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Understanding the Features of a Canoe
by Canos Avontur
http://www.canoesadventure.com
Your first canoe can be challenging to pick out. There are
many styles and designs to choose from. Each design is for
a different usage. The right canoe for you is not
necessarily the right canoe for someone else. Before
choosing a canoe, consider how it will be used. Will you be
cruising down any white water rivers? How about paddling on
a quiet lake with friends and family? Are you thinking
about competing? All of these questions need to be
addressed before purchasing your canoe. Choose a design
that will meet most of your needs.
Length, width and hull shapes vary in canoes. The sides
also come flat, rounded, arched, flared, straight or
tumblehome.
The shape of the canoe can determine its performance. A
faster canoe is narrow and less stable but is more
efficient. A slower canoe has a wide beam and can carry
a greater load. Directional stability and speed are
affected by its length. Wind resistance and carrying
capacity are determined by the depth of the sides of the
canoe.
Canoe hulls may be symmetrical identical bow and stern ends,
or asymmetrical where the bow is finer than the stern.
Asymmetrical designs are very efficient but symmetrical
designs can be easily converted from solo to doubles
paddling.
Flat bottom canoes have good initial stability but not very
good secondary stability, whereas round bottom canoes have
very little initial stability but have excellent secondary
stability. Recreational boats designed for placid water are
usually flat bottomed. Specialized racing boats designed for
speed are often round bottomed to minimize the surface area
in contact with the water.
A compromise between the flat and round hulls is the shallow
arch hull. This gives the canoe initial stability and
speed. This is best for experienced paddlers and works well
in waves and whitewater. It is the best canoe for all-round
performance but can be unstable for beginners.
The shape of the keel line determines the rock of the canoe.
The keel line is the line from the bow to stern. Heavy
rocking canoes have poor directional stability but are easy
to maneuver. Raising the bow and stern slight makes the
canoe a moderate rocker and improves maneuverability.
Efficient forward paddling and excellent tracking is due to
a straight keel, but these are also difficult to maneuver.
A narrow beam at the gunwale makes changing paddling sides
easier on a tumblehome. Solo paddling on whitewater is
usually done on a tumblehome. A compromise between flared
and tumblehome sides is a straight-sided canoe. This gives
the canoe reasonable stability and a dry ride. Most
general-purpose designs are straight-sided.
Understanding the basic of your canoe is essential when
purchasing a canoe. First decide how you will utilize your
canoe then narrow your choices down to two or three styles.
You can purchase your canoe offline at a department store or
online. Buying online can save you a lot of money
especially if you purchase from an online auction such as
Ebay.
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