Adventure Travel Guide
Adventure Travel Classifications
Cruises & Wildlife Travel
Travel Agencies & Destinations
Free Newsletter

Stay updated, sign up for our free newsletter to receive useful tips

Full Name
Email Id

sign up

Adventure Canoeing - Where and How to Go About it?

Canoeing trips involve paddling a traditional canoe or a kayak in bodies of water ranging from rivers to the open ocean. On the more daring end of this spectrum adventure canoeing has emerged as one of the favored forms of canoeing vacations.
These are trips for folks who love a challenge, like shooting white water rapids or exploring remote coastlines and islands in an ocean kayak.

Traditional Canoes

One of the most traditional canoe construction techniques, wood-strip, involved a labor-intensive 150 hours to complete. Thin strips of cedar are temporarily attached to plywood with the resulting structure being molded into the shape of a hull. When the glue dries the plywood is removed and the cedar hull is sealed and fortified with fiberglass cloth and resin.

Some traditional canoes are made from canvas fastened to the exterior of a wooden hull. Canoes may also be made from graphite, Royalex, polyetheline and aluminum. The base material effects the efficiency of the boat in certain types of waters.

How to Canoe

The history of canoeing reaches as far back as the beginning of humankind. Although it is likely that people living near bodies of water have always canoed, the earliest recorded existence of a canoe is dated as 6,000 B.C. Native Americans utilized the skins of animals to cover hollowed-out wooden logs. This primitive canoe was effective. The kayak, comparable to a canoe, is believed to have been developed by the Eskimos. Like the canoe, the kayak was designed to be lightweight and easily maneuverable.

Canoeing became a sport as an outgrowth of the interests of James MacGregor during the middle of the 19th century. MacGregor developed a canoe that he utilized to explore Europe and Palestine. His journeys and subsequent travel writings drew attention to the canoe. Two decades later, canoeing emerged from its humble roots as a mode of transportation to that of a widely admired athletic activity. By 1924, canoeing was showcased as a demonstration sport in the Olympic Games and became a competitive Olympic sport in 1936.

Throughout the evolution of the sport, the process of canoeing has remained consistent. The movement of the canoe is dictated by the use of paddles. A canoe can hold more than one person, depending on its size. In the canoe, paddlers face the direction of travel. Paddles may be single or double bladed.

Canoeing may seem difficult, but it is actually a simple activity. To canoe, one must use a paddle to propel the canoe (or kayak). In general, to steer the canoe or kayak successfully, the boat must remain pointed in the desired direction. Ideally, the water will do the rest of the work.

In practice, efficient and successful canoeing requires far more direction, which explains the abundance of canoeing tips offered by experienced individuals. Always remember that the body should remain in an upright, yet relaxed posture. It is wise to use the full range of motion provided by the upper body. This will increase speed and maximize strength.

Do not angle the paddle and minimize all splashing. It is wise to remember that the farther away one paddles from the keel (center) of the canoe, the more the canoe will turn. The sweep stroke is a sharp stroke that is executed at the farthest possible point from the body of the canoe. This will cause the canoe to initiate a sharp turn. Straight movements can be achieved by paddling in the area of water closest to the side (gunwale) of the canoe.

Types of Canoes

In terms of basic mechanics, open canoes are propelled with a single bladed paddle. A closed canoe, or kayak, on the other hand, should be propelled with a paddle that has a blade on each end. The many types of canoes have led to a boom in the amount and style of canoeing trips that are available to the interested public.Today, both competitve and non-competitve disciplines of high adventure canoe trips are commonplace.

For example, individuals may paddle through white water rapids or enjoy the excitement of kayaking at sea. Less adventoruous paddlers may prefer the ease of freestyle canoeing on calm, open waters. Some people even break tradition and attach sails to their canoes.

How to Purchase a Canoe

Canoes may be purchased new or used. However, as is the case when buying an item that has been previously owned, inspect the object with a critical eye. Used canoes must be assessed for safety concerns. Always make sure that the canoe can float. Not all canoes are created with adequate, permanent flotation features. On used canoes, the quality of these features may have diminished.

It is important to consider where you will most frequently use the canoe. Not all canoes will fare the same way in different strengths of water. For example, some canoes are specifically built to drift along smooth, unhurried waters, whereas others were built for the durability required for white-water rapids. Canoe paddlers who enjoy racing, fishing, or camping journeys will seek a canoe with different design features.

It is advisable to become familiar with all parts of the canoe, such as the bow, hull, deck, stern, and seat. (Some canoes may not have a seat and are instead outfitted with a saddle.) For instance, the thwart of the canoe is the horizontal crossbeam located near the top of the hull. The gunwale is the top edge of the hull. The boat may be equipped with any number of canoeing accessories, such as sails, additional flotation devices and a spray deck, which will prevent water from entering the canoe.

It is vital to understand how design and shape influence function. Canoes are generally light or strong. Light canoes are designed for racing expeditions, whereas strong canoes are built to withstand the pressures of fishing, camping or similar activities. The length of the canoe is also an important matter. Long canoes are faster, but shorter canoes are easier to maneuver.

The shape and depth of the canoe effect stability. Hulls that are round in shape, or are shaped like a "V," will provide greater stability. One must also assess the shape of the ends of the canoe. No shape is wrong, but different shapes are better suited for certain activities. Narrow canoe ends increase the potential for speed, whereas wider ends provide a greater level of buoyancy.

Continue to: Detailed Information on High Adventure Canoe Trips
Related Articles
Other Important Information for Adventure Travel
Ballooning - Unique Source of Happiness
Can You Imitate Dolphins? Now, Start Swimming With Them
Explore Deep! Making Way for Effortless Hiking
Dive with Ease! Get Set for Snorkeling
Adventure Rafting - Getting to Know the Basics

Bookmark this Page Email this to your friend Add this page to del.icio.us
Recommended Sites

Suggest an Article

Haven´t found the article you are looking for,please suggest your article. We value all your suggestions and comments.
Home  |  resources  |  Disclaimer  |  Privacy Policy  |  useful sites  |  Link to us  |  Contact Us  |  Copyrights
© Copyright 2008 travelnadventure.com All rights reserved. Read legal policy and privacy policy.