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Canoe Features and How They Affect Performance
by Canos Avontur
http://www.canoesadventure.com
With so many different styles and designs, no wonder it's
challenging choosing your first canoe. Before choosing a
canoe, you must think about how you will to use it. Will
you canoe on quiet lakes or rivers? How about competitions?
Will you use it alone or with your friends and family?
Hull shapes, length and width vary in canoes. Some are
flat, round, arched, flared, straight or tumblehome on the
sides.
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.
There are two types of hulls, symmetrical and asymmetrical.
Symmetrical designs have identical bow and stern ends and
can easily be converted to two paddlers. Asymmetrical
designs have a finer bow than the stern and are extremely
efficient.
The type of bottom the canoe has is also important. Flat
bottom canoes are stable initially, but poor secondary
stability. Round bottom canoes have poor initial stability
but excellent secondary stability. Boats designed for
recreational use usually have a flat bottom for stability.
Speed boats have a rounded bottom to reduce the amount of
surface area that comes in contact with the water. This
allows for greater speeds on the boats.
Experienced paddlers can use a shallow arch hull shape. A
shallow arch hull is a compromise between flat and round
hulls. This allows initial stability and speed for the
experienced paddlers and works well in waves and whitewater.
It is not recommended for beginners.
The rocker of the canoe is the bow to stern shape of the
keel line. Heavy rocker gives extreme maneuverability but
little directional stability and is used for specialist
whitewater canoes. Moderate rocker has the bow and stern
raised slightly to improve the maneuverability of the canoe.
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.
A basic understanding of canoes is important when choosing
the right canoe. Narrow down your choices by determining
how you will use your canoe. After that, you can purchase
your canoe on or offline. Buying online usually get a
better price especially if you buy from an online auction
like Ebay.
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