayaks and kayaks outnumber canoes.
I very seldom see canoes.
Most of the kayaks are inflatable and the majority of hardshell kayaks I see are small, recreational kayaks.
I think a lot of it has to do with space and ease of transport.
A canoe just takes up too much space and is too hard to transport.
I think the popularity of kayaks also has to do with the paddle. A canoe paddle just takes more skill. For some people that's a plus, but for most people it isn't.

 

[lowangle al]

Yeah it's too bad that quality canoes are hard to come by unless you go to a specialty boat shop or directly to a manufacturer. That certainly affects their popularity. I bought a Malicite and Duluth packs from REI in the nineties. Back then they had lots of nice canoes in stock. The REI in Anchorage still had a boat or two as of a couple years ago, along with paddles and portage packs. It will be interesting to see if they get any canoes in this year. The store manager is a friend and avid paddler and wc boat builder whom I've tripped with so I know he will try to stock some if possible.

As far as my neighborhood on the lake in Pa, the guy two doors down bought a nice Sawyer at the end of last season. He and his wife have always had kayaks and I'd like to think that his venture into canoeing is do to his watching me having fun in my boats. I haven't spoken with him since he got the boat as he spends winters in Florida, but I think he may want to bend my ear about paddling this summer. Another nice boat appeared in a yard down the road a couple weeks ago. It's a large royalex boat with wood gunnels and nice lines.

In addition to the reasons you listed above I think another reason people choose yaks over canoes is their impression that kayaks are solo boats and canoes are for two people. I think there is an appeal for the independence of paddling their own boat.

 

[Punkinhead]

It

Most of the kayaks are inflatable and the majority of hardshell kayaks I see are small, recreational kayaks.
I think a lot of it has to do with space and ease of transport.
A canoe just takes up too much space and is too hard to transport.
I think the popularity of kayaks also has to do with the paddle. A canoe paddle just takes more skill. For some people that's a plus, but for most people it isn't.

I don't think transport has much to do with it. Nearly all rec kayaks are rotomolded HDPE and are over 50 lbs (most closer to 60) so they're no easier to get on a vehicle roof than a canoe. They are easier to store since they're generally shorter and can be stood on their nose against a wall but at 10'-12' long it has to be a high ceiling. Rec kayaks have incredible primary stability and, as you hit on, don't take the paddling skill that a canoe takes.

My big problem with rec kayaks is the manufacturers haven't hit on a do-all hull shape like canoe manufacturers have. Maybe there's a niche builder, but I haven't found a rec kayak that tracks reasonably well, has enough rocker to turn when needed, has good secondary stability and weighs 40lbs or less. They can't really be put on edge to aid turning because the cockpits are too wide so if you lean them they'll fill with water. Those gigantic cockpits also mean sprayskirts don't fit. It's much easier to find a solo canoe that tracks reasonably well, has a bit of rocker, has both primary and secondary stability and is light. But those are details the average rec kayak buyer knows nothing about so they don't figure into the purchasing decision. They just want a stable, easy to paddle boat for under $1K that they can float down the local river or around the local lake. They're not going to learn to read rivers so the kayaks don't need to be able to turn. They're plastic so they'll just bounce off stuff. There's a reason rental outfitters call them "float trips" - because they truly are just floating down stream wherever the current takes them. The paddle is superfluous. And I'm not saying this to be nasty. I paddle with a group of friends who just float in rec kayaks. It's a social event and it gets them outside in a natural setting so more power to them. I take my canoe on these trips and they've never been able to get their heads around how it's possible for someone to solo a canoe or why someone would.