Värmdö is a smaller kayak than Melker of Sweden’s previous models but packed with loads of innovations. Utilizing a new material based on flax fiber and a solid cork core, Melker takes their plant-based, sustainable, and high-performance kayaks several steps forward. Adding a rapid and innovative prototyping process using large-scale additive manufacturing (3D printing) and in-house production, the innovative company underlines that the future is now.
“This is significant for us. We can listen to the market’s needs and quickly 3D print a full-sized prototype in one piece, which we can then intensely field test in natural conditions and under different circumstances. We repeat the process until we are completely satisfied. In the final step, we manufacture moulds for efficient and sustainable serial production in our new transparent factory on Rindö”, says Pelle Stafshede, CEO & Creative Director, Melker of Sweden.
The material used for 3D printing Melker’s prototypes is recycled kayaks — shredded and recompounded with up-cycled old fishing nets collected on Sweden’s west coast, along with wood fibers from Finnish pine forests. This means that not only the finished product is plant-based, but the prototypes are also created from recycled, up-cycled, and plant-based materials.
Photo Courtesy of Melker of Sweden
Following its successes in North America — where the expansion continues with three distribution hubs and more sales representatives to cover the entire continent — it was evident that a further developed and tailored kayak model was needed to complement Melker of Sweden’s portfolio of kayaks.
“By carefully listening to the demands coming from new markets, customers, retailers, and partners, we have managed to quickly develop a completely new model. Värmdö is a kayak that appeals to a broader audience with focus on comfort and stability, while experienced paddlers will continue to appreciate our innovative design and high performance for which we have become world-renowned”, says Pelle Stafshede.
Melker Värmdö will be introduced internationally during Europe’s largest trade fair, the Paddle Sports Show, in Strasbourg, France, on September 27th.
Photo Courtesy of Melker of Sweden
About Melker of Sweden
Melker of Sweden offers sustainable, high-performance, sleek & stylish kayaks for an active and conscious lifestyle. An interplay between the environment, ethics and economy is strategically important to us – making it possible to make a difference for real. Our core values also include having a great time – making sure that we always do what we love together with friends, family and partners sharing our philosophy. Staying true to our philosophy makes it possible for us to create a successful business we are proud to run and work for.
Forty-two leaders from 30 brands attended the Bentonville summit in January 2023. | Feature photo: Visit Bentonville
If Yogi Berra were still alive to describe the paddlesports leadership summit that gave us the new Paddlesports Trade Coalition, he might have said it was déjà vu all over again.
Building the coalition: Arkansas summit births new national trade association
The meeting brought leaders from 30 paddlesports manufacturers together in Bentonville, Arkansas this past January. As the group began discussing the industry’s needs and goals the first day, Kokatat Sales Director Jeff Turner turned to Stig Larsson, founder of Level Six. Both had been involved in a stalled effort to create a national paddlesports trade organization six years ago, and Turner wanted to know if Larsson still had the vision statement on his laptop. Larsson quickly found the document and cast it on the screen.
“Suddenly the room was quiet and people were reading through this old mission statement about the core benefits of working together as an industry,” recalls Lili Colby, product to market coordinator at Mustang Survival and chair of the new trade organization’s interim board. “That document became the foundation of our mission statement, and now the statement of purpose in our bylaws.” They even kept the name, the Paddlesports Trade Coalition.
Forty-two leaders from 30 brands attended the Bentonville summit in January 2023. | Feature photo: Visit Bentonville
The moment revealed a lot about the paddling business. It showed two friends can set aside a fierce business rivalry to find common solutions to issues affecting everyone in the industry. And, just as revealing, it showed those problems haven’t changed in the better part of a decade.
All that morning, 42 executives representing 30 manufacturers had gathered in breakout teams, recording the industry’s core needs on sticky notes. When they took a step back, Turner says, “We found all the notes pasted on the wall could be organized into three or four key buckets, which actually served the mission statement that had been written six years ago.”
Priorites included working together to make the sport more accessible and inviting, and to monitor and engage in federal and state legislation affecting paddlesports. There was talk of real cooperation on sales data, electronic ordering tools, standardized preseason schedules, and perhaps even shared shipping. The need for a trade show by and for paddlesports—or at least one better serving the industry’s needs—was near the top of everyone’s list. And when Turner asked for a vote about whether to form a trade association, the response was instantaneous.
“We basically had a hands-up vote and it was unanimous with lots of cheers that we wanted to form this organization,” Turner says. “Then I asked who wants to be involved in the steering committee, and probably a dozen more hands shot up.”
The volunteers then set about the steady work of creating a national organization from the ground up. A core group has been meeting weekly on Zoom, and in June the group named an 11-member interim board with Colby as chair, Scott Holley of Eddyline as vice chair and Turner as interim executive director.
The nascent Paddlesports Trade Coalition has partnered with established organizations to help bring it up to speed, notably the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), a nonprofit serving state agencies in charge of conservation and law enforcement on state waterways. While the match may at first seem like a case of strange bedfellows, NASBLA has long provided association management services to other nonprofits and has shared interests with paddlesports, particularly around public access and safety. And they were a known quantity: NASBLA served a similar role as an incubator for the Life Jacket Association, working with Colby and other Bentonville attendees who are in the life jacket game.
NASBLA has provided staff support, notably Pam Dillon, an experienced administrator who served as executive director of the American Canoe Association in the early aughts, and in-house counsel Kaci Christopher, who has been instrumental in drawing up organizational bylaws and obtaining 501(c)6 tax-exempt status for the reborn PTC. Says Colby, “This isn’t just kumbaya around the campfire. The goal is to be a professional trade association that is going to benefit the consumer and the industry in a real way.”
The industry hasn’t had a formal trade association since the Paddlesports Industry Association faded away more than a decade ago.
The group also relied on the hospitality of Visit Bentonville and The Runway Group, a minority investor in Eddyline owned by third-generation Walmart heirs Steuart and Tom Walton. The group has no connection to the mega-retailer other than the family relation and shared roots in Northwest Arkansas. The Runway Group is heavily invested in making Bentonville into an outdoor sports and business hub, and hosting the paddlesports leadership summit fit that bill.
“They said any time you want to throw an industry get together, we’ll roll out the red carpet,” Holley says. “We got hundreds of hours of free work and support in addition to venues, activities, food and everything else. It just couldn’t have happened without that.”
Visit Bentonville and The Runway Group already have committed to hosting a second, larger summit January 24–25, 2024, which will include retailers, liveries, sales reps, media and others. Holley expects about 150 attendees and a lively conversation as retailers voice their ideas and concerns.
Retired Branches president Ed Vater moderated the summit. | Photo: Visit Bentonville
For many retailers, the first question will be why they weren’t invited the first time. Dave Lindo, owner of OKC Kayak in Oklahoma City, sums up the mood. “If you’re going to have a forming committee and say you’re representing all these interest groups, maybe you should have had some retailers on the committee that’s putting this thing together,” he says.
Holley says organizers thought a smaller meeting would be more productive, and they chose not to invite press or retailers so that participants could speak candidly. They succeeded on both counts but now, in the immortal words of Ricky Ricardo, they’ve got some ‘splaining to do.
“There’s always a yin and a yang between retailers and brands and we’ve got to figure out the bridge. We’ve got to get over this chasm and start working together,” Turner says.
