"steveJ" wrote...

I don't think that it comes down to a choice of "either or"

Good point! Get (or build) one (or 2) of each, and add a Guideboat for good
measure!


Here is a link to a photo of a boat I built that is a hybrid of the two
types. http://www.geocities.com/new_old_boa...dex/canoe1.jpg
The boat was designed in 1953 by L.F.Herreshoff, a famous yacht
designer. This boat is a canoe because of its hull shape at the bow.
Most people think it is a kayak because of the deck.

There are a good number of decked canoe designs -- paddle as well as sail --
floating around. If you want to see/row/paddle/sail a sampling of all kinds of
small boats (mostly home-built) together in one place, go to the John Gardner
Small Craft Workshop at Mystic Seaport, CT (http://www.mysticseaport.org/),
first weekend in June.


One posters comment about a guideboat is useful I think. If you are
unfamiliar with these, here is a link to a photo of one I built.
http://www.geocities.com/new_old_boa...eguideboat.jpg
All the advantages of a canoe with the mechanical advantage of oars
instead of paddles. Some would call this a disadvantage because you face
aft. This boat is also much faster than a canoe because it has a very
narrow underbody, like a kayak.

Steve Kaulback (http://www.adirondack-guide-boat.com/) builds cedar and Kevlar
versions of Guideboats in a range of lengths from 10 to 19 feet. He also sells
kits for the cedar boats.

I don't have a canoe, but built a kayak (http://www.tsca.net/puget/coho1.htm)
and bought a guideboat (http://www.tsca.net/puget/Adirondack.htm). My wife, who
paddled a lot back in her Girl Scout days, thought she wanted a canoe again, but
decided she'd rather have a guideboat so she could take it into Puget Sound,
too. The kayak is more secure in rougher water, but the guideboat handles
moderate swells and waves very well, especially solo. Though you can get 2- or
3-person sea kayaks, a canoe or guideboat definitely holds more people & gear
(550#, for my 15', 65# Kevlar Guideboat). For touring, the guideboat also
tracks much better than the average canoe.

I've sailed for 30+ years and have been kayaking for 4 years, but hadn't gotten
much into rowing. I found that a good boat - lightweight, agile, and swift -
makes all the difference in the world! Looking back at where you just came from
is not a "disadvantage" after you get into it, and the efficiency of rowing
makes it a better choice than paddling for larger boats/loads.