What is the difference between canoeing and kayaking?
- Thread starter viv5468
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Kayaks are enclosed and canoes are open. Although ocean going kayaks are shaped flatter more like a wave ski.
Think of your kayak as a sports car/off roader and your canoe as a boulevard cruiser, and go from there...
Kayaking is better with one person while canoeing is better with two.
One is a canoe. One is a kayak?
Exactly. I prefer a canoe as it is much roomier.
That v shaped hull of a canoe tracks straighter on the water and allows you to do a deep "J" stroke to move a maximum volume of water in a single stroke.
With a kayak, you need short alternating strokes so you don't turn around on a single stroke. Instruction from a guide will be beneficial. Personally, I found the technique and the need for consistency tiresome. It is great for rough and shallow rivers. Imagine trying to to go thru a patch of rocky river of only 5 inches in depth with a deep hulled canoe.
However, the canoe along with deep, calm water is for me. I would also want easy access to fishing/hunting gear.
With a kayak, you need short alternating strokes so you don't turn around on a single stroke. Instruction from a guide will be beneficial. Personally, I found the technique and the need for consistency tiresome. It is great for rough and shallow rivers. Imagine trying to to go thru a patch of rocky river of only 5 inches in depth with a deep hulled canoe.
However, the canoe along with deep, calm water is for me. I would also want easy access to fishing/hunting gear.
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The main difference is kayaks are enclosed. You can get either with deep rocker or flat with a keel. Ocean/ lake or whitewater kayak. The same for canoes, I have seen deep rocker canoes with a flat bottom and zero keel. For whitewater canoes, they will put in a 'saddle' in the center, then lacing across the front and back with airbags, that replaces the need to be enclosed with a 'skirt'.
It's mainly the paddle. Canoeing uses a single-bladed paddle whereas kayaking uses a double-bladed one.