Here's one of my favorite pics of canoeing in the Adirondacks of NY.
Canoes to me are useful and fun on small waters and lakes and are easy to handle with a little instruction and practice. We had a Michicraft aluminum canoe for 30+ years, wide and stable, the kids used to try to flip it and it took effort. Alone on a windy day, navigation is possible using a concrete block or rock in the bow as a counterbalance to hold it down so the wind doesn't catch it like a sail.