Types of Boats – Pros & Cons
There are several types of paddleboats. Every type is a compromise. No boat design is perfect in every way. Every paddler has their own opinions about what boat is best for a given situation. On this page I will provide you with some facts and my own opinions. I have owned and paddled two canoes, a 16 ½ foot touring kayak, a 14 ½ foot touring kayak,
a 12 ½ foot crossover boat and a 9 foot whitewater boat. I like them all but none are great in all situations. I have also learned from observing others paddling their boats on float trips.
If I had no interest in even the mildest whitewater and I had to pick one boat for general use I would select a touring kayak near 13 ½ -14 foot range with a retractable rudder and dry storage front and rear. This would be a conventional or sit-on-top kayak. My second choice would be a recreational kayak that would carry my camping gear and fit a spray skirt. I am not sure if that exits. My third choice would be a 13 – 15 ft canoe. I would want to install a comfortable seat in the middle and paddle it with a double bladed kayak paddle.
If I had any interest in doing whitewater as well as flat water, I would
select my 12 ½ foot Perception Enduro. This is a crossover boat. It is
designed for both flat water and up to Class III whitewater. This is currently
my favorite boat for rivers and creeks with current because of its great maneuverability.
I like my 16 ½ foot touring kayak for flat-water with little or no current. It is very fast and a joy to paddle. It has a retractable rudder that is very useful in windy conditions or when I am just plain lazy. Actually this boat is so long and difficult to turn that the rudder is almost a necessity. I have taken this boat on river float trips and in my opinion it is too long to be suitable. I can’t maneuver it, as well as I want to in order to paddle closely to obstacles in swift current. This boat is too fast for a group float. I find myself paddling a little ways and then waiting for the group to catch up. This boat is best suited for lakes, bays and the ocean.
I like my 14 ½ foot touring kayak for general flat water such as the Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri Rivers. It is fast enough that I can relax and still keep up with the group, especially if there are any canoes in the group. It has enough storage space to pack all necessary camping gear for a night or two on the river. It has a retractable rudder that is a big help in windy conditions. Most of the time I paddle without the rudder because I think it makes me a better paddler and prepares me to paddle rivers with more challenge. A rudder is not usable in the riffles or any other time the water is very shallow. I have been able to maneuver this boat quite well in all conditions encountered on the Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri Rivers and all other KCA flat water float trips.
I like my 9 foot whitewater boat for whitewater, pool training and general fun paddling. By the way, I consider myself a novice when it comes to whitewater. With this boat, I can turn 180 degrees in about 3 heartbeats. This maneuverability is cool when I want to catch a look behind me or catch an eddy, which is very difficult with a longer boat. On the other hand this boat requires 100% of my attention to keep it straight. It is not just the length that makes this boat turn easy it is the hull design. The bottom is almost flat from left to right (port to starboard) and it curves up (rocker) in the front and rear (bow and stern). Trying to paddle this boat straight is almost like trying to paddle an inner tube. This boat would wear me out on a three to four hour float trip and I would not be able to keep up with the group if they were paddling touring kayaks and canoes.
The two canoes I have had were a lot of fun but they both required a lot more energy to paddle than a kayak. If I were to paddle a canoe again I would definitely use a double bladed kayak paddle and install a comfortable seat in the middle.
I have observed lots of people paddling recreational kayaks on KCA trips. These boats appear to be very stable and quite maneuverable. My only objections are that the cockpits are usually too big to fit my spray skirt and I don’t know where I would put my camping gear for an overnighter. Other than those two objections I am very impressed with the way people scoot around in these boats. The recreational kayaks I have observed are shorter and beamier than touring kayaks and the hull design includes a keel to help with straight-line stability.
If you get a boat with a rudder or a skeg, it is very important that you learn to paddle the boat both with and without the rudder/skeg. Many trips include areas where the water is too shallow for rudder usage such as in a riffle where swift water runs over rocks. It is imperative that you can control your boat without the aid of a rudder/skeg when necessary.
Rafts are very popular for whitewater. I have no knowledge to share about rafts but I can introduce you to a few people who use them. I hope someday to sample rafting.
Now that you have my opinions here are some facts.
Longer boats are faster but more difficult to turn or maneuver than shorter boats. Shorter boats turn easier but are slower than longer boats. The hull speed of a boat varies mostly with the square root of the water line length. What this means is that if your boat has a maximum speed of 4 mile per hour you will need a boat about twice as long to get 6 mile per hour. The important thing to learn from this is that one or two feet in length will make a difference in speed but not a great amount. That same one or two feet can make a very noticeable difference in maneuverability.
Longer boats have better straight-line stability than shorter boats. Longer boats are easier to keep pointed straight ahead and wiggle from side to side less as you paddle first on one side and then the other.
Larger boats have more storage than smaller boats.
Taller and larger boats are more difficult to handle in windy conditions. A rudder or a skeg can be a big help in windy conditions.
Hull design can have a significant affect on maneuverability. Boats with lots of rocker turn easier than boats with little or no rocker. Boats with a sharp keel will have more straight-line stability than boats with no keel. Some boats have lots of initial stability meaning they are difficult to tip over and others are very easy to tip over. Beginner rated boats and recreational boats usually have lots of initial stability. Boats rated for advanced users usually have less initial stability. Long sleek hulls are faster than short wide hulls.
More opinion:
Many KCKA members like to schedule overnight trips on the Arkansas and Kansas Rivers. These trips can be very enjoyable. To participate you will need something big enough to carry your camping gear. The less gear you require the smaller boat you can get by with. Most participants will use touring kayaks in the 13 – 14 ½ foot range or canoes. A few have figured out how to camp out of a recreational kayak. A large dry bag containing your camping pad and sleeping bag can be bungeed to the top of your kayak leaving the storage area in the hull for smaller items. Canoes are great for hauling camping gear but require more energy to paddle.
Lots of other flat-water trips will be scheduled for various creeks and rivers in Kansas. My 14 ½ foot touring kayak has been suitable for all the trips I have participated on. I would however prefer slightly shorter for more maneuverability.
In the spring and fall, several trips are usually scheduled for what I call easy whitewater (Class I-II) rivers in the Ozarks and in Colorado. These rivers are suitable for the shorter touring kayaks, recreational kayaks and canoes. When we have just the right amount of water, our local Fall River and Grouse Creek can fall into this category.
New Information (6/2004): I prefer my 12 ½ foot Perception Enduro for all
but big open water. Right now, this is my favorite boat. This boat has maneuverability
that is almost as good as a pure whitewater boat and it has enough room to pack
camping gear. It is suitable for up to Class III whitewater as well as most flat
water applications. I have used it 3 times in the last week to surf at the
spillway. Please understand this is not a pure whitewater boat and it is not
suitable for advanced whitewater moves such as enders and cartwheels.
The Enduro is about the size of most recreational kayaks but does not have a keel in either the bow or stern. It also differs from most recreational kayaks in that it does have a standard sized cockpit and it comes standard with thigh braces and center pillars for safety in whitewater. Most recreational kayaks have oversized cockpits making it difficult if not impossible to roll and they won't accept a Neoprene spray skirt.
It take two sweep strokes for me to turn my Enduro 180 degrees. For comparison,
it takes only one sweep stroke to turn my whitewater boat 180 degrees and it
takes 8 sweep strokes to turn my 16 ½ foot touring kayak 180 degrees. The
boat that turns the hardest is usually the one that is easiest to paddle
straight and the most difficult to maneuver around obstacles or sharp
turns. Remember, no boat is perfect and every boat is a compromise.
© 2005 Chris Collins, All Rights Reserved