Advice for a newbie to canoeing

[bigdog2755]

So i recently purchased a old town 15"8 discovery canoe. I am new to canoeing and have some questions? What would be better to go with wood paddles or plastic? Would a straight edge or beaver style paddle be better for a newcomer? Do the plastic/synthetic ones float? For transporting i am thinking of getting the foam blocks for my 2 door car any advice on these would be great? I bought it to primarily fish with, do you think a canoe stabilizer is necessary? Any advice for a newbie would be much appreciated

[LightningBG]

So i recently purchased a old town 15"8 discovery canoe.

Nice canoe

I am new to canoeing and have some questions? What would be better to go with wood paddles or plastic?

Wood

Would a straight edge or beaver style paddle be better for a newcomer?

Probably straight

Do the plastic/synthetic ones float?

Yes

For transporting i am thinking of getting the foam blocks for my 2 door car any advice on these would be great?

Will work, but a rack (yakima or thule) would be better

I bought it to primarily fish with, do you think a canoe stabilizer is necessary?

No, it'll just take a little bit of time getting used to it. Even at the beginning of every year I feel all tipsy for a little while, then it gets better quickly. Paddle around on your knees if you feel too tipsy at first. Then work your way up to the seat as you get more comfortable (will be within a few minutes). Stay low in the boat. Never stand up. Might be a good idea to take it out without any gear at first. Wear a lifejacket if the water is cold when you're getting accustomed to your new boat.

Any advice for a newbie would be much appreciated

[TooTallTom]

I agree with everything LightningBG said. I don't actually have a rack, but I can see that they would work much better than the foam blocks that I use. While a rack is certainly an un-necessary expense, it would make life a bit easier. Just pay attention to the load rating of any rack you might buy.

Also, you might want to take your empty canoe out a few times after it warms up, put your lifejacket on, and see what it actually takes to swamp it. Seriously. Just lean over as far as you need to to tip it, then swim it back to shore, dump our all the water, and climb back in. This will help you get more comfortable in your canoe, and help you learn how far you can push it.

Also take it out, let a rope trail in the water, jump out of the canoe, and work on climbing back in. This might save you having to swim to shore if you should happen fall out of your boat.

Like with anything new, give yourself enough time to actually learn what you're doing before you sink tons of money into the latest/ greatest. Figure out what's most likely to work FOR YOU before you go gear crazy. The only way to really do that is to get comfortable and experienced in the new activity.

[Duffman]

I've had a Discovery for 25 yrs this spring. It's been semi-retired for the last three yrs.

When I was alone in the canoe, I stood up all the time and fished. Maybe not the best idea, but I was comfortable with it. Kept the back of my legs up against the seat and if I started to lose my balance on a hook set or whatever, my knees would buckle out and I'd plop my fanny down in a millisecond. There's been some close calls, but I've never tipped a canoe.

For that type of fishing, I always thought a stabilizer would be nice, but never got around to getting one. (Two of us used to stand in a Scanoe and fish, but you really have to trust your canoeing partner)

Plastic paddles are fine, except don't try breaking ice with one.

Foam blocks are also fine for a newbie, but racks are easier to deal with.

Just get out and start paddling like others have said, you'll get the feel for it, the center of gravity thing, what it takes to actually come close to tipping.

Congrats on your new rig!! The Discovery has been a staple in the canoeing community for over a quarter century.

[PartyWhine]

In re paddles :

Irregardless of what style blade you choose the length of the shaft is a very important consideration. Believe me, it makes a world of difference in terms of comfort and efficiency.

So, here's what you do.

Sit or Kneel with your fanny six inches off the floor.

Now measure the distance from the tip of your nose to the floor.

Thats a very good guideline for the length of the SHAFT.

By which I mean from the T-grip to the start of the blade.

[Powerstroke]

For fishing and general use I would go with a straight shaft beaver style paddle. The bent shaft straight edge paddles are made for speed and distance and provide less maneuverability. They do work well and I like them, but I don't think they are great for beginners.

Get used to your canoe first. That's generally a pretty stable canoe like Duffman said.

As far as loading, the foam blocks will work just fine until you decide to spend the $$$ on a roof rack. Depending on your car it may not be worth it, but they do make things a whole lot easier. I still use foam blocks when I'm not using my trailer to haul the canoes.

