CANOE AND CANOEING 



1159 



CANOE AND CANOEING 



more; these are strong and large enough to 

 hold a load of 500 or 600 pounds, and if given 

 ordinary care, will last for years. For the boy 

 or girl who wants to canoe as a sport there 

 are cheaper makes, some priced as low as $25. 



ON NORTHERN STREAMS 



The Art of Canoeing. To the person who 

 has never tried canoeing, it seems the simplest 

 thing in the world. A canoe is sharp both 

 at the bow and stern, and can be propelled 

 backward and forward with ease. It is very 

 light, and responds immediately to the slightest 

 touch of the paddle in water. ' But this re- 

 sponsiveness also makes canoeing difficult, for 

 a poor paddler will have trouble in keeping 

 his course even in smooth water. A canoe is 

 easily upset, as it is usually flat-bottomed and 

 has no keel. 



Special canoes, which are so made that a 

 sail can be hoisted in the bow, often have a 

 detachable or collapsible keel. Even with a 

 keel, however, a canoe requires careful man- 

 agement. 



Getting In and Out of a Canoe. The first 

 step in canoeing is to learn how to get in and 

 out. It is always safest to get in over the 

 end; a heavy weight suddenly thrown on the 

 side of a canoe is almost sure to upset it. If 

 it is impossible for any reason to get in at the 

 bow or stern, a step over the sides directly 

 into the bottom is reasonably safe, especially 

 if there is another person already in the canoe 

 to help keep its balance. 



How to Paddle. Paddling requires practice 

 and skill, but it is not difficult except in rough 

 water. The best place for the paddler is at the 

 stern, where the force of his stroke not only 

 drives the boat forward but steers it. The 

 paddle may be driven into the water on either 



side of the canoe, and good paddlers take 

 turns. If there is a second paddler in the 

 canoe, he or she should sit in the bow, and 

 the bow paddle should be on the left side when 

 the stern paddle is on the right. If the paddle 

 is dipped in on the right side, the right hand 

 should grip the paddle lightly near the blade, 

 and guide it into the water. The left hand 

 should hold the handle firmly and should sup- 

 ply the drive. The blade should enter the 

 water with the flat side at right angles to the 

 course of the canoe, and should make little or 

 no splash. As the paddle is drawn back 

 through the water, the blade should approach 

 the stern until finally the flat side of the blade 

 is parallel to the course of the canoe. 



When the paddle' has reached this point, it 

 acts as a rudder, and a slight turn of the wrist 

 to the right or left will turn the boat in the 

 opposite direction. Steering is perhaps the 

 most difficult part of canoeing, especially in 

 rough water. In smooth water a long steady 

 stroke is easiest, but in rough water a short 

 quick one is usually best ; it will keep the canoe 

 in its course, whereas a slow stroke would give 

 the wind time to turn its bow around between 

 strokes. 



Distribution of Weight. A canoe offers least 

 resistance to the water if all the weight is in 

 the stern. The bow is then high in the water 

 or even out of water, and the canoe barely 

 skims the surface. This plan is good on a calm 

 day, but if there is any wind blowing, a sudden 

 gust may turn the bow around in spite of 

 everything the paddler in the stern can do. If 

 a heavy sea is running the weight should be 

 evenly distributed, so that the bow and the 

 stern set equally low in the water. 



A "DUGOUT" 

 Eastern American style, hollowed out of a log. 



Kinds of Canoes. Primitive. The earliest 

 canoes were made by tying together thin strips 

 of wood and stretching a skin over them; the 

 result looked like an umbrella upside down. 