The bridge building will begin in earnest this fall with a membership drive aimed at retailers and extending into every corner of the industry. The PTC defines paddlesports to include all modes of human and electric-powered personal watercraft including canoes and kayaks as well as SUP, pedal drives and the growing electric-drive powered personal watercraft.
The group also is looking to bring more brands into the fold, including some big players who didn’t get the memo the first time around. Take Pelican/Confluence, the biggest kayak manufacturer in the world. Organizers extended invites to two Pelican executives and received no response. Then, when the press release went out after the meeting, a third Pelican executive reached out asking to be included.
The miscue points to the reason paddlesports needs an effective trade organization. When Holley and retired Branches president Ed Vater began emailing paddlesports leaders to join the summit, they started with a six-year-old mailing list because no one had compiled a more recent one—that’s what industry associations do, and paddlesports didn’t have one. Adds Holley, “We weren’t really doing a hard sell. This was not pitched as the inaugural event of an official trade association. That was an outcome of the summit but not a goal when we went into it.”
Holley is confident Pelican will join the coalition, which already includes a broad center of influential brands. Hobie, NRS and Johnson Outdoors are all represented on the interim board. Pelican, too, wants a seat. Smaller companies also are on the board, including rafting specialist Down River Equipment, adaptive paddle company Angle Oar and black-owned startup Bluemonic. A robust website launched in August at paddlesportstradecoalition.org and will soon include tools for processing membership applications and meeting registrations.
Also this summer organizers began passing the hat for seed money. “Everyone in Bentonville said that they would contribute financially to the organization, so we’ve sent an email out saying we’re doing it. We’ve established a 501(c)6 and we’re asking for money from what we’re calling the founders,” Colby says. As of press time, 19 brands had answered the call.
The dues schedule has yet to be finalized, but Turner says it will follow a tiered structure based on member companies’ annual revenue. “We’ll have an associate membership, which is essentially a non-voting membership, and then we’ll have voting members who will pay a little more,” Turner says. The goal is to keep membership affordable, particularly for smaller companies.
What’s old is new again
Forming a paddling trade organization isn’t exactly a novel idea. At least seven of them have come and gone since the Trade Association of Sea Kayaking (TASK) was born in Werner Furrer’s basement in 1981 or 1982 (see timeline, below), but the industry hasn’t had a formal association encompassing retailers, brands and outfitters since the Paddlesports Industry Association faded away more than a decade ago.
Turner traces the origins of the new PTC to the 2016 Paddle Expo show in Germany, where a handful of industry movers began to talk seriously about the need for an industry association.
That November, Outdoor Retailer announced its Summer Market show dates would move from August to mid-June, marking a decisive end to the longstanding tug-of-war over outdoor trade show scheduling. After digging in their collective heels to defend an August show, paddlesports companies had been pulled straight through the mud pit, all the way to June.
There was a sense at the time that paddlesports needed a trade show of its own in North America, and the Paddlesports Retailer (PSR) show came together in a flurry to meet it. One of the first calls PSR cofounder Sutton Bacon made was to Wenonah Canoe Vice President Bill Kueper, who happened to be in Asia at the time—meaning his phone rang in the middle of the night. Kueper pledged his support for the new show and went back to bed, thinking PSR would debut a year and a half later, in 2018. Reading the press release the next morning, he realized Bacon and cofounder Darren Bush planned a 2017 launch. The countdown was on.
That call came in November 2016. By January, Kueper was announced as chairman of the new Paddlesports Trade Coalition, heading an advisory council including Turner, Sue Rechner of Confluence Outdoor and David Blue from NRS. The first PSR debuted eight months later in Madison, Wisconsin, and two more shows followed in Oklahoma City.
For a while, there was the sense that paddling had finally found a home of its own. “That show was a true rallying cry for the industry, and I think the general sentiment that came out of Oklahoma City was, ‘We can do this!’” Turner says.
To Vater, PSR was an example of what the industry can do when it works together. “There was a lot of energy and Paddlesports Retailer in my mind started out very successfully because I personally called every dealer I could to get them to come. So did Stig, and so did Jeff [Turner], and so did David [Blue],” he says.
Brands agreed to a booth tax to subsidize retailers to attend the show and support the new trade group. “The idea was that money would spray back to the organization and allow us to do the legal work to be an official non-profit,” Vater says, but neither the economics of the show or the organization of the trade group came together as expected.
“We were really just six guys who were in the paddlesports business and wanted to collaborate. We never really committed ourselves to doing the governance work,” Turner says.
Then came Covid, further fracturing the trade show landscape while at the same time reinforcing just how important personal relationships are in the paddlesports business.
“One of the silver linings of the Pandemic has been a really visceral awareness that we like to work together face-to-face,” Colby says. “A virtual trade show doesn’t give the same inspiration.”
When Turner asked for volunteers to bring the new PTC to life, 10 people raised their hands, including Lili Colby of Mustang Survival, Phil Walczynski of Down River Equipment, and Meg McCall of Angle Oar. | Photo: Visit Bentonville
When industry leaders came together in Bentonville in January 2023, the need for a trade show that better serves paddlesports was on everyone’s lips. And even though PSR had been discontinued after three years and the trade association attached to it failed to take flight, attendees generally agreed the arrangement had promise—with one big caveat.
“What we found out is that when somebody else owns the show, the trade organization doesn’t have any power,” Vater says. On the other hand, an association that could rally paddlesports to a given show would have a great deal of influence. That’s a role the new PTC is looking to step into.
The trade show question will be one of the first agenda items at the next PTC meeting in Bentonville this coming January.
“We’re going to solicit the opinions and inputs of brands and retailers so we can approach it with data,” Holley says. “That could look like a lot of things. It could be working with an existing show group to come up with a show that everyone in the industry gets behind. It could be us creating a national show from the ground up on our own. Or it could be that we come up with a completely different format that folks get behind instead of a national show.”
A delegation from the new PTC met with America Outdoors in July and has made informal overtures to other trade show companies, including 360 Adventure Collective, Outdoor Retailer and Lost Paddle Events, organizers of the old Paddlesports Retailer and the current Big Gear Show.
“We’re having a lot of conversations with paddlesports industry leaders about providing some industry-specific solutions for paddlesports,” confirms Lost Paddle chief Bacon.
“I’m really encouraged about the formation of the PTC and the ability for the industry to communicate in one voice and support the initiatives that matter,” Bacon says. “I think we all agree that the paddlesports industry needs to convene as an industry in an annual gathering, and the success of any trade show or event is dependent on the support of the industry.”
Whether brands and retailers will have the appetite or the wherewithal to back a new show in this leanest of years is another question. That will be the next test, for both the new PTC and whatever trade show it may lead the industry to. And that, Vater says, will take a little faith.
“If we want this industry to thrive, we can’t just sit in our little factory somewhere and say ‘What’s in it for me?’” he says. “It’s the same with a trade show. Bottom line, coming together as an industry and taking the long view is priceless. But it takes everybody to work together to make that happen.”
A brief history of paddlesports trade organizations
The Paddlesports Trade Coalition isn’t the first paddling industry group in North America. In fact, it’s not even the first Paddlesports Trade Coalition. To catch you up to speed we offer this brief history.