[bigdog2755]

Thanks for the advice. I,m just trying to get a idea of what might work for me before i spend more money.

[ItsaCrappieLife]

Weight is another factor - the more weight you have from fishing partners, gear, bait, etc, the canoe will be more likely to tip. Be carefull when your hauling that 40 inch muskie into your canoe. Actually had to rescue a guy who fell in pulling in a large muskie once and the first thing he asked when we got him to shore was "where's the muskie". Luckily he had tied it to the canoe before he flipped over.

[TooTallTom]

I'm not sure about more weight making a canoe more unstable. I know that there are certain tripper canoes that are designed specifically for moving lots of weight. And if you have lots of gear (weight) sitting on the bottom of the canoe, wouldn't that lower the center of gravity and make it more stable?

[mainbutter]

When I was alone in the canoe, I stood up all the time and fished. Maybe not the best idea, but I was comfortable with it. Kept the back of my legs up against the seat and if I started to lose my balance on a hook set or whatever, my knees would buckle out and I'd plop my fanny down in a millisecond.

Ditto for me on standing and fishing. I do it a lot. It may not be smart, but I make casts that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.

As far as paddles go, I go with wooden for one main reason: wood is a poor thermal conductor. You won't freeze or burn your hands with a wooden paddle left in icy slush or the sun.

I got my 13.5' canoe for a b-day present last year, along with a yakima rack. I'm SUPER happy that I have the rack, if I had foam blocks I probably would not have gotten out as much as I did.

A couple tips: I like to have a heavy anchor in my canoe. Not necessary, but as I like to paddle from the back of the canoe, I can use the anchor for its intended purpose and as front-ballast so that I don't keep popping the front of my canoe up in the air when I'm fishing alone.

For learning to paddle and get around, just get out there and do it. You'll figure it out soon enough. Try to canoe figure-8s on windless days by paddling only on 1 side of the canoe, performing j strokes to turn when needed.

A great way to practice paddling and fish at the same time is to drag a sucker minnow, crawler + split shot, or even a crankbait behind your canoe as you "manually troll". I do plenty of manual trolling in my canoe with a shad rap, great way to score some summer pike and get good exercise You can use a clamp-on rod holder or just your legs to make sure your rod doesn't go in the lake when a fish grabs your lure.

[bigdog2755]

I've got a couple more questions for everyone? I am thinking about building a mount for a electric trolling motor. I saw a couple of ways to do this on these forums? Any pics or descriptions what others have done would be great! I have a minnekota vector 55lbs thrust motor? Would this be to big for my canoe? I also want to rig my bottom line fish finder on there as well, my main problem to figure out is how to mount the transducer to something? Any input is appreciated?

[LightningBG]

that trolling motor should be fine. you'll just want to put the battery up towards the front. The bracket should go off the side of the boat, towards the back, but not on the tip itself.

I'd try a suction cup for the ducer. but make sure you have a safety rope on it, tied to the boat, in case it falls off.

[Hammy]

I feel the best way to avoid tipping in a canoe and is to tip a canoe, several times... Get out when the weather is nice, put on your PFD, and start rocking that canoe.

It will increase your confidence in how much your canoe (it is important to do this in your canoe since all canoes have different stability points) can roll and recover and you will have a feeling of where you will land if you get tossed.

Also, you want to get comfortable recovering in a nice controlled setting so when it happens unexpectedly, you are ready.

[Freedom81]

I troll from the back all the time when we're traveling the lakes: Cast a rapala, shad-rap, or spoon a ways out; let out some more line if you want it to go deeper. Close the bail, loosen the drag to the point where the water alone almost trips it and place the rod behind you so the handle is kind of wedged in between the seat. When you hear the drag go ZZZZZZZZZ, grab the rod, turn the drag up, set the hook, you'll either have a fish or a snag! Sometimes the wife gets upset when we have to turn around to get a snag loose(usually after it happens a couple times in a row), but she'll agree it's exciting hearing that drag going off! Every time I hear it, it gets my heart pumping!!! Fun and easy way to fish!

[Stick in Mud]

I also think it's a great idea to troll while paddling around. I've found some awesome mid-lake reefs (by "found," I mean "snagged") while paddling in the middle of nowhere. Those are now some of my favorite spots, and I'd never have found them if I hadn't had a shad rap or a taildancer trolling along behind.