Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Reasons no one open boats anymore:

1. Kayaking is easier
2. Kayaks are easier to physically carry than canoes
3. Kayaks are easier to store and transport
4. Kayaks require MUCH less maintenance and custom outfitting
5. Kayaks are less expensive
6. Sitting in a kayak is much easier on the body than being bound up on your knees
7. You can run more challenging and smaller creeks than you can in a canoe
8. Less swimming
9. During the winter you stay warmer in a kayak, assuming you adhere to # 8
10. Kayakers are a lot better looking

Talk amongst yourselves...

I know a bunch of kayakers that are clear exceptions to #10. And by the way, I am an open-boater who now paddles a kayak when forced to hard boat due to #6.

Just adding a bit of spice to the board today. Of course there are exceptions to just about every one of these but I do think they make a pretty good case. Now just for fun I'll do my own point counter point. Also because I'm a bit bored today so I'm talking to myself.

Why paddling an Open Boat still rocks!

1. It's harder, thus you are a real Bad a** if you can do it well.
2. You can show off your manly guns when you schlep the boat off your vehicle single handedly.
3. More space to carry stuff.
4. Easier on the back or so I'm told
5. Arguably some of the maneuvers just seem more fun such as surfing
6. You can introduce your small child or dog (or cat I suppose) to paddling (as a passenger in an OC1) w/o having to invest in a second boat
7. You get to use those really kick a** boat extraction rope tricks more often, especially if you tend to paddle with other open boaters
8. You are positioned better to rapidly exit your boat and assist a worthless kayaker as he or she screams "help", "help" "get my boat" etc etc while being flushed downstream, thus increasing your status as a total bad a** river God.
9. You don't have to wear a skirt
10. All your non paddling friends are gonna call all of your boats a canoe anyway so you might as well just paddle one.

And finally.......

Reasons rafts beats kayaks or open canoes:

well... since I got all 3 I should have lots of comment...... 'cept I don't

Gordon Kumpuris wrote:Just adding a bit of spice to the board today. Of course there are exceptions to just about every one of these but I do think they make a pretty good case. Now just for fun I'll do my own point counter point. Also because I'm a bit bored today so I'm talking to myself.

Why paddling an Open Boat still rocks!

1. It's harder, thus you are a real Bad a** if you can do it well.
2. You can show off your manly guns when you schlep the boat off your vehicle single handedly.
3. More space to carry stuff.
4. Easier on the back or so I'm told
5. Arguably some of the maneuvers just seem more fun such as surfing
6. You can introduce your small child or dog (or cat I suppose) to paddling (as a passenger in an OC1) w/o having to invest in a second boat
7. You get to use those really kick a** boat extraction rope tricks more often, especially if you tend to paddle with other open boaters
8. You are positioned better to rapidly exit your boat and assist a worthless kayaker as he or she screams "help", "help" "get my boat" etc etc while being flushed downstream, thus increasing your status as a total bad a** river God.
9. You don't have to wear a skirt
10. All your non paddling friends are gonna call all of your boats a canoe anyway so you might as well just paddle one.

Excellent Gordon!! Of course, the highlighted phrase is a redundancy!

Disagree with #7 in your first post, dale

Jeeeez Gordo, just when I was getting enthused about learning how to paddle an open boat! Oh well, maybe I'll just crawl back under my rock. Anybody wanna buy a canoe?

Just say no James unless you want knees like mine! And Dale I was referring to mere mortal open boaters. I'm quite sure you could paddle down down pinnacle mountain on your worst day better than most kayakers. :)

Reasons no one open boats anymore:

Kayakers will be richer in their retirement years, because they won't be shelling out thousands of bucks on orthopedic surgeons to fix their worn out knees.

That's for darn sure!! I'm looking at two new knees sooner vs later I'm afraid.

Gordon,

You might add, "it's easier to find your boat when you lose it 'cause it's bigger."

All my non paddling friends are always calling my boat a "Kayak" no matter how many times I tell them I canoe.

They don't think my canoes looks like canoes so they just call them kayaks. Drives me crazy.

So I disagree with #10 on your second post.

Canoes rock because you can carry more....uhhh......Dr. Pepper.

Oh yeah Gordon, don't forget that canoes have a bigger B.L. capacity. which I need.

Tom now that was just mean. Although the point is valid. I've never heard of anyone literally loosing a canoe to the river. And indeed Randy the Volume aka BL area or BLA was a significant reason I paddled a canoe for years. As soon as manufacturers started making kayaks with more BLA i embraced the dark side for good.