Top Expert Tips to Solo Your Canoe | Skills | Canoeroots | Rapid Media

[@glenparr1155]

While this position is ok for short paddles around a small lake, the trade off is comfort, more work tracking the canoe in a straight line, and perhaps water in the boat if any waves occur. I paddled hundreds of kms solo, on rivers and lakes in a 17 prospector canoe, facing the bow, loaded with multi day trips worth of gear, and can control the canoe perfectly well.

[@JimBairdAdventurer]

My hat’s off to anyone who feels comfortable paddling like this all day.

[@glennshark9296]

Thank you. As a matter of fact, it is more comfortable and less stress on joints/muscles this way. The angle of the boat means you aren't leaning out to get a solid stroke - you sit more upright and can paddle much longer periods without getting tired.

[@Outdoorswithmikey]

Not entirely a comfortable position for long hauls. More for messing about on the lake by the cottage.

[@HondoTrailside]

The C stroke is a great stroke. I would not say it should end in a pry, that probably has to do with the large bow out of the water. The basic principle is that if you paddle on one side of the canoe, the boat will curve away from that side. If you paddles in a curve under the boat, in the opposite direction then the boat goes straight. Equal and opposite direction. The paddle through the stroke is offseting every unwanted movement of the canoe. The smoother the stroke, the more elegant and efficient it is. But depending on the conditions it may need tweaks like pries or draws mixed in. One should always look for the least intrusive correction.

[@larryappelbaum2245]

Short, sweet and to the point. Thank you!

[@johnbehling1142]

Great advice. I wish I had known about the "butt spacer" trick before my recent trip to the Boundary Waters. It's challenging to land for a portage when your legs are numb! LOL

[@9spiderlegs]

I've had luck weighing down the front of my boat (to prevent it from sticking up and becoming a sail) and simply paddling as i normally would from the back seat. This worked well for me on a relatively small canoe with a keel, I'm curious to try it on a larger, bulkier, keel-less one i have now.

[@ericl2969]

To really make the most of any canoe, it should have no keel, and the paddler should be roughly centered from front to back. All you can do when paddling from the rear is make the canoe go forward and steer like a ship, but canoes can do so much more than that. Incorporating pivots and side-slips into your ability makes the canoe far more capable, especially where any kind of maneuvering really matters. And yes, a full-size tandem canoe won't be as responsive as a dedicated solo boat, but the pros can still make such a canoe dance, literally.

[@9spiderlegs]

@@ericl2969 i should have added that the canoe i did that with was a flat- backed canoe, so it could really only go one direction.

[@AMERICACOLCHOES]

Excellent explanation!

[@jimwortham8634]

Thanks for posting myself I prefer pack canoe with kayak paddle

[@toddheil42]

Thank you. Great, short but well described explanations.

[@mlindsay527]

Thank you. How about a demonstration in windy conditions?

[@glennshark9296]

actually, angling the side of the canoe like that can create a sail effect that can help when crossing large bodies of water. You basically sideslip the canoe like you would ferry on a river, only with wind current instead of water current.

[@ferrallc1]

@@glennshark9296 6 5

[@JuanMiguelGarcia1969]

Excellente démonstration merci beaucoup

[@carltonbirds]

Very enjoyable tips, a thumbs up from me.

[@GreytOutdoorsMedic]

The numb legs when kneeling is not a reduction in blood flow, but a pinching of the nerves.

[@tombeckett4340]

That’s the best simple instructions I’ve seen. Thanks great job.🇨🇦👍

[@xdevilx86]

Hi Thanks for the great video! Im a bit new to canoeing and last time I took a canoe out solo just as you did, I paddled out onto a lake and I had a lot of trouble getting back because of wind that kept pushing me away.. I was in some heavy bush next to an island where I was camped, and I struggled against the wind for quite some time, but each time I got my canoe pointed in the right direction and slight angle caught the wind and turned my canoe.. Eventually I had to jump out into some shallow water and trak my canoe back to where I was camped but I wonder if there are some techniques or precautions I could have taken to better my situation.. Originally I paddled my canoe loaded with gear and my friend and had no trouble with wind, but the empty canoe acted like a sail..

[@jimsteel7483]

Add a couple of bags of sand to the front of the canoe if you are alone. It will track much easier.

[@Alien2799]

Jim's idea is on the right track but it is better to get some old/cheap dry bags and fill them with water. That way it is cleaner and easier than putting in the dirt.

[@robertpapps5383]

Thanks, great explanation!

[@HondoTrailside]

That style of paddling is fun, but can be a problem in wind. The front is well out of the water and depending on wind direction can prove uncontrollable. In big open water, where a lot of accidents occur, it is important to think like a sailor. Balance with the wind. this can require some unorthodox positions in the boat, to get it to weathervane to your advantage. If a person is tempted to move back to get a piece of the seat, the bow will rise even further out of the water, and the immersed sections of the boat will start to behave like a log in a rolling contest, then if the wind comes to the party you may find yourself swimming in the water. Not that these are bad techniques, but one has to experiment with them in safe, warm conditions, and poke around to discover what they do well, and what they do not.

[@Azarie03]

Great video. Thanks

[@grizzlydan8]

Please folks, check out some other basic paddling tips. The method shown is incredibly inefficient.

[@gboudia]

dan andy is

[@gordjenkins9509]

Guitar lessons

[@gordjenkins9509]

Basis guitar lessons lessons

[@alphaclean3364]

So what is the correct method?

[@brianspencer4220]

thanks for the tips

[@ContrastNY]

good stuff, thanks!

[@MrKushinator420]

I grew up with my dad who rented canoes and took ACA courses for his business. Never once have I been told to "heel" my canoe when in it solo. Kneeling? Yes, but you only heel it when cornering. Idk about this technique.

