why does a Canoe scare me?

[vash]

i want one. for fishing small lakes and ponds.

i also want to do a canoe camp trip where the goal is to chase walleye that have never seen a person.

i admit, i am nervous around them. i just discovered a whole world of small canoe makers out there that build solo boats. most of them seem to be on the east coast, (where the walleye hang out). it would appear you use double ended paddles similar to the ones on kayaks.

i wont drown. i'll wear a life jacket.

maybe i just need to be around them more. any avid paddlers here? i'm just not comfortable..maybe i have deep seeded fear of water..maybe it was Friday the 13th part 1

[stomachmonkey]

Because they just feel so unstable?

That's my excuse.

[HardDrive]

Ha! Your scared because it's easy to go for a dunk in a canoe.

[flatbutt]

Well they can be a PITA to handle if you're alone, especially with a breeze blowing. Look up "C" and "J" strokes and practice a little.

[IROC]

I grew up living right by a lake. I bought a used 12' aluminum jon boat when I was a kid with lawn mowing money. I spent a lot of time in that jon boat paddling it around in search of fish. My childhood partner in crime had a canoe (one of the plastic Coleman canoes when they first came out back I the '70s). Spent a lot of time in that, too.

For fishing, I'd take the jon boat. Much more stable and you can carry more stuff more easily. Pretty easy to maneuver for one person. Easy to add a trolling motor or a small outboard. The canoe was great, but mostly just paddling around. The canoe was more quiet, though, as I had to be careful in the jon boat to not drop the paddle, etc. Whenever we went fishing, we always used my jon boat.

[vash]

the first three responses? you aint helping!! hahahha..

about sums it up.

[recycled sixtie]

Good question. I used to have a canoe way back in my single days. It was a 14 foot cedar strip canvas covered. I sold it with a hole in it. I have only tipped over once with a partner and it was in three feet of water. Did some rapid running but never tipped over in deep water. Had life jacket on always.

Never did canoeing by myself as the canoe I had was too heavy to move solo. Weight is a big factor. Perhaps you can get canoes now light enough to canoe by yourself. However there is safety in canoeing with a partner. It is a worthwhile pursuit for fishing and interior camping. A canoe can carry loads of camping equipment, food and beer. Smaller than 14 feet I don't know anything about.

I used to use a single blade paddle. Kayaks use two blade. Don't know much about kayaks. Used to take a dog in the canoe. Not very stable platform for fishing or dogs.
Guy

[vash]

i was looking at Hemlock Canoes. out of NewYork. crazy segment of canoe-world i knew nothing about. apparently they are Nessmuk style canoes.

[Shifter]

They scare you because you have to worry about your neighbors...

Pesky neighbor wants to borrow my canoe

[porsche4life]

The wider the better in canoes. I spent a ton of time in osagian canoes, and you've really got to be trying to dump one of them. But they are big boats. Not great for one guy.

What wrong with a kayak? Or one if the little pontoon rigs. That should be more stable.

[Christien]

I learned to canoe at camp when I was 11. It's a lot like riding a bike - you never really forget. The key is a low centre of gravity - stay low and you're fine.

[Christien]

http://youtu.be/JbxfFOdp-bY

[look 171]

That's why they named a little street Tippy Canoe around here. I fear water too and can't really swim, but with a life vest I feel like a fish and have done a huge amount of white water rafting and own a sit on top kayak. Why a canoe, how bout' an inflatable type boat or floating device. I don't fish, so I don't know the advantage between a boat and a canoe.

[Seahawk]

Canoes are the last option for what you want.

Look at Dorys: Kevlar Rowing Boats: 14-ft Vermont Fishing Dory | Adirondack Guide Boats, handmade in VT

Also look at inflatables. Put a 120v plug on your truck and get a blower. Much easier.

Fishing kayaks are an option as well. Fishing Kayaks & Angler Kayaks | DICK'S Sporting Goods

I have years and years on rivers, stability is key.

[VINMAN]

What could possibly go wrong in a canoe...

[ckelly78z]

I have had my 14' Coleman green canoe for years, and have paddled all over large inland lakes with it and have never had any control issues, even when dealing with the wakes of other powerboats. A canoe doesn't want to stay in place very well in a stiff breeze because the surface of the floor of the boat is on top of the water, canoes are made to be in motion.

I had a 10' jon boat with a 40 lb MinnKota electric trolling motor, and with two people in it and fishing gear, that thing would truck along at a good clip, and was far more stable on the water for fishing and wouldn't get squirly in wind.. I also could handle it all by myself loading and unloading it in the back of my pickup truck or van. The fisrt trip I would grab the motor, and the battery, and the second trip, I would grab the fishing gear and cooler.....within 10 minutes of showing up, I could be motoring out of the dock area ready to fish.

[GWN7]

A canoe for point A to point B transport is fine but as a fishing platform get a inflatable. You tip a canoe in cold water by yourself is exactly how my cousin died. Zodiac & Sevlor make some nice 8' - 10' inflatables that you can add a small engine or electric to and get anywhere on a small lake in comfort and safety. That way when a fish of a life time makes a unexpected run and you counter move to reel it in you and your camera don't end up on the bottom of the lake.

[oldE]

Vash,

Canoes, like cars, come in many flavors.
You can go small-light for sheltered waters, longer/wider for more stability on lakes or rivers with waves.
If you are going solo, you really need to rent a few to get an idea of how to get from A to B and learn how not to end up on the wrong side of the hull.
I grew up with a 16', 90 lb cedar/canvas beast that was stable enough I could stand up and pole upstream through gentle rapids. I never upset that one except once on purpose to see just how stupid I would have to be. It probably saved my hide a couple of times when I got into open water with whitecaps.
Having said that, it was a real load for a 13 year old boy who had to stand twice to make a shadow.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have seen 9 1/2 foot craft that lay on the water like a leaf and would be blown downwind just like one too if you were careless enough to get caught on open water.

Again try different craft in a variety of conditions to see if it is for you.

Best
Les

[intakexhaust]

We had a quite a few and were wonderful vessels when living on a lake. After all the motorboating wild weekenders would leave, the early mornings or evenings were the best. Could sneak into channel coves for some great fishing. Would also take our 80lbs lab with. No biggie but some things to consider.

Should go for a 17'. The fiberglass ones are heavy but quiet, poor for rock running but easy to patch repair. The aluminum are light but noisy. You can bang them up and will take a beating. These are the ones to have if camping and where lots of portage. I've used this type in the BWCA (Boundry Waters Canoe Area - MN / Can.).

Canoes are really for two and to balance it out, bow for power, stern for steer and power. If going solo you'll need a center seat to raise off the floor / bottom. Dual paddle is fine, but I prefer a single.

A stern back might work well for solo and if you want to motorize. Could go with a trolling gas or electric. Some are using electric weedeater conversions. If you travel with it and drop in a lake, you might have to verify motorized restrictions. Some areas don't even allow a little electric troller.

But for stability and fishing or in the low draft, do consider a jon boat. We've had some smaller ones and great for kids out with their friends. A 2 or 3 hp motor, short shaft motor is the way to go. Virtually no maintenence and take some banging around. Personally, I'll take a canoe over a jon boat in the choppy waters. I'm just used to them. BTW: All modern canoes float if turned over and can be inverted back in the high water. Please do wear a PFD!

[BRPORSCHE]

Never change cliff.

Quick question. How much do you weigh vs height? Most people I know that don't like canoes are, ahem, lower to the ground.