Have you any useful tips for canoeing?

Question

I'm going canoeing this w/end and haven't been before. What are the essential tips for rowing and steering?

Answer 1

STAY IN THE BOAT!!!

Answer 2

lean how to swim in case you fall off.

Answer 3

First, ESPECIALLY if it's chilly, DO NOT wear jeans, boots, hoodie, etc.  That's a sure fire recipe for drowning.  Cotton absorbs water right?  Guess what?  Water is HEAVY.  Swimming in cotton jeans, and boots that are holding water, is extremely difficult.    When you do finally get out of the water, cotton retains that water, and holds it's cold temp next to your skin.  If it's cool outside (anything around 60 deg. F or lower) you can become hypothermic quickly.  There is a very common saying in the outdoor recreation world: "Cotton Kills."  Don't wear cotton when boating in cool / cold / chilly water.  (Choose wool, fleece, polypropylene for winter, and lite nylon wicking fabrics for summer; in either case, dress in layers.)



Now that that's off my chest, here you go:

You'll have a great time - relax and don't over think it. Here are some basic, main concepts that should get you off on the right foot (or paddle, as the case may be):

1. Loose hips. When you get in a canoe for the first time, it might feel tippy. It's never as tippy as your initial perception! Keep your hips loose, so that your body stays up over the boat... so if the boat tips to the left, don't let your shoulders tip with it. Canoes have both "initial" stability (what it first feels like) and "secondary" stability (how far it will lean over before it really flips. Many boats have low initial stability, but amazing secondary stability. Have faith in the boat.

2. Torso twist. Canoe strokes aren't about repetitive ARM motions... it's about relatively STILL arms and repetitive twists at the waist. Do this and you won't tire as easily as many others will.

3. Wear your pfd / lifejacket. People drown in bath tubs; so this extra bit of precaution is a good idea.

4. Safety First: Sun Block, hat, plenty of water to drink and some food! You'll need something to eat to keep you moving.

5. Keep your patience. You'll likely be in a tandem boat, and if your paddling partner doesn't know about canoeing either, you could struggle with boat control at first. Patience is king. (When you are off course, and you're both new, the tendency is to blame the other person.... but you won't know which of the two of you is doing whatever is causing you to go off course.)

6. The heavier person should sit in the back of the boat. Trust me, it'll make controlling the boat a lot easier.

If you want some good reference material, there are plenty of articles that go into more detail on technique. Have fun!!!

http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showA...

http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showA...

http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showA...

Steering strokes:

http://www.redrockstore.com/Jstroke/inde...

Answer 4

Always wear a lifejacket.  Canoes are tippy and even if you are an expert swimmer, you cant swim if you hit your head and get knocked out if you tip over.

The person in the front of the canoe (bow) is free to paddle on either side unless the person in the back of the boat(stern) tells him/her otherwise.

The sternman is responsible for steering the boat.

The bowman is the forward 'eyes' of the canoe;  make sure you let the sternman know if you see rocks or any trouble coming up in plenty of time so you can make course corrections.

Bring a drybag and put all your valuables in it, and secure it to the canoe so it doesnt float away if you tip over.

Smoothe, even paddlestrokes get your farther than rapid, frantic paddling.  Keep it smoothe and patient as canoeing can be tiring.  Take breaks as needed to fully enjoy the experience.

Wear an old pair of tennies or watershoes and plan to get wet, even if you dont tip over.   Unless its chilly, dont wear jeans and  hiking boots; dress light.  A hat is a good idea, too.

Answer 5

hard and fast all the way