TASK and TAPS: Showing how it’s done since ‘81. | Photo: NOC
Trade Association of Sea Kayaking
Circa 1981–1990
Paddling’s first modern trade organization began with a small gathering in Werner Furrer’s basement sometime in 1981 or 1982. There, amid the kayak molds, prototype paddles and vats of resin, a group of now legendary figures formed the Trade Association of Sea Kayaking (TASK). “That was when we realized that we could be an industry rather than a bunch of guys in their backyards,” said Brian Henry of Ocean River Sports, who was present at the meeting with Furrer, John Dowd, Eddyline founder Tom Derrer, and others. Among other things, the group agreed boat pricing should include a healthy margin for builders, retailers and, eventually, distributors. As its geographic footprint grew and it embraced other paddling disciplines, TASK rebranded as the Trade Association of Paddlesports (TAPS).
America Outdoors Association
Circa 1989–present
In 1989, the Eastern Professional River Outfitters Association and the Western River Guides Association (WRGA) joined forces as the America Outdoors Association. The new name reflected the organization’s ambition to grow beyond canoe and rafting outfitters to encompass all outdoor companies. Though its members now run the gamut from mountain bike tour operators to dude ranches, paddlesports has been the group’s center of gravity for 34 years.
What could possibly make this better? How about a trade association. | Photo: NOC
Trade Association of Paddlesports
Circa 1990–2010
TAPS remained a major organizing force in the industry until 2010, when Outdoor Retailer ended an annual subsidy that funded the show’s paddle tank and helped keep TAPS’s marquee West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium (WCSKS) afloat. In paddling’s halcyon days the yearly payout had been as much as $62,000, but as sea kayaking’s fortunes ebbed so did those of TAPS. The end of the subsidy came after several lean years for the symposium, which folded its tents in 2010 after a 26-year run. TAPS soon followed.
Professional Paddlesports Association
Circa 1979–2007
The Professional Paddlesports Association (PPA) organized a number of ambitious programs including the Certified Paddlesports Professional program, a Whitewater Courses and Parks conference series, and the National School for Paddlesports Business. It even launched its own liability insurance fund after an insurance crisis stranded many outfitters without coverage. Born in 1979 as the National Association of Canoe Liveries and Outfitters, the PPA attempted a merger with TAPS in 2006. After talks fell through in the eleventh hour, however, TAPS went its separate way and the PPA rebranded as the Paddlesports Industry Association (PIA).
Paddlesports Industry Association
Circa 2007–2010
The PIA came strong out of the gate, organizing as a 501(c)(6) trade association and rallying the support of major brands. The organization helped establish voluntary manufacturing standards for canoes and kayaks and launched the Let’s Go Paddle marketing program, but with its brand support and influence waning the PIA faded into obscurity, leaving America Outdoors to quietly pick up the pieces.
“Your 21st Century GoPro is pretty slick, but in my day we had a national trade group.” | Photo: NOC
The Outdoor Industry Association Paddle Advisory Council
Circa 2010–2015
Like many paddlesports industry groups through the years, the Paddle Advisory Council (PAC) was closely intertwined with a trade show—or in this case, a trade show that never was. At the 2009 Outdoor Retailer show, Canoe & Kayak magazine announced plans for a new paddling-specific show, prompting a group of industry movers to quash the proposal like a bug on the Salt Palace floor. The brouhaha led to the formation of the PAC, a steering committee of the OIA that benefited from the leadership of heavyweight members including Sue Rechner and Joe Pulliam. When they left the industry in the mid-2010s, so did the Council.
Paddlesports Trade Coalition (Part I)
2017
Another trade show announcement galvanized the formation of the first Paddlesports Trade Coalition in 2017. This time it was the announcement in 2016 that Outdoor Retailer would move its Summer Market show dates from August to June. The paddlesports industry took that as a clear signal it was time to move on, and the Paddlesports Retailer (PSR) show launched in 2017 with a new Paddlesports Trade Coalition (PTC) seemingly joined at the hip. On paper it was a win-win plan—a booth tax at PSR would help fund the trade group, which in turn would rally the industry to the show—but the PTC was never formally organized during PSR’s three-year run, and Covid put it into a deep sleep.
In January 2023, leaders from 30 paddlesports brands gathered for a summit in Bentonville, Arkansas. Starting a new national trade group wasn’t on the agenda, but momentum grew and at the end of the meeting participants voted unanimously to form a new Paddlesports Trade Coalition. Organizers have since incorporated as a 501(c)(6) trade association, drafted bylaws and started planning the next step: A larger meeting of brands, retailers and outfitters next January in Bentonville.
This article was first published in the 2024 issue of Paddling Business. With next year’s hottest gear for canoeing, kayaking, whitewater, fishing and paddleboarding. Plus: The best and worst idea ever in kayak rentals; and 28 industry experts on inflation, interest rates, consolidation and the future of trade shows. READ IT NOW »
Forty-two leaders from 30 brands attended the Bentonville summit in January 2023. | Feature photo: Visit Bentonville
Moscow, Idaho USA and Runcorn, United Kingdom — Northwest River Supplies (NRS), the world’s leading supplier of equipment and apparel for water recreation, safety and rescue, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Pyranha, the world’s leading kayak manufacturer for whitewater, sea, recreation and extreme slalom. Within the partnership, the two paddlesports powerhouses will combine sales and marketing efforts in Europe.
“We’ve always shared strong brand alignment and a close working relationship with Pyranha and the Pyranha team. With this partnership, we are formalizing that relationship to improve efficiencies and serve our retailers throughout Europe,” said Terry Feigenbutz, NRS Director of International Sales.
Under the agreed-upon framework, NRS’s European sales, marketing and customer service operations will move to Pyranha headquarters in Runcorn, United Kingdom. This will allow US-based NRS to provide timelier service to European customers. The two brands will combine forces out of the newly expanded Runcorn facility. They will team up on dealer visits, field events and marketing initiatives to support their respective retail and centre networks.
“Pyranha and NRS have been innovators leading the way for paddlesports since both their beginnings in the early 1970s,” said Graham Mackereth, Managing Director of Pyranha. “This partnership will allow both companies to move to new heights in Europe to enable better support for customers.”
There will be no ownership changes for either company. Customer accounts and financial transactions will remain separate for the respective brands.
David Bain, who previously served as NRS European Sales and Marketing Agent, will move to a new role as Commercial Director at Pyranha. Within this role, Bain will oversee Pyranha’s commercial operations, which will include managing European sales, marketing and customer service efforts for NRS.
“Joining NRS and Pyranha at the age of 16 as an ambassador, it has been a privilege to work with both brands, paddling with their equipment for the last 15 years,” says David. “Having the opportunity to help build the future of these two companies is a dream come true for me.”
NRS plans to transition to the Pyranha facility over winter and be fully operational by spring of 2024.
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About NRS
100% employee-owned, NRS is the world’s leading supplier of equipment and apparel for water recreation, safety and rescue. Founded in 1972 with a vision to create a better kind of company, NRS is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of its customers, employees and community.
About About Pyranha
Pyranha has led the paddle sports industry in kayak design and construction since its origins within the slalom world in 1971. Fast forward 50 years, and Pyranha continues to have the same commitment to innovation and quality that founded the business. Along with its P&H and Venture brands, Pyranha manufactures leading kayaks for Whitewater, Sea, Recreational and Slalom, providing kayakers all over the world with the boats they need to maximise their on water paddling experiences.
