Kayaking
Kayaking and canoeing bear a lot of similarities on the one hand but a lot of differences on the other.
There is little resemblance other than they both float, and they provide a convenient and affordable means of transportation on the water to “get away from it all”.
Canoes and kayaks existed far back into man’s history and came about through the need of hunters to gather food and transport people. Probably a form of canoe came into being first and the kayak was an improvement on the canoe when water getting into an open topped boat became a major concern under certain conditions that demanded a top on the boat. As a popular form of boating, canoes were the boat of choice for many centuries because of the simplicity of manufacture. Only in recent times has the kayak become the boat of choice due to improved methods of construction and design.
With the increased popularity of kayaking; where once there were just some basic all look the same designs, now there is such a selection of boats and models that it is hard to find a good all purpose sea kayak. Models start off in the 10ft. range and up to 22ft for singles and approx 11 ft range up to 24ft. for doubles. With computer programs and a wide range of materials for kayak construction, kayaks are able to go places in the extreme that canoeists can only dream about. Canoes will always have a place, but they will never ever enjoy the number one spot again.
In conditions where temperatures are quite warm, a need for an open topped boat brought about the “sit on top kayak” which has become quite popular. The development has evolved other ways of enjoying water based adventures such as scuba diving and kayak fishing. Whitewater kayaking has evolved so far that the present day cutting edge whitewater kayak hardly resembles it’s predecessors at all. In the circle of whitewater kayaking there are three types of boats to choose from to suit the type of whitewater one is engaging in. There is the all purpose boat, the play boat or stunt boat, and then the creek boat. Their names pretty well describe their use.
Canoeing…what can I say; to the untrained eye canoes all look the same except they vary in length and other subtleties. We have sold all our canoes except one which we keep for rental purposes; but some years it never goes out on the water. We have 80 kayaks to rent and one canoe. I think that sums it up. And by the way, we do have a spray skirt that covers in the whole top of the canoe because we prefer our clients to come back at the end of their trip.