[Paddlewise] Solo touring canoe vs. solo sea kayak

Recently I purchased a tandem touring canoe in order to be able to take my
wife, son, daughter or a friend paddling.  I've been paddling a sea kayak
for over a year and tend to think kayaks first when I think about solo
boats.  However, for tandem use I've always thought a canoe was more useful
than a tandem sea kayak because I seldom make trips to the coast and I'm
not likely to make any long ocean trips.

While I was looking for a touring canoe, I read all of the reviews in _C&K_
and looked at canoes every chance I had.  I've seen very few solo touring
canoes in paddling shops.  I ran across a very pretty Bell a couple of
weeks back, but I've never seen any of the Wenonah, Dagger, or Mad River
models in the stores here in North Carolina.  I can find solo WW canoes but
not solo touring canoes.

I see pluses and minuses for both sea kayaks and solo touring canoes.  I
suspect a kayak can handle heavier weather and rougher surface conditions
than a canoe.  Kayaks seem to be, on the whole, faster.  On the other hand,
a canoe is easier to load and unload and, if the paddler is doing something
that requires frequent stops, much easier to get in and out of than a
kayak.

Are there other pluses and minuses that I haven't thought of?  I'd
appreciate some discussion of the pros and cons.

Bob

--------------------------------------------------
Robert C. Perkins, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Planning
Methodist College, Fayetteville, NC 28311
910-630-7037     rperkins_at_methodist.edu


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