"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"riverman" wrote in message
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...In canoes, Wolfie, its pretty common (assuming the style of seat
allows it) to turn the boat around and sit in the 'bow seat', as this
puts your body closer to the center of the boat. Often, this maintains
the proper trim by itself, without having to add a load in the bow.

Yeah, I've tried that. I didn't like it. For one thing, while it does
put you closer to the center of the boat, in the case of my boat the
difference is not enough to eliminate the need for counterbalancing
altogether.....the bow still tended to ride high. Second, and more
important, as you approach the center of the canoe, the boat gets wider
and you have to reach out further to clear the gunwales. Probably not all
that important from the standpoint of mechanics, but it annoyed me.

Similarly, when loading canoes for trips, you tend to put the heavier
gear in the center of the boat (water bottles, beer, pots and pans) and
the lighter stuff (duffel, trash bags, empty coffee pots) out near the
ends, as they won't effect your ability to pivot so much.

Pivoting was never an issue for me. I spent all of my canoeing time on
lakes or low gradient rivers. There was never a single instance (aside
from trying to play a fish....in which cases both hands were busy anyway)
when I needed to be able to turn sharply.

Now that I think about it, I guess that what I really like about kayaking
is the relative freedom of motion versus canoeing and that I can do it
alone without having to make compromises enforced by the inherent
limitations of the craft.



Heh heh heh, you're stepping in a minefield here, buddy. Those of us who are
diehard openboaters will be quick to challenge that there are any
'compromises enforced by inherent limitations' of canoes. They do what they
do...its not a compromise. And they do a lot more than it seems. An
openboater who is comfortable with their boat can paddle all day on a lake
without getting tired, or having the boat go in s-curves while they are
paddling straight, and would consider sitting down as low as a kayak getting
dripped on all day by that top blade as a compromise. Its an endless debate
with no solution, but I would mention that your leanings in the above post,
as well as in some others, tells me that you are lost to the dark side. Too
bad....you might have made a good open boater....

--riverman