Canoe or kayak for rapids?

Question

hey,

i'm planning a trip on petawa river for the summer and i am bringing my girlfriend along, there's a bunch of rapids in that river and i wanted to know what would be easier a canoe or a tandem kayak... i am a lot more confident in a kayak but i've never tried a 2 person one... any advice would be greatly appreciated, since she's a novice and i want to be able to control the boat if things get too much for her, because i'm afraid in a canoe it's easier to tip and our stuff will fall out the boat

Answer 1

Is it the Petawawa river in Ontario Canada that you're planning on going to, in the Algonquin Provincial park? The river looks beautiful, and would be an amazing experience.  

From your question, it sounds like you are a relatively new paddler, as you are unsure of the boat choice.  The Petawawa has quite a lot of class III and class IV rapids, and for a whitewater novice, that means portage your gear and boat.  As one outfitter listed (link below):   "This isn't a paddling trip,it's a hike with canoes!"

Portaging still might be fun for you, but if your girlfriend isn't a die-hard paddler and outdoor lover, you may be setting yourself up for relationship disaster.   "Honey, there's a rock in the river!  Honey!  Honey!!!! We're getting too close!" and, "we have to carry the backpack AGAIN???"   A shorter, simpler trip (no portages) on quieter water (no portages) would be a much MUCH better way to introduce her to river camping.

And... portaging with a kayak sucks.  The trip looks like a river camping one - so your gear you're refering to would be tent, sleeping bags, food, etc..  22 portages?  Repacking your kayaks EVERY time you stop?  

You'll wish the trip was over after the second portage.  

If you're going to do it, skip the kayak.  Rent a good all-purpose canoe (Prospector or something similar), pack  all your gear into 1 giant waterproof portage pack (Duluth Pack or Granite Gear), and leave her with relatively little to carry (maybe a small dry bag with backpack straps?).  You get the big pack on your back, the canoe on your shoulders.  

When the gear is in the canoe, tether it to the thwarts.  If you tip over, the gear won't float away, and it won't be strapped into the boat so tightly that you can't roll the boat back over alone.

Oh, and contrary to popular opinion:  properly loaded canoes aren't really easier to tip.  If you're in a proper boat for the water, and you don't over load it beyond a resonable capacity, you'll be fine.  Loose hips, center your weight.  Kneel on the floor of the boat if you feel nervous; lowering your center of gravity will add stability.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0ELpnG2h...

Unless you two BOTH have skills like these people, you'll be portaging or having a near death experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlLKUzBIj...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4iMZsCN...

Good luck!

Answer 2

I would suggest one of the "sit on top" kayaks.  A canoe is really tough to flip back over if you tip.  A normal kayak can be danagerous if you don't know what you are doing.  The "sit on top" version might work the best for you.

Answer 3

for experienced people kayak but for new people I would suggest a canoe because although its easier to tip you aren't stuck in a kayak upside down! this can be a very scary experience trust me... I know...

pce owt!