Canoe vs Kayak - What to Know

Are you looking to get on the water? Are you wondering about the differences between a kayak and a canoe? Well, don’t jump on the message boards, haha. There is a lot of. . . ahem, passion among the recreational boating community about the differences between these two crafts. You might find yourself lost in the weeds or subject to cyber bullying. There seems to be an exception to every “rule” that someone posts. 

For our purpose, let’s look at some of the generally held principles (or hotly debated characteristics, insert eye roll) that distinguish a kayak from a canoe.  

Canoe vs Kayak: Origins

• Historically, kayaks were used in frigid, open-water situations. The enclosed deck and solo paddler made it efficient and seaworthy without copious amounts of bailing. They were used for hunting and fishing because they were small and maneuverable.

• Canoes, on the other hand, were found in warmer waters all over the world. The open deck makes it great for hauling lots more gear and game. But they aren’t as conducive to inclement weather. They were used for hunting, fishing, and transportation.

Design

• Kayaks are usually single (maybe duo) paddler craft with an enclosed hull and cockpit that the rider sits in. It has a fairly flat hull and the pilot sits quite low in the craft. Often the paddler sits in an L-shape and uses his/her legs to hold position in the boat. 

• Canoes are often open deck vessels. The open design generally allows for more gear and passengers / fellow paddlers. The seat on a canoe is off the water / bottom of the boat generally mounted to the gunwales. A canoe often has higher sides and more rocker (banana shape) to cut through the waves. 

Propulsion

• Canoes are generally paddled with a single-blade paddle. A rider sits or kneels in the vessels and paddles by moving the paddle on alternating sides of the canoe. (If more than one person is paddling they can each take a side.)

• Kayaks are usually paddled with a double-bladed paddle. The rider sits close to the water and uses a twisting motion through the torso to dip the blade in the water and then alternate with the blade on the other side. You don’t move the entire paddle to each side. You use more of a back-and-forth motion. Kayaks can also come equipped with pedal propulsion.

Storage & Transport

• Canoes are likely to hold more gear because of the open deck. They also tend to be bigger and heavier so they are harder to transport and store.

• Kayaks, with their enclosed hulls, may have less storage available than a canoe. However, they often have “dry storage” (storage inside the hull - accessed by hatches - that doesn’t get splashed with waves.) Their closed decks also mean that they have deck storage available where items can be bungeed down. Kayaks are usually lighter in weight and easier to haul and store. 

Canoe vs Kayak: The Muddy Waters

So want makes it so hard to definitively distinguish a canoe from a kayak??? Well, let’s muddy the waters a bit, shall we?

• Culture: Even in English speaking countries there are differences in how “kayak” and “canoe” are used. Across the pond, the UK refers to almost everything as a canoe.  (So, a kayak is really just a subset of a canoe. Rectangle / square situation.) 
• Olympic sports: The Olympics has all sorts of small boat racing and it just gets crazy to try to untangle. There are canoes in the Olympics that look an awful lot like what paddlers are calling kayaks today. In ocean racing what looks like a kayak is called a ski. If you are paracanoeing, you can use a kayak but paddle with a single bladed paddle & outrigger OR a double-bladed paddle. And canoe polo is played using kayaks. . .  
• Hybrids: Today you can find closed and open deck boats called canoes. And you can have sit-in (closed hull) and sit-on-top (open cockpit) boats called kayaks.

Whether you are paddling your canoe or your kayak, you are at least getting out on the water - and that is what is important. No matter what you call it, have fun!  Happy Paddling!