[@ericl2969]

Heeling does a few things. It shortens the overall length of the boat and also reduces surface contact area, and that reduces travel resistance - a big advantage for a solo paddler in a big canoe (yes, longer boats are potentially faster but only if you have the power to make that happen. At more moderate and slow speeds, boats of shorter length move with much less effort than longer boats). It shifts the effective centerline of the canoe toward your paddling side, reducing the distance between the path of your paddle stroke and that centerline, and that reduces yaw and therefore reduces the effort you need to put into correction. It also puts the path of your paddle stroke closer to your body, making your paddle muscles more efficient. Heeling the boat isn't the best thing in all situations, but when you can do it, the three factors listed here all add up to make paddling much easier. Those who discovered and perfected this technique more than 100 years ago didn't keep at and rely on it because it was harder.

[@alexwolf3761]

I keep seeing people (including Bill and Becky Mason) heeling their canoe in solo demo videos for "better maneuvering", but if the challenge of soloing is making the canoe go straight, why not keep more of the hull in the water, and ideally whatever keel is possible, for better tracking? Particularly in windy conditions where heeling the canoe seems like it would catch the wind more?

[@glennshark9296]

Less hull in the water means less resistance, so you don't tire out on a long paddle. If you do it correctly you can keep the boat moving straight about as easily as you can sitting normally, although adding wind is always tricky. As other posters have mentioned, you can tack across the wind using the bottom of the canoe as a sail to push you where you want to go.

[@ericl2969]

Once you learn how to make even the loosest-tracking boat go straight, poor tracking is nothing to worry about, and in fact, the boat becomes much more forgiving because if the wind does pull you off heading, you can force it back much more easily than you could do with a hard-tracking boat. This is why solo paddling is a skill that you keep developing over a lifetime. You can always get better. And believe me, once you have even a modicum of solo-paddling skills, you'll avoid boats that have a keel, unless you only paddle on big lakes.

[@jirivorobel942]

There is a difference between how one paddles a solo canoe (or a pocket tandem) and a 17' or bigger camper. Narrower 15' boats can be paddled level, like an old slalom boat, which allows a decent amount of speed for that size, but don't glide all that well when heeled. A big boat is just too wide in the middle to be paddled like that, but it still goes pretty fast even with the stems out of the water. When making the canoe go straight, you end up mostly fighting your mistakes from three strokes ago; a longer, straight-tracking boat only allows you to make bigger mistakes without veering off course too much, but you have to correct them anyway.

[@wiggsan]

Nice!

[@travismorrison2567]

How bout solo fishing from a canoe?

[@MrKushinator420]

Same technique, just throw the rod lmao

[@michaelmilne9914]

I have no idea why he suggests the C stroke? Makes no sense, a J is fine. and sitting in the bow facing the stern is usually enough for only a sight bow up which is OK unless it is really windy. Usually going stern first allows you to use the bow seat as a back rest. As for Glen Parr, yeah you can use gear too balance the canoe. It depends on the canoe, a lake canoe has a deep v shape making it go straighter than a flat bottom river canoe. Also depends if the canoe has a pronounced keel or not. I think the Prospector is an easier to go straight deep keel. The video was a flat bottom river.

[@ericl2969]

He said use the C-stroke for the initial startup from being stationary. When heeled like that, such a canoe will pivot so easily that counteracting that tendency during the whole stroke will keep the boat straighter during that initial phase of starting up. Also, a canoe that closely matches the original Prospector design does not track well at all, whether heeled or not. It's a boat that "veers off heading" extremely easily and it will not coast in a straight line if your paddle is out of the water for more than a few seconds, but that's a good thing if you want maneuverability, and it's no problem to control if your paddle skills are good.

[@TorchwoodLuthiers]

That particular canoe- why not paddle on the stern side facing the bow? In between the yoke and kneeling thwart. You can always lean on that thwart. Let me know your thoughts, I am rather curious why I never see people paddle in that position. I have on my NC canoe.

[@dooleyfussle8634]

I usually do just the opposite, I sit in the bow, facing the stern, as the thwart is nearer the centre of the canoe. Kneeling, of course, and depending on the wind, using his technique of sitting close to the side of the canoe to reduce wetted surface. My canoe has upturned bow and stern which drastically increases crosswind effects and must be managed carefully. Be sure to practice emptying and re entering the canoe by yourself if you are going to be soloing, and wear a pfd!

[@sarahlouxo5046]

Going canoeing later I'm scared we're going down a waterfall

[@Tattooedpain]

Marc Ornstein approves

[@fraseranderson217]

Surely, you shouldn't paddle in jeans? If they get wet it stays wet, you get uncomfortable and you may get cold. There is a common aphorism in the outdoor pursuit industry: 'cotton kills'.

[@JimBairdAdventurer]

Fraser ANDERSON meh, he’s just doing a demo and he’s not going to dump. Plus, Bill Mason used to paddle in jeans all the time as many used to.

[@freddietauotaha3487]

Oc1 canoe race

[@freddietauotaha3487]

Oc1 canoe race

[@freddietauotaha3487]

One man canoe race

[@justinliu7357]

This isn't good beginner's solo canoe tripping advice. It's hard to have the kind of efficiency you need for 8-9 hrs days using his method. Also the idea of kneeling for that long is pure hell.

[@p.istaker8862]

Solo Paddling is the ONLY way to paddle.

[@mikeborrelli193]

Soloing is best best done using a kayak paddle. Unless you're a glutton for punishment, then by all means help yourself. Only time you should be soloing with a single blade is in fast currents or whitewater.

[@WayneLeonard-h5l]

recent freestyle exhibition kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3fQcoOIjLSnZ5Y