There are more similarities between driving a tractor and paddling a canoe than you might think. For one, they’re both comfortable to sit in all day, thanks to their bucket seats. For two, they both create some pretty recognizable tan lines. | Feature photo: Eric Volstad
Our everyday lives are filled with inventions that have come out of the world of racing. We drive cars with antilock brakes. We ride bicycles with index shifting. Even the canoes we paddle are influenced by racing. Competitive canoe racing motivated the development of many canoe features and techniques that we now take for granted. These innovations help us paddle farther with less effort, even if we’ll never enter a canoe race.
Need for speed: How racing changed canoeing for the better
1 Ultralight composite constructions
Marathon canoe racing grew in popularity following World War II and boomed in the late 70s and 80s. Early racers used traditional canoes made from wood-canvas or aluminum, but designs rapidly evolved into faster shapes and high tech composite constructions.
There are more similarities between driving a tractor and paddling a canoe than you might think. For one, they’re both comfortable to sit in all day, thanks to their bucket seats. For two, they both create some pretty recognizable tan lines. | Feature photo: Eric Volstad
Lighter canoes accelerate faster and stiffer constructions waste less of the paddlers’ energy. Early composite canoes used multiple layers of fiberglass and weighed as much as 70 pounds. The new constructions replaced much of that cloth hull with a stiff foam core. Fiberglass was supplanted by DuPont’s Kevlar 49 fabric, which was half the weight per yard. Gel coat was eliminated. Vacuum bagging fused these components together with just the right amount of resin. These changes cut the weight of the finished canoe almost in half.
Today, the ultralight, skin-coat canoe is commonplace and is the preferred choice of wilderness travelers in places like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. If you have ever wondered how they came up with those 40-pound wonders, now you know—racing.
[ Plan your next Boundary Waters / Quetico canoe trip with the Paddling Trip Guide ]
2 Bucket seats and foot braces
Traditional canoe seats are made from a wood frame woven with cane or webbing. It’s a time-tested design that allows for both kneeling and sitting.
As racing canoes got narrower and faster, seats were lowered for increased stability. With kneeling no longer an option, racers started looking for a more comfortable alternative to the traditional wood seat.
Marathon pioneer Ralph Sawyer is said to have developed the first contoured bucket seat. He based his design on a tractor seat, figuring if it was comfortable enough for a farmer, it should work for a canoeist.
Sawyer’s seats rapidly gained popularity and it wasn’t long before all the major manufacturers of racing canoes offered buckets as standard equipment. These companies also offered bucket seats on their recreational designs. Today you’ll find a number of manufacturers who offer bucket seats as an alternative to more traditional options.
Foot braces are standard equipment in racing canoes. A properly fitted foot rest gives the paddler a firm surface to press his feet against. This improves comfort and helps transfer power from the paddler to the canoe. Many recreational canoeists find a foot rest makes it easier to sit up straight in the canoe and improves comfort on a long day of paddling.
Slide the seat in the bow to perfectly trim the canoe depending on wind, water depth, currents and weight in the boat. | Photo: Kevin Green
3 Sliding seats
For racers trying to squeeze the last bit of speed out of their canoes, trim is critical. A properly trimmed canoe is faster and handles better than one that’s too deep at the bow or the stern. Correct trim will vary with water depth and current direction, so racers need to be ready to change trim on the fly.
You can always change trim by shifting a heavy object in the canoe, but the easiest way to do it is by shifting the paddlers. A seat that slides forward and backward allows racers to adjust trim rapidly and precisely for optimum performance, and without gear.
Sliding seats are a huge benefit,
even if you don’t care how fast you’re going.
Proper trim matters to recreational canoeists, too. Anyone who’s struggled to keep a canoe pointed into the wind knows how frustrating it can be to control a boat that’s improperly trimmed. Sliding seats make adjusting trim a snap.
Paddling into the wind? Slide the seat forward to anchor the bow more deeply. The stern will now blow downwind and you’ll have no trouble holding your course. Headed downwind? Slide the seat to the rear and enjoy the ride. When paddling across the wind you can use the sliding seat to make small adjustments until the canoe sticks to your preferred track. Sliding seats are a huge benefit, even if you don’t care how fast you’re going.
4 Bent shaft paddles
Bent shaft paddles and marathon paddling are inseparably linked. Racing pioneer Gene Jensen developed the first elbow paddles in the early 70s after watching canoe racers churn the water during forward paddling. Most racers lifted water at the end of their forward stroke, wasting energy. Angling the blade slightly forward eliminated this lifting and made it easier to pull the paddle cleanly from the water. This resulted in more efficient forward paddling.
[ Paddling Buyer’s Guide: View all bent shaft canoe paddles ]
Today, elbow paddles are standard equipment for racers and are common among lakewater wilderness trippers in certain regions. The angle of the bend has settled at about 10 to 12 degrees—bent enough to eliminate lifting water, but easy to use for draws or other canoe strokes. And weights have come down. A lot.
The earliest elbow paddles were made from wood. These days, racers use ultralight paddles made from high tech composite materials. Today, you’ll find recreational carbon fiber paddles weighing 13 ounces or less and competitive racing paddles as light as seven ounces. Dramatically lighter than wooden paddles.
A racing canoe doing what it was born to do in the Muskoka River X expedition paddling race. | Photo: Andy Zeltkalns
5 Marathon forward stroke
One of the earliest innovations to come out of canoe racing was “sit-and-switch” paddling. Long before he designed the first bent shaft canoe paddle, Gene Jensen developed this powerful forward stroke technique. Today, all canoe racers use this style. It offers a massive increase in efficiency over traditional forward paddling.
Sit-and-switch paddling eliminates the need to steer the canoe with corrective strokes. Instead of steering from the back of the canoe, paddlers simply switch sides every few strokes. All the paddlers’ energy goes into moving the canoe forward.
It works like this. Both paddlers put their paddles in the water at the same time, with the stern paddler matching the bow paddler’s tempo. When the canoe starts to deviate away from the stern paddler’s side, he calls a switch. Both paddlers finish their current stroke and then simultaneously switch sides, taking another stroke without missing a beat.
Paddlers can use any code word to call a switch. Jensen and his partner settled on saying “hut,” adapted from a military marching command. It didn’t take long for “hut” to be the most common switch call in canoe racing.
If you’ve never tried the marathon forward stroke you might think it won’t make much difference. It does. The difference in efficiency and power provided by the marathon stroke is dramatic. It’s like stomping on the gas and jumping into passing gear. If you’re headed into a stiff headwind or paddling against a strong current, you’ll want to be switching instead of steering.
You don’t have to be a racer to appreciate the innovation racing has brought to canoeing. Whether it’s featherlight constructions, sliding seats or ultra-efficient paddling techniques, most of us will find something of value that’s grown out of the quest for speed. Even if we’re just out for a relaxing day on the water.
This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
There are more similarities between driving a tractor and paddling a canoe than you might think. For one, they’re both comfortable to sit in all day, thanks to their bucket seats. For two, they both create some pretty recognizable tan lines. | Feature photo: Eric Volstad
Today’s trivia question: which animal kills the most humans every year? | Feature photo: Rob Faubert
The morning meeting is often—and, in my opinion, should always be—a feature of group canoe trips. At a basic level, it’s a time for the group to discuss what can be expected in the day ahead, go over maps, and check how everyone is doing.
