gmagnes

No _ you were right to focus on paddling skill, it is not instinctual. I take for granted the skills of the paddle from skulling to rotating the paddle in your hand, instead of J strokes.

So maybe we should add - don't get too long of paddle nor too short, but do get one with a large thin wooden blade and a nice smooth rounded handle. As far as double paddles - its up to you, but canoes were designed with paddles, and the double bladed paddles were designed for kyakers already sealed in rain gear and water proof boats. Its really more of a biomechanics thing related to kneeling in one case and sitting in the other and where the most power can be used effectively. While kayaks are certainly up to a lot of exciting sport, I think canoes are more "work Boats" designed originally for bringing home the groceries, and transport, whereas Kayaks were almost exclusively hunting boats for hunting either marine mammals at sea or caribou as the crossed inland rivers. A kayak had to be a well balanced platform to throw a harpoon from and stealth was important. Canoes are a more primative concept of birchbark glued with boiled pine pitch and formed around a framewaork of tied saplings. The kayaks were precision made, seal skn covered, wooded objects with many pieces designed flex and move with the seas.

If its rough, yu will be safer sitting in a low sealed craft than sitting high in an open craft, as long as you stay upright.

Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />