Jimshaw,
I gotta agree and disagree on a coupla things. Practice and training are certainly key. A good paddler can make up for a poor boat, but the best boat cannot make up for a poor paddler. And I agree about using a feathered stroke instead of the old J-stroke.

Double or single paddles? Canoes have used both since before pale-faces landed. Double paddles are ideal for small solo canoes and paddlers figured that out long ago. BTW, both Russel and Rushton used double paddles in their solo canoes. One reason the double paddle was common in solo canoes was that narrow, fast solo (and structurally sophisticated) boats were used for going upstream and the double paddle gives an advantage there.

In regard to stability, one must account for the metronome (or pendulum) effect. A low center of mass (COM) has a faster period of oscillation than a high COM. A kayak may feel more stable initially, but when it tips, it tips quickly. A kneeling paddler in a canoe has a lot more time to put out a brace because when a high COM starts to tip, it moves slowly. That is one reason the Eskimo roll is so important for yakers; they are more likely to need it.