Canoeing FAQ.



Q: How many miles per hour does the average person canoe?
A: It varies considerably with the conditions. If you assume flatwater, a light or no breeze, a 16 ft well proportioned canoe and good paddling skills, the theoretical speed would be about 3.5 mph, determined mathematically with the hull speed formulas.
In the real world figure on comfortable cruising speed about 3 mph. Over a 6-hour period you would have stopped for lunch and several breaks cutting your actual paddling time too about 4.5 hours for a total of 13.5 miles covered.
On moving water add 80%-90% of the rivers speed to the 3MPH estimate. Moving water isin't always moving in the direction you want to go and the extra effort of adjusting for ther current offsets some of the effort expended in paddling downstream.
Adding a load of camping gear will drop you back to about 2.6. Paceing yourself to last for several days of paddling with that load of gear will drop you to about 2.4
Of course, your mileage will vary.

Q: I have been reading about paddling techniques. Some books say to keep flat at all times to avoid capsizing. Some say to paddle leaned way over all the time when solo. Some say to lean into a turn. Some say to lean away from the turn. Some say never lean upstream. Some say don't lean downstream. What is the right answer?
A: The overwhelming majority of canoes turn better when leaned. Most turn better when leaned towards the direction turned, some when turned away from the direction of the turn. It's physically more efficient in most cases to lean into a turn because it puts you closer to the water and moves the gunwale closer to you so you have to reach less on the near part of the stroke.
On Pine Barrens rivers, leaning onto a turn also keeps your face further out of the overhanging brush and your paddle in deeper water.
On whitewater, an upstream lean on a turn gives you the greatest control, but puts you at risk of a nasty pin. If you hit a submerged rock near the center of the canoe when you are cross current, an upstream lean can cause your canoe to fill with water and wrap around the rock. A downstrean lean usually causes the current to lift the canoe some and can slide you over the rock. If you still pin, the boat is presenting it's bottom to the current and is easier to get loose. Just make sure you aren't in the boat if it pins bottom-upstream. An upstream lean is riskier for the canoe, but is less likely to trap you between the boat and the rock. It's just one of many judgement calls you have to make for yourself.
Assumeing it's a good design, a leaned canoe is quite stable. The secondary stability of the hull causes it to firm up and the paddle becomes another point of support. It's almost like a tripod. The canoe itself is very stable front to back like a bipod. The paddle becomes the third leg as you put some weight on it, forming a tripod-like effect. With practice you can comfortably lean it till the gunwale almost touches the water.
People that always paddle flat and level on turns are wasting effort.
When traveling straight, stay relatively level unless you are trying to solo a grossly oversized tandem. Then a paddling style called "Omering" can sometimes help. "Omering" is paddling heeled over towards the side you are paddling on. It puts the force of the paddle closer to the centerline of the canoe, improving efficiency of the paddler, but reducing the efficiency of the canoe. You have to decide if the tradeoff is worth the lessened stability.

Q: I hope to do a few multi-day trips when the weather gets warmer. How many miles should I plan on paddling each day?
A: I prefer an 8 Am start and paddle/portage for 4 hours. I would go over the 4 hours only when necessary to reach a good campsite. Over 6 hours a day is too much. On a long trip you should never get tired to the point that you carry over residual fatigue from the previous day.
Mileage is irrelevant. It's the amount of energy expended that matters. 4 hours (not counting break times) on an easy river like the Delaware will put you 10 miles downstream with little fatigue. Another hour or so looking for a good campsite and you have a comfortable 12-mile day. If the water is high and fast the same effort could put you 22 miles downstream. On the Allagash we didn't worry about mileage at all, except to stay ahead of the minimum progress that would get us to the cars on schedule. The afternoon winds were always in the wrong direction and we knew that any progress we would make after lunch could be done the next morning with less than half the energy expended.
We camped next to a group on Schofield Point that was planning on doing 18 miles every day. That meant paddling in all conditions, including headwinds, that left them exhausted and sore the next day. They didn't have time to fish or moose-watch in the evenings. I wouldn't go on a trip like that if I was paid to do it.
I have never had a problem finding things to do in the afternoon. Fishing, exploring, swimming, cooking, sketching and exploring the surrounding area by canoe all are part of an enjoyable trip.
If it's not worth taking the time to explore your surroundings a bit, why bother to go there?
That's how it works best for me.