However, I suggest there is another kind of morning meeting. Or sometimes it is another part of the morning meeting outlined above, the two blended together. This type of meeting is more nuanced and idiosyncratic to the group—let’s call it a celebration of the morning meeting.
The point is: it doesn’t really matter and the more irrelevant to the day, the better and the more friendships flourish. It seems like Jerry Seinfeld’s “this is a show about nothing.” But, like the Seinfeld tagline, these morning meetings are not about nothing.
[ Plan your next canoe trip with the Paddling Trip Guide ]
On one trip, after a particularly eclectic meeting full of wonderful absurdities with not even a nod to the day ahead, one member new to our long-established group of friends was asked what he thought of the morning meetings.
“Well,” he responded, “you get a lot more done than many formal meetings I’ve been involved with.”
Bob Henderson is a lover of the morning meeting from Arctic river guiding to home terrain on the Canadian Shield to the everyday morning coffee chat.
This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
Today’s trivia question: which animal kills the most humans every year? | Feature photo: Rob Faubert
The length of a canoe will influence its speed, weight, carrying capacity, tracking and more—all important considerations when finding a boat that will suit your needs best. | Feature photo: Ryan A. Woodsworth
What does your dream canoe trip look like? It could be a weeklong wilderness exploration of pristine lakes and rugged portage trails with a best friend. Or an afternoon turtle spotting on a meandering river with the whole family. Maybe your perfect day out involves soloing into hidden backwaters with your four-legged companion.
When it comes to finding the perfect canoe for your paddling aspirations, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Type of use, number of paddlers and length of trip are just a few of the factors that will influence the best canoe length for your needs.
Consider these nine things to answer the question, “What size canoe do I need?”
Measure of happiness: How to choose the right size canoe
Why size matters
Want to know how a canoe will paddle? Start with its length. The length of a canoe influences how fast it will be, how much it will weigh, how easy it will be to steer—or keep straight—and how much it will hold.
The length of a canoe will influence its speed, weight, carrying capacity, tracking and more—all important considerations when finding a boat that will suit your needs best. | Feature photo: Ryan A. Woodsworth
Generally, the longer a canoe is, the easier it will be to paddle straight and the faster it will be on open water. Shorter canoes tend to turn more readily, making them ideal for rivers or paddling styles where maneuverability is essential.
But length isn’t everything, cautions David Hadden, U.S. director of sales and business development for Esquif Canoes. “Don’t get caught up on one specification,” he says. Look at other key predictors of canoe performance—like width, depth and hull shape—to get the whole picture.
Wider canoes are generally more stable, but often slower than their sleeker cousins. Deeper canoes perform better in waves and whitewater, and may have higher volume for carrying heavier loads. The downside to depth: higher sides are more exposed to wind, which can make it harder to stay on track.
Think about which attributes are most important to you. As a wise paddler once said, “I can show you how to turn a fast canoe, I can’t show you how to make a slow canoe go fast.” The most important step in your canoe shopping journey is selecting the right category of canoe. There will be variations in length within that category that you can tweak to suit your needs better, but getting the canoe type right will get you most of the way there.
Do you have a committed paddling partner, or do you mostly go solo? “Most folks looking for a dedicated solo canoe aren’t going to opt for anything bigger than 15 feet,” says Sara Mills, marketing manager at Nova Craft Canoes.
If you want a bit of both, 15- or 16-foot Prospector-style canoes offer the most flexibility. These boats have two seats for paddling tandem, but are equally capable solo boats when paddled sitting backward in the bow seat. The symmetrical hull of many canoes makes this possible.
“Tandem 15-foot models are extremely popular for solo paddlers who want the option of bringing a paddling partner along when feeling social,” confirms Mills.
VIEW ALL SOLO CANOESVIEW ALL TANDEM CANOES
Best canoe size for smaller lakes and rivers
When it comes to choosing the best canoe length for smaller lakes and rivers, less is more, says Esquif’s David Hadden.
Traditional wisdom has it that longer equals faster, but Hadden says lake country paddlers should consider the trade-off: assuming the same materials and construction, longer canoes are also heavier. “Personally, I like to go with a shorter boat to reduce weight,” he explains. “I typically only carry gear for the day or a weekend, so I don’t need the higher capacity.”
He’s not alone. While canoes were once used to transport heavy loads deep into the wilderness for weeks at a stretch, today’s paddlers are taking shorter trips with less need for high-capacity crafts.
For many, the lighter weight of shorter boats has more appeal than the incremental bump in speed afforded by longer crafts. As well, a shorter canoe is easier to transport, easier to manage to and from the water, and will save your neck on long portages.
Across the northeast, mid-Atlantic and southern states—where lake-to-lake and river travel predominate—the average canoe size for a tandem has long been 16 to 17 feet. But Hadden says he’s seeing a trend toward shorter canoes across the region, with 15 to 16 feet the new “sweet spot” for tandems. Similarly, modern solo lakewater canoes have downsized from around 15 feet in length to 12 to 14 feet.
In Ontario, Nova Craft’s Sara Mills agrees, “16 feet is the most popular choice for the average tandem paddler.” This canoe size handles well when unloaded for casual use around the cottage, she says, “but it can also accommodate gear for the type of trip most of our customers are doing.”
For larger-sized paddlers, those carrying kids or a large dog, or those looking to head out on a longer trip or bigger water, Miller suggests sizing up to a 17-foot canoe.
Canoe builders didn’t simply pick these numbers out of the air. Indigenous paddlers in birchbark canoes ground truthed their designs on lakes and rivers across the Eastern Woodlands 3,000 years before modern builders began measuring things like drag, glide and energy output.
Canoe length may vary by a fraction over time, but it’s unlikely to change radically. Simply put, canoes are the size they are to give paddlers the most bang for their bagel.
VIEW ALL LAKEWATER & TOURING CANOES
Plenty of room for a growing family. | Photo: Dwane Roberge
Best canoe size for families
While most canoes are intended for one or two paddlers, larger canoes designed for three or more give families the option to paddle together in one boat.
Families with young children and light gear carrying needs can get away with a tandem canoe length of 16 to 17 feet, says Mills. If your canoe has only two seats, small kids can sit on bags in the middle.
Eighteen- to 20-foot canoes are best suited to larger families or backcountry trips with lots of cargo. If everyone will be paddling, three-person canoes that are 18 feet or longer allow sufficient space to avoid bashing blades. Dedicated three-person canoes also have a higher capacity and built-in third seat to accommodate three full-size paddlers.
Still not sure what canoe size your family needs? “Buy the canoe for the largest load it will carry,” advises Clipper’s Marlin Bayes.
Key to making an informed decision is understanding the relationship between capacity and freeboard, he says. Freeboard describes the distance between the waterline and the gunwale, and changes as weight is added to the canoe. For example, a 17-foot, six-inch canoe may have 12 inches of freeboard when carrying 300 pounds, but that will diminish to just six inches of freeboard if the load is increased to 1,000 pounds.
