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| How to shop for a canoe and kayak |
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| If you're just starting to look at kayaks and canoes, you might be perplexed by the range of designs, materials, and models available. Relax; there are a few simple rules to keep in mind that will help you narrow down the field of your potential boats. |
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| As a general rule, a longer, narrower kayak or canoe will be more efficient than a shorter, wider boat. It's not hard to reason this out: imagine pushing 4' x 8' sheet of plywood over the water versus pushing a sleek 20' rowing shell. Obviously the shell, with its finer shape and long lines, will give you less resistance on the water than the shorter, blockier piece of plywood. In addition, the shell will have superior gliding and tracking characteristics over the plywood, just as a longer, narrower boat will over a shorter, wider boat. |
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| A wide, flat hull will tend to be tippier on wave faces than a narrower, rounder hull, which has better "bite" in moving water. |
| The width (or 'beam") of a kayak or canoe is the primary determining factor in the initial stability of the boat. What's the initial stability? It means the stability of the boat while at rest in the water; important for fishing or sport, but not as important as secondary stability, the stability of the boat once leaned over on one side. A narrower, rounder bottomed boat will usually have higher secondary stability than a flat bottomed wide boat, making them better suited for open water use as on Lakes Michigan & Superior.
The depth of the boat will determine the overall carrying capacity; a deeper boat will have more volume and be able to carry more load. Deeper canoes also have a tendency to be more seaworthy in big waves, though the higher freeboard (the surface area above the water) will make them more likely to get blown around on a windy day. |
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| If you look at the lines of a canoe or kayak from the side, you'll notice some degree of rocker, the bottom curvature of the hull from front to back (think of the rockers on a rocking chair). The more rocker, the easier it'll be to turn the boat on a tight circle, as the ends will be putting less downward pressure into the water. For boats to be used in tight wavy situations, a bit of rocker is desirable. On the other hand, boats that will be primarily used in flatwater situations or in situations where the wavesets will be more open should have less rocker in the mid-section with slightly rockered ends. |
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Most kayaks and canoes will have either a vee bottom (with a defined keel line running down the center from front to back) or a shallow arch bottom. Shallow arches will offer slightly better maneuverability, being less resistant to quick changes of direction from side to side. Deep vees track with very little effort, and are features common on Greenland style kayaks, usually paired with hard chines; vertical side panels that help give those boats very well defined edges all the way around.
Beware of bargain canoes and kayaks that have flat bottoms. A flat bottom shape is the worst of all worlds, having poor tracking ability and a tendency to be very slow, with so much wetted surface that they have unnaturally high drag in the water. |
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