Whether you intend to go fishing, do some yoga on the water, race with your friends or gently glide on the water with family, you need a stable canoe. But the meaning of stability varies across these different canoeing activities. Continue reading to find out what it means for a canoe to be stable and which canoes are most stable.
What Stability Means in Canoes
Canoeing means different things to different people. Some people are trying to move fast on the water, and others are trying to pull off impressive turns and maneuvers. Consequently, it means different people want different forms types of stability.
If you are looking for recreational fun, you want a stable canoe at low speeds. And if you are going somewhere on the water pretty fast and want to change direction quickly, you want a canoe that remains stable under these conditions.
This brings us to the following:
1. Primary Stability
A canoe with primary stability does not move about a lot when on calm water. It squares off against the water surface with a lot of surface area in contact with it.
However, this feature makes it very unstable when the water becomes choppy. Seeing as it needs even contact to stay stable, as soon as the water moves around, becoming uneven, a canoe with primary stability is thrown out of balance.
2. Secondary Stability
On the other hand, secondary stability is about the canoe’s ability to stay stable when it is rocked side to side. Canoes with secondary stability are likely to be tippy on calm water or when not in motion,
However, they come to their own when leaning on the side in rapids. This ability gives canoeists the confidence they need to achieve incredible feats on the water.
Factors that Influence Canoe Stability
It is one thing to differentiate between primary and secondary stability, and it is another thing to know which you need. The following are other factors beyond the canoe materials you should consider when shopping for your canoe.
Type of Canoe / Use of the Canoe
A. Recreational Canoe
This is the all-rounder canoe. It is the canoe type you are more likely to find at canoe rentals. The width of this canoe, coupled with the hull design, makes for a stable build on flat water.
All these come together to make a canoe that anyone can paddle. It is friendly to beginners and still frequented by intermediate and expert paddlers for its stability.
Recreational canoes are perfect if you are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life alone or in company. The canoe gently glides on the water as you take in the scenery and appreciate the wildlife.
You would be unable to do this with a tippy canoe. Hence the reason recreational canoes are built with primary stability in mind.
B. Whitewater Canoe
Navigating whitewater in a canoe requires more skill than recreational canoeing. Whitewater is usually fast-flowing turbulent water, requiring a canoe to handle the rough ride, which is exactly what you get with a whitewater canoe.
The first thing you notice is that it is shorter than its recreational counterpart. This, coupled with the hull design and buoyancy slats in the bow and stern, ensure the boat stays upright through the twists and turns.
It goes without saying that people that intend to paddle on whitewater need a canoe that has more secondary stability.
C. Touring Canoe
A touring canoe resembles a recreational one, with the major difference being that it is significantly longer. Touring canoes are usually between 16 and 19 feet long, while recreational canoes are between 12 and 17 feet long.
What this extra length does is that it gives the canoe better tracking. Tracking is the ability of the canoe to stay in a straight line. This translates to less energy being expanded, making this type of canoe popular for traveling very long distances.
You would expect this canoe to have poor primary stability, but the low center of gravity and high weight capacity ensures the canoe balances both primary and secondary stability.
D. Inflatable Canoe
There’s a stigma around inflatable canoes where people think they are bouncy castles waiting to go pop. This can not be any farther from the truth. While not as sturdy or durable as hard/solid canoes, inflatable canoes offer plenty of durabilities and are the go-to if your storage or transportation poses a problem.
Inflatable canoes have designs that make them perfect on still and choppy water. You can get an inflatable canoe with either primary or secondary stability. But you should expect some performance drop compared to solid boards, even from well build inflatable boards.
E. River Canoe
Think of a river canoe (or river tripping canoe) as a whitewater and recreational canoe hybrid. It is longer than a whitewater canoe but shorter than a touring canoe. It’s perfect for unpredictable waters. Its features allow the canoe to stay upright in calm and choppy waters.
As a result, river canoes feature primary and secondary stability but not as much as you will get from their whitewater and recreational counterparts. Paddling a river canoe requires some skill, and it is best left to intermediate and expert paddlers.
F. Fishing Canoe
When it comes to fishing, the last thing you want is a canoe that rocks about and scares the fish away. You want a canoe that can sit still on the water while you go about your business. As a result, fishing canoes are designed to feature primary stability and forgo secondary stability completely.
The stability of this type of canoe is down to the design that makes it sit on the water comfortably and its durable build that allows for a high weight capacity. Both are important, considering a fishing canoe would be hauling gear that might destabilize other canoe types.
Canoe Dimensions
If you have read this far, you already have an idea that the dimensions of the canoe influence stability. As we dive deeper, let’s examine how much influence dimensions have.
A. Length of the canoe
The length of your canoe is measured from bow to stern, and it significantly influences the performance, i.e., stability, of the canoe.
Longer canoes have more carrying capacity than shorter ones because the length allows more weight distribution. These canoes also track better because the long slender frame cuts the water better than shorter canoes.
Long canoes typically feature more secondary than primary stability as they are often used to tour long-distance waters while carrying significant speed.
On the other hand, shorter canoes are built with primary stability in mind and are perfect for the occasional cruise on the water.
B. Width of the canoe
The width of the canoe, also known as the beam, is the distance across the widest part of the canoe. It, in tandem with the canoe’s length, determines most of the properties.
A wider canoe offers more primary stability and is a must-have for people looking to go fishing or do some yoga on the water. However, thinner canoes offer more secondary stability and the reduced weight due to lesser construction material contributes to their ability to reach and maintain high speeds.
The shape of the hull
This also influences how much stability you should expect from your canoe. It is divided into these categories:
Round bottom
This hull profile has a very curved bottom that can be very difficult to handle, even for experienced paddlers. It is built for speed and precision, offering a lot of performance to people who know their way around a round bottom hull.
It can be initially difficult to bring under control but smooth sailing with some wind in your sails.
Flat bottom
The flat bottom is the polar opposite of the round bottom hull. This hull profile has little to no curve and is perfect for newbie paddlers. It is ideal for calm waters and can be a chore to get under control in choppy waters.
Canoes with this hull profile offer the paddler great initial (primary stability) but compromise on the secondary stability.
Shallow Vee
The shallow vee blends flat and round bottom hull properties but with a v-shape at the arch. This result is a hull profile that balances both primary and secondary stability. Its only drawback is that the design makes for more surface area in contact with the water, which can hamper efficiency.
Summary
Canoe stability means different things to different people and is influenced by several factors. These factors include the hull profile, the canoe dimensions, and your intention for the canoe. Combining all these would help you determine what type of stability you need and, ultimately, the right canoe for you.