More freeboard increases a canoe’s seaworthiness; too little, and you could end up swamping in rough conditions. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations, says Bayes, “and remember, six inches of freeboard is only acceptable on the smallest of lakes.”
VIEW ALL FAMILY CANOES
Best canoe size for tripping
Choosing a canoe for multiday or multi-week trips into the backcountry is similar to selecting a family canoe. Once again, capacity and freeboard are key. In addition to paddler weights, you’ll need to factor in the size and weight of all your canoe packs and food barrels. The longer the trip, the more capacity you’re likely to require.
In a tripping context, a 16-foot tandem canoe can hold two weeks’ worth of well-packed gear. Two paddlers in a 17-foot canoe will have extra space for another two weeks of food. For trips longer than a month, you’ll be most comfortable in an 18-foot canoe.
VIEW ALL TRIPPING CANOES
Not your average looking dancers. Try not to picture these two in leotards. | Photo: Dustin Silvey
Best canoe size for whitewater
Canoes designed for river tripping tend to run a bit shorter than other classes of canoes.
“Most will max out around 17 feet, six inches with 15 feet to 16 feet, six inches being more popular choices,” says Jeff Hill, owner of H2O Canoe Company. Go too long, explains Hill, and you’ll lose precious reaction time in dynamic river environments.
Besides length, when shopping for a whitewater-capable canoe, look for boats with more depth and rocker.
Rocker describes the amount that the bow and stern of the hull curve upward. Why does this matter? The amount of rocker a canoe has can change its waterline length—and how it handles in varying conditions. Here’s how it works.
Canoe lengths are most often given as overall length from the farthest points bow to stern. But there’s another way to measure canoe length: along the waterline, or the amount of the canoe that sits in the water. Canoes with little rocker have a longer waterline relative to overall length—maximizing straight-ahead efficiency.
More rocker, on the other hand, shortens waterline length, allowing these canoes to turn and spin more easily. The result is a slower boat with better maneuverability for dancing through river waves and currents.
VIEW ALL WHITEWATER CANOES
A pack boat—short and light in nature—is perfect for trips involving short distances and lots of short portages. | Photo: Jason Irwin
Geographic trends
Geography plays an important role in canoe size, both in the predominant type of water in a region and the canoe culture found there.
Adirondack pack boats are one example of this.
Another is in the Midwest and Central Canada, where larger lakes and iconic wilderness canoe areas like the Boundary Waters and Quetico hold a tradition of long canoe trips—and longer canoes. Here, 17 feet remains the norm for tandem lakewater canoes.
In the western states and provinces, where canoeists enjoy paddling big mountain lakes, large volume rivers and coastal waters, canoes trend longer than their eastern cousins. If ocean paddling is your thing, Bayes suggests a tandem canoe of 17 feet, six inches to 18 feet, six inches in length, citing speed and seaworthiness in rough conditions as important reasons for sizing up.
Specialty canoe sizes
Pack boats are the smallest canoe size you’ll find, with the shortest models just 10 to 12 feet long and weighing less than 20 pounds.
Originating 140 years ago in the isolated mountain lakes of the Adirondacks, pack boats are a unique style of canoe still popular today. With their short length, wide beam and ultralight construction, these solo canoes thrive wherever small lakes and long portages are the norm. These canoes also work well with double-bladed paddles.
Contemporary pack boats continue to evolve, bridging the gap between canoes and kayaks. While short, peapod-shaped canoes still define the category, manufacturers have added sleek and speedy 15- to 16-foot models, and even tandem pack boats.
At the other end of the canoe size spectrum are aptly named big canoes. Measuring 22 feet or longer, big canoes are best suited to kids camps, tour groups and racing teams.
Clipper Canoes is the world’s leading manufacturer of big canoes. Many of their designs are adapted from traditional voyageur canoes used to transport cargo during the fur trade, with others drawing inspiration from the cedar log canoes crafted by First Nations people along the West Coast. Clipper’s largest canoe size is 36 feet and will easily accommodate you and your 17 closest friends.
It’s one thing to paddle a tandem canoe solo once in a while, but if the majority of your time is spent paddling alone you’re much better off getting a solo canoe. | Photo: Follow Me North Photography
Get the canoe size you’ll use most often
With so many variables to consider, there is no single answer to the question, “What size canoe do I need?”
Think carefully about what you want to do with your canoe—who you’ll be paddling with, where you’ll be using it, what the typical trip length will be, and whether you’ll be portaging.
“Be honest with yourself,” Mills advises. Nearly every choice will involve some compromise. “If someone tells me they love to go on solo fishing trips, but they also want to be able to paddle with their family of five, I’ll press them a bit to understand what type of use the canoe will see 75 percent of the time.”
Hill offers similar advice. “If you want to solo paddle regularly, get a solo canoe,” he urges. “Don’t make do with a tandem because someone might go with you someday.”
Whatever size canoe you choose, make sure you can store and transport it easily. If it’s difficult to get the canoe on your car, chances are you won’t use it as much as you initially hoped.
“Sometimes the answer is simply that you’re going to need more than one canoe,” Mills says. It’s sound advice; just look in the garages of canoeing enthusiasts around the world.
Virginia Marshall’s first article for Rapid Media appeared in the Spring 2007 issue of Adventure Kayak. She went on to become editor of Rapid and Family Camping for the Spring 2009 issues, and eventually editor of Adventure Kayak and Canoeroots in 2011.
This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
The length of a canoe will influence its speed, weight, carrying capacity, tracking and more—all important considerations when finding a boat that will suit your needs best. | Feature photo: Ryan A. Woodsworth
Paddlers racing in last year’s Adrian Kiernan Boater Cross event at Clearwater Kayak Festival. | Feature photo: Graham Gerry, Mountain Cat Images
Whitewater kayakers have long anticipated an Olympic event resembling their sport ever since slalom began to diverge from the mainstream decades ago. That day will arrive at the Paris 2024 Games, when plastic kayaks will join the ranks of 3.5-meter carbon. It won’t be freestyle, the discipline that’s been making an Olympic bid for years, but an activity paddlers can partake in on just about any section of river: the head-to-head race we commonly refer to as boatercross.
Up until recently, there was one problem with the inclusion of boatercross in the Olympics—the International Canoe Federation’s chosen name for the event: extreme slalom.
Paddlers racing in last year’s Adrian Kiernan Boater Cross event at Clearwater Kayak Festival. | Feature photo: Graham Gerry, Mountain Cat Images
Sure, the creek boats are there as well as sketchy seal launch starts. But the races paddlers typically think of as “extreme” are held on renowned sections of class V whitewater, like the North Fork of the Payette, the Green River Narrows or the Wellerbrücke.
And while the soon-to-be Olympic event has been entertaining to watch, trying to pass off a race on a man-made class III course featuring a mandatory roll to the viewing public as “extreme” feels a touch, well, contrived. As a whitewater paddler, it’s a little awkward trying to explain to friends that this is what’s considered extreme in the sport, especially when we already have to answer questions about the kits the paddlers are wearing.
Luckily for us, the powers that make these decisions have caught our drift. When the 39th ICF Congress adjourned in November 2022, the ICF announced moving forward the event will be known as kayak cross. According to the ICF, the renaming eliminates confusion with other slalom events. It’s also more consistent with other Olympic programs, such as snowboard cross.
