Backwards Canoe

[sublauxation]

I didn't want to risk it out there this weekend so I took the kids to the beach. There was a huge family gathering going on and one of them brought a canoe. They had 2 permanent flip up seats mounted to it. Two young adults took turns taking younger kids (5-8 years old) for rides. No life jackets of course. The bow sat really low and the guy in front looked really crammed in there. It took a while to figure out what was wrong.....they had the seats facing backwards. About 20 minutes in they figured out something was wrong but instead of turning the seats around they actually started paddling backwards and looking over their shoulders. It would have been funnier except for the lack of Life jackets. Thankfully even the wakeboarders realized they were idiots and stayed away.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Backwards Canoe

When I canoe solo I always sit backwards in the bow seat to level the boat, the correct method, but I sometimes get comments or looks!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Backwards Canoe

When I canoe solo I always sit backwards in the bow seat to level the boat, the correct method, but I sometimes get comments or looks!

Ever tried kneeling? I haven't yet, but many paddlers I know swear by it.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Backwards Canoe

Ever tried kneeling? I haven't yet, but many paddlers I know swear by it.

They wouldn't if they had my knees. Actually, they'd swear AT it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Backwards Canoe

Ever tried kneeling? I haven't yet, but many paddlers I know swear by it.

I'll kneel to lower my center of gravity if shooting a rapid but almost all of my canoeing is in the marsh and kneeling kills me. Plus I'm wearing hip boots making it harder to kneel and cutting off circulation. Usually I'm jump shooting too so I have to be able to drop the paddle and grab the shotgun.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Backwards Canoe

Did quite a bit of paddling this weekend. I soloed a sixteen footer from the bow and found that sitting in the seat most of the time and kneeling for the rapids was the ticket.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Backwards Canoe

how is going "backwards" in a square stern--make any difference? I'd think it would be high enough not to matter, especially on flat water, but i think you might stub it if you have to hit a standing wave or take a drop.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Backwards Canoe

how is going "backwards" in a square stern--make any difference? I'd think it would be high enough not to matter, especially on flat water, but i think you might stub it if you have to hit a standing wave or take a drop.

D'oh, sorry bout that. Forgot the real canoe wasn't in my siggy. Definitely would not have taken the square stern down those runs as there were wave trains, drops, holes, ledges, strainers, etc. All the fun stuff. That Mad River is one sweet canoe.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Backwards Canoe

thought so, or if you have intermittent flats and rapids, switch around. I would be interested to know if a square stern paddled "backwards" on flat water works