[Paddlewise] Canoe "Tip" Report

My fiancé and I enjoy canoeing in our 17' Clipper Tripper.  The canoe is very stable, and we have ridden out powerboat wakes (on the Willamette River) coming from many directions without a problem.

Well, a few weeks ago a friend wanted to go canoeing.  This friend had no previous canoeing experience.  And he's a husky guy -- built like a bull, with big shoulders.  I'm going to guess that he and I together probably make a 600 lb. load.  

So anyway, we went canoeing on a calm lake.  But with my friend up front, the canoe felt very unstable.  In fact, I felt like I was in a kayak for the first time.  I had this feeling like, if anybody moved the wrong way, we would tip over.  Strangely enough, I don't think he felt that way at all.  Maybe he thought that's how a canoe works.  At one point a motor boat went by.  It didn't leave much of a wake, but I felt like we came about as close to tipping over as you could, without actually going over.  

My friend seemed to enjoy the outing.    I enjoyed getting safely back on dry land.

After this experience I started wondering about a way to go canoeing with this friend, without feeling like we're going into the drink at any moment.  I figure the problem is that this guy, because of his build, makes the canoe "top heavy," so to speak.  So I've been wondering if some ballast in the bottom of the canoe might help, and if so, how much I might need.  I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

jim


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