The real win here, though, is kayak cross is an event name resembling something kayakers might actually call it, and maybe even tune in to cheer for.
This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
Paddlers racing in last year’s Adrian Kiernan Boater Cross event at Clearwater Kayak Festival. | Feature photo: Graham Gerry, Mountain Cat Images
All cowboys get bucked off from time to time, but what matters is that you get back on the horse. | Feature photo: David Jackson
“I feel like my insides have been rewired.”
This is just one of the strange and bewildering things my wife, Tory, has said to me in the months after I convinced her to sign up for an introductory whitewater canoeing course. I keep replaying the experience, trying to figure out what happened and where this new person came from.
Blazing paddles: How my wife overcame her fear of whitewater
Both Tory and I were campers and guides at canoeing camps growing up. When we first met, the fact that we both understood the subtle ins and outs of canoe trip culture was one of the early revelations of our compatibility—I remember how she scrutinized me washing the dishes, being careful not to get food or soap in the lake, and smiled her approval.
When we got married, I automatically assumed we would go on to be one of those adventurous families who did whitewater river trips. I used to be a whitewater canoeing instructor, so surely I could bring the family onside. There was just the small matter of Tory being deathly afraid of moving water.
All cowboys get bucked off from time to time, but what matters is that you get back on the horse. | Feature photo: David Jackson
Eventually I learned the source of her trauma was decades old. Tory attended an all-girls camp that only ran flatwater trips. One of the male guides decided to break the rules and take the girls, with zero skills, down a river in their Grumman aluminum canoes. She was terrified. The guides insisted it was all “no big deal.” Tory came away convinced whitewater paddling was an inherently out-of-control activity pursued by rule-breaking cowboys.
When we had kids, Tory was not impressed with my intention to embark on rivers with our young family. She imagined launching our innocent children down the lip of a raging torrent, fingers crossed, while I yelled, “Everything will be fine!” She steeled herself to be the bulwark between me, the cowboy, and a tragic outcome.
“This is the greatest!”
Fast-forward several years and I had all but given up on changing Tory’s mind about whitewater. But last summer, as we were looking for a cushy adult vacation to do while our kids were away at overnight camp, I timidly suggested we could sign up for one of the five-day whitewater “learning vacations” offered by Eastern Ontario’s renowned Madawaska Kanu Centre (MKC). I reminded Tory that, yes, there would be whitewater involved, but the course checked many of our must-haves: outdoor activity during the day, relaxation at night and somebody else to cook our meals. Plus, there was a sauna.
Somewhere between the words relax, meals and sauna, Tory was in. I vowed to take a back seat and let her have her own experience.
[ Paddling Trip Guide: View all paddling courses from the Madawaska Kanu Centre ]
As the course date approached, Tory grew increasingly anxious. She said things like “I hope this wasn’t a mistake” and “My goal is just to stay out of trouble.” It felt like after 15 years of talking about paddling whitewater together, something significant was about to happen, but I had no idea what. We both tried to keep an open mind and shrug off any attachment to the outcome.
What did happen was this: Every time I saw Tory on the river or at the end of a day of paddling, she looked a little more comfortable and relaxed. Tory said her instructor, Naomi, listened to all her concerns, gently encouraged her without pushing her, and let her choose whom she paddled with.
We laughed when we discovered the backgrounds of our two instructors. One was studying to be a social worker. The other was in the final years of a residency in psychiatry. You couldn’t have asked for better qualified teachers to help work through the whitewater traumas of one’s youth.
On top of that, it seemed like the whole culture of whitewater was the opposite of what Tory remembered and expected. There’s a well-known tradition at MKC where you get your name on the wall if you can surf a notorious local hole while spinning your paddle over your head and yelling, “Ich bin der beste.”
“That means ‘I am the greatest’ in German,” one of the instructors, Ralph, explained. He was proposing changing the phrase to something more in line with MKC’s inclusive philosophy and the spirit of modern whitewater culture, which Ralph said has evolved away from men competing and showing off—today the culture is about being welcoming and fun, and involves cheering everyone on the river.
“How about changing it to ‘This is the greatest’?” suggested Tory.
Ralph lit up. “I like that,” he said. “That might be just the thing.”
Next thing we knew, we’d glided across the eddyline and plunked straight into the trough of the wave. The stern of the canoe kicked up like a bucking bronco.
Earlier that day we’d had a “this is the greatest” surf experience of our own. For the last day of the course, Tory and I decided it was time to paddle together.
“You want me to do what?” Tory asked. We were coasting up an eddy beside a massive breaking wave our instructor had suggested we try to catch to jet ferry across the river.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” Tory said warily, as I prepared to sprint upriver onto the wave. So I changed tack.
“Let’s just ease up toward it, don’t paddle hard. We’ll just slip into the current and see what happens,” I suggested.
Next thing we knew, we’d glided across the eddyline and plunked straight into the trough of the wave. The stern of the canoe kicked up like a bucking bronco. Tory belted out the kind of out-of-control scream she usually reserves for careening downhill on cross-country skis.
A moment later, the wave spat us out on the far shore—we were dry but exhilarated.
“Can we do that again?” Tory asked. Her eyes were on fire with an excitement I hadn’t seen in ages. It was one the most beautiful whitewater maneuvers I’d ever done. I’m sure if I’d charged at the wave as planned, it wouldn’t have gone nearly so well. How smoothly things can go if you don’t push too hard.
A whitewater cowboy earns her spurs
Within a week after the course, we were back at MKC, cash in hand to purchase the very canoe we’d paddled on that wave. And we brought our two kids, ages 11 and 13, for a one-day whitewater course to prepare us for the French River trip Tory had planned instead of our usual family flatwater vacation. We’ve already signed up for another week at MKC this summer.
[ Plan your next whitewater canoeing trip with the Paddling Trip Guide ]
I joke that my master plan succeeded—I finally converted Tory to whitewater paddling. But there’s an irony. Although I had a selfish motive, Tory got so much more out of the experience than I did—came away, in her words, “transformed.” Hardly a week goes by that she doesn’t talk about how excited she is to go paddling again.
“It’s amazing. How often do you gain ground as an adult? So much of getting older is about things you can’t do anymore,” she told me recently. “The beautiful thing about canoeing is, it’s actually something that ages well.”
But, I wanted to know, what changed for her, after so many years of resisting whitewater?
“I was running out of excuses, because the kids are not babies anymore,” she admitted. “You can’t close yourself off to things just because of ignorance, you know. It’s not a good way to go through life.”
I wondered, what could I do at age 50 that would stretch me as much as whitewater stretched her?
“How about a course on public speaking,” Tory joked. “Or learning to be empathetic.”
“Ha ha,” I said with a wince. “Maybe someday.”
But not yet. First there are more rivers to paddle.
Tim Shuff joined the team as assistant editor of Canoeroots for the second-ever issue of the magazine in 2003. From 2006 to 2010 he was the editor of Adventure Kayak.
This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
All cowboys get bucked off from time to time, but what matters is that you get back on the horse. | Feature photo: David Jackson
One fin, two fin, red fin, blue fin; Black fin, blue fin, old fin, new fin; This one will provide stability; This one will improve turn-ability; Say! What a lot of fins there are. | Feature photo: Tony Felgueiras Photography
Most boards come with them, but when most of us learn to paddleboard, we don’t give a second thought to what exactly those fins are doing beneath the surface. Those who do might correctly assume fins help keep the board going in a straight line. But there’s a lot more to them than that.
