4evrplan -

First off, let me apologize for the lateness of my reply. I recently retired from work after 40 years and have spent a lot less time with a computer; which is OK by me. Today is the first I've looked at this site since my original reply so please excuse my lateness. More being lazy than rude. I hope you'll understand.

As to your question; here you go:

1. I started paddling back when I was 12 in 1965. Canoes, tandems for the most part, were all I had access to. Even if I was going to paddle solo, it was from the bow seat looking back towards the stern. Growing up in canoes, I think that just never leaves you.

2. I was lucky enough to have as my first kayaking mentor a woman who worked with the US Olympic men's & women's kayaking teams in '68 & '72. She was a wonderful instructor but, coming from MN, she too was partial to canoes. Our many conversations about the two different style of paddlecraft kept me more in the canoe camp than the kayaking one.

3. My first knee reconstruction was back when I was 17. Between then and becoming 34 I had six knee surgeries; including another reconstruction. Eventually when I turned 57 I had a total knee replacement. Over the years, all those knee tweaks led to some difficulty in entering the cockpit of a kayak. While I can still enter/exit it's with great difficulty. Add to that a shoulder injury I had 3 years ago and the problem has become compounded. None of this is an issue with my canoes; which goes a long way in my being able to get out on the water.

4. My dog. I did have a friend who was able to train her pooch to lie out on the stern deck of her kayak but I've never had a dog that would be willing to do that. Our current pooch is more then willing to stretch out on an old yoga mat on the floor of my canoe. She can be contented there for hours so this enables us to share many adventures on the water.

5. Last, but not least; weight. All of my kayaks are left over from when I was guiding. They are wonderful sea oriented touring kayaks but they all weigh in the 60+ range. They are all asymmetric as well so finding an easy to grab balance point can be tricky. None of my solo canoes weigh more than 34 pounds (one is 26!) so the lighter weight and ease of carrying makes them my go-to choice. A long time ago I read a statement to the effect that the easier a boat is to put up on top of your vehicle, the more you'll paddle. For me, I've found this to be all too true.

So at 67 I'm now looking for light weight, ease of loading, ease of entering/exiting the craft and being able to take my dog. If you consider all of that, going with a canoe is the logical choice.

And hey, for what it's worth, even my tandem canoes all weigh in the mid-40 pound range; and my wife would rather paddle a canoe then a kayak so who am I to argue?

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper