[jyl]

Sounds scary, and yet those two situations would have been nothing special in an ocean kayak.

It isn't just that canoes are usually open while kayaks are usually closed.

In a kayak, your center of gravity (hips, basically) is very low, maybe 6" above the bottom of the hull. Even if you kneel in a canoe, your CG will be much higher. In a kayak your knees are locked under the cockpit coaming so that you can be rigid with the boat, or torque it with your hips. In a canoe you are flopping loosely around, unless you're strapped down like for competition. In a kayak you have a long double ended paddle, in addition to the advantages in power and efficiency - both from the paddle and from your ability to lock your knees to the boat and use your lower body strength to paddle - the paddle lets you instantly and reflexively brace, whether against a poweboat bow wave or for surfing swells and breaking waves. The canoe paddle is short and has to be lifted and moved from side to side. In a kayak you sit in the center of the boat, regardless of wind, and that long paddle allows you to reach back to steer or correct a broach, reach out to brace, without moving your body. In a canoe, if you're sitting in front to deal with the wind, then have to surf down a big swell, good luck controlling the stern if it starts broaching. In an ocean kayak, you have a long keel that tracks straight, and pedal operated rudder for easy steering and cross wind correction, you just focus your power on forward propulsion. In a canoe, you waste power on steering strokes. I could go on . . .

I see the charm of canoes. If I lived on a lake I'd have a canoe. For calm days. I just think they are to ocean kayaks as a Model T is to a 911.

Anyway, vash, that is why I linked to the second Feathercraft kayak, that can be configured as a double or a single or an open boat ready to load the cooler of beer. Even set up as an open boat, it will run rings around a canoe, especially paddled solo, and especially in more difficult conditions. Then attach the spray deck and you can launch that boat into breaking ocean surf.

The one disadvantage of a kayak is initial stability. They are narrower than canoes, with more rounded bottoms. So they feel more tippy If you're just sitting there, not actively paddling. Like if you're holding a fishing rod instead of a paddle . . . So attach some foam or inflatable sponsons for those situations.