by Larry Wiggins

Created on: June 05, 2008   Last Updated: September 30, 2008

For years, I have contemplated buying a new canoe. The canoe that I presently own was purchased during a time when there were not many options as there are now. The fact that this canoe has served me for so many years testifies to the fact that I made a good choice from those few options.

In order for me to buy a new canoe today, you first need to make several decisions about how the canoe would be used. These decisions will guide you toward a purchase. In my opinion there are three key questions that will guide your canoe selection. What type is the type of water where the canoe will be paddled? Do you want a canoe for solo or tandem paddling? Will you be carrying gear in addition to the people in the canoe and if there is gear how much gear will there be?

The type of water will help decide two key design components for the canoe, the hull material and the hull shape. If you wish to paddle on whitewater, the best hull material is Royalex. This material is a plastic sandwich that remembers its shape well. A Royalex canoe may be wrapped around a rock and can pop back into shape after it is released -from the rock. Other materials will typically dent, crack or break. The downside to a Royalex canoe is that it is relatively heavy. If you will use your canoe on flat-water, lakes, ponds and dammed rivers, where you will need to portage your canoe between bodies of water, weight on the portages may be the prime consideration. To minimize weight, canoes of Kevlar or carbon fiber should be considered. These lightweight materials and Royalex are relatively expensive. A canoe that will be used from a cottage and not carried farther than from the side of the lake to the water can be made of less expensive materials.

The canoe's shape is also dictated by usage. In whitewater, you need a canoe that turns quickly and easily. On flat-water you want a canoe that does not turn so easily and tracks straight on its own. These traits are decided by two main design factors of the canoe. The first design factor is called rocker. Rocker is the amount of curvature along the center of the canoe bottom, the keel line. Quicker turning canoes will have some curvature of the keel line. A canoe that tracks straight may have a flat keel line. The second factor affecting the ability to turn is the cross-sectional shape of the canoe. A canoe with a rounded bottom will turn easier than a canoe with a flat bottom. A canoe with a defined keel on the bottom will travel the straightest of all.

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