I will try this for sure on the weekend and see waht happens. Now when floating down a moving river, does this same principle apply? I remember my coleman fiberglass used to be so stable I could stand in it and row. Will not even try to do that with this one. I wonder if the keel in this canoe makes it less stable?

Keels usually enhance hull stability (rolling). The contour of the hull (in cross section) is often the culprit.

The first part of your paddling stroke is normal. Somewhere between a halfway and a almost finished stroke you twist the blade sideways. It now acts as a rudder, allowing you to steer. Push it sideways. Normally that would be away from the canoe, but any move that gets you where you want to go is permitted.

If you need to steer the other way you may also just put the paddle on the other side of the canoe.

Do a quick google video search for "canoe J stroke" or "canoe L stroke" and you should have plenty of ideas to different things you can try out with your oar. (One example here, just the first random google link I found: http://www.redrockstore.com/Jstroke/index.html )

Paddling is teamwork. In a perfect world, the effort of front and back paddler is balanced so you go straight. In the real world, the back padler has to compensate some way or another. The front padler dictates the rhythm of the strokes and the rear padler is the one that steers.




No, it's the other way around, the rear should be deeper or the boat becomes impossible to steer. We're not talking about excesses here - an inch deeper in the rear than in the front is plenty. Maybe as little as half an inch. Try it out and get a feel for what works best for you.



Possibly. If you keep your husband in front, absolutely. If he goes to the rear extra weight probably isn't necessary.


[/quote]

I can understand that ... but there's really no reason for you to tip unless you deliberately push the boundaries. Nevertheless, with all the traffic on Rhine I'd stick close to the river bank.

You mean that T bar that is in the middle that should actually be a third seat?

I can understand that ... but there's really no reason for you to tip unless you deliberately push the boundaries. Nevertheless, with all the traffic on Rhine I'd stick close to the river bank.

[/quote]


You live and you learn. I wonder how I used to paddle so well in my fiberglass without ever tipping or it being unstable? I often used to be able to stand and row as well. I dare not do this in this one.

I will follow your advice and give it a try on sunday. thanks much

Different body shapes behave VERY different in the water. A totally flat bottom gives you very high initial (primary) stability. This feels rather safe. The downside is that if you push the boundaries it will flip instantly, with little warning.

A round bottom has very little initial stability. Every little move makes the canoe tumble sideways. This feels rather unstable - but quite often a round (pear shaped) bottom will give you great secondary stability. I.e. there is little resistance to small tilts, but a very large resistance to bigger tilts.

It takes a while to get used to the more "lively" response of a canoe with poor initial stability - but such a canoe may be just as resistant to tipping as a flat bottomed canoe.

And yes, there are highly unstable round bottom canoes out there... but those are typical a special design for experienced racing paddlers (Those boats are very thin and long, with as little resistance as possible).

Have a look here... http://www.redrockstore.com/canoes/characteristics/stability.htm

and here: wikipedia