Casual paddlers who aren’t interested in diving too deep into the ways fins influence a board’s performance should know that a fin is better than no fin at all. Graham Ketcheson, marketing director at Riot SUP, advises against using a paddleboard without a fin.
“You just paddle in circles,” he says. “You are always doing correction strokes and are all over the place. Especially in wind and waves, there is no directional control.”
Just how does a fin provide greater control over a paddleboard? Mike Harvey, cofounder of Badfish SUP, explains the fin acts like a keel does on a boat.
“The idea is that it counteracts the lateral force a paddle stroke puts on the board,” he continues. “If you’re paddling on the left, the board wants to turn right, and the keel or fin helps counteract that motion.”
This helps the board travel in more or less a straight line, causing less frustration for recreational paddlers and greater efficiency for touring and racing paddlers. But, fins are useful in a variety of environments and for a range of activities, including surfing and whitewater where tracking is less of a priority.
The size, shape, placement and number of fins, among other factors we won’t delve into here, all influence the board’s tracking, maneuverability, stability, speed and suitability for different environments.
Read on to shop SUP fins, understand more about the mechanics of how fins work, get buying advice on different types of fins, and see the answers to the most commonly asked questions about SUP fins.
Paddleboard fin buying advice
Setups and fins for different types of boards
When it comes to touring and race boards, tracking and speed are a priority. These boards usually have a single-fin setup—the more fins in the water, the more effort it will take to paddle. The fin on a touring or race board is typically long and curved at varying degrees, the large surface area of the fin providing better tracking and stability, the latter of which is important on narrow race boards. Racers and long-distance paddlers will often position the fin toward the tail of the SUP’s fin box, which helps the tail hold and also results in straighter tracking. The trade-off for better tracking? The board will also be more difficult to turn.
Whitewater paddlers and SUP surfers need their boards to be able to turn quickly. These boards typically have shorter fins, enabling quicker turns but providing less stability. To compensate, these boards have a three-fin setup with a center fin and two smaller fins called side bites or thrusters. The side bites add traction to avoid slippage—preventing the tail end of the board from spinning or sliding side to side.
Harvey explains the side bites also help shorten the turning radius of the board and generate speed. Water is channeled between the fins, creating pressure and allowing paddlers to push against the water in the same way a snowboarder would apply pressure to the heel or toe edge of their board to turn or adjust speed.
One fin, two fin, red fin, blue fin; Black fin, blue fin, old fin, new fin; This one will provide stability; This one will improve turn-ability; Say! What a lot of fins there are. | Feature photo: Tony Felgueiras Photography
Unlike touring boards, whitewater and surf SUPs will often position the center fin toward the front of the fin box, releasing the tail to maneuver the paddleboard more easily.
Recreational paddlers will see a mix of single- and three-fin configurations on all-around paddleboards. Many inflatable SUPs have a three-fin setup, which works well for beginners as the side bites provide extra stability and assist in turning.
Fin shapes
One of the most versatile center fin shapes you’ll see across a variety of board types, especially all-purpose boards, is a dolphin fin. If you imagine the quintessential surfboard fin you are likely picturing a dolphin fin. These fins are curved, taper toward the tip, and have a concave backside—as opposed to touring fins which, although curved, have less taper and a straighter backside. The curved shape of the dolphin fin provides good stability and tracking, while the carved out area at the back decreases the surface area and resistance to provide greater carving and turning ability—particularly helpful when surfing.
Environment is a consideration, too. If you think you’ll spend time on both lakes and rivers, Harvey says a three-fin setup with removable fins is best as it provides “more flexibility for different configurations.” This way you can use a single-fin setup on lakes and three smaller fins on rivers, providing “more square inches of fin in the water, but no fin protruding very far,” striking a balance between avoiding catching rocks and maintaining good traction.
That said, rivers are the one environment where paddlers sometimes opt to go finless, especially in low water levels.
“In a river, people are concerned with catching a fin on rocks. In rivers, you can paddle finless, although I never do,” says Harvey. “If you paddle in a river finless you are going to have trouble generating speed in a line.”
Retractable fins, which require a special fin box, are also an option for paddling in rivers and can reduce potential damage to the board in low water. Ketcheson adds that a retractable fin is also appropriate “if you are going down a shallow creek or a coastal estuary at low tide.”
Fin questions & answers
Do paddleboards have fins?
The fins of a paddleboard might be hard to notice as they are often underwater, but paddleboards do in fact have fins. Paddleboards generally have between one and three fins, with surfing or whitewater paddleboards sometimes having up to five fins.
Why do paddleboards have fins?
Paddleboards have fins for a few reasons, the main one being to help you paddle in a straight line, also known as tracking. Without a fin, the back end of the paddleboard would have much more side to side movement across the water, each paddle stroke causing the paddleboard to move in a zigzag pattern. Fins can also generate speed and power on waves. And the fin position on the paddleboard can be altered to affect maneuverability. Lastly, fins add to the stability of a paddleboard.
What is the fin on a paddleboard called?
The fin on a paddleboard is called just that, a fin. The small fins used in surfing and whitewater are often referred to as thruster fins, side fins or side bites. Some of the paddleboard fin shapes have different names, such as dolphin fins, which are curved, taper toward the tip, and have a concave backside.
Can you paddleboard without a fin?
Paddleboarding without a fin is not recommended as it is the key component for control over steering. It is sometimes advantageous to paddle without a fin in whitewater when a paddler is concerned with hitting the fin on rocks in shallow waters; however your steering capabilities take a big hit.
Are paddleboard fins universal?
Paddleboard fins come in many shapes and sizes, optimized for different intended uses, and therefore are not universal. There can be differences in paddleboard fin boxes which do not allow for all types of fins to be compatible. Some fins will however be compatible across multiple paddleboards.
How many fins should a paddleboard have?
A paddleboard should have at least one fin. Sometimes paddleboards can have between two and five fins, with one fin or three fins being the most common configurations.
Paddleboard fin size
Center fins on a paddleboard are typically around eight or nine inches in length. The side fins are smaller, generally around 4.5 inches, but can vary from three to seven inches.
More fins on a paddleboard could be better, but it really depends how the paddleboard is being used. If your aim is to go fairly straight on the water, less fins is more. If you need good directional control, the more fins the merrier.
Can you replace a fin on a paddleboard?
Yes, if a paddleboard fin is removable, it can be replaced. If a paddleboard fin is permanently affixed to the board, either molded on or manufactured as part of the paddleboard, it cannot be replaced. This is often the case with thruster fins on inflatable paddleboards.
Removable fins are often secured with plastic tabs, metal screws or a click-in keyless fin configuration. For removable fins, the paddleboard distributor should sell replacement fins and parts if you damage one or lose a screw or screw plate. You can also choose to upgrade your fin for better performance or to select a different size, shape or material.
How to put a fin on inflatable paddleboard
Prior to the installation of a fin on an inflatable paddleboard, ensure the paddleboard is inflated to the correct pressure for use. Inflatable paddleboards typically use a screw-in fin system. First, align the screw plate within the grooved slot in the fin box and push the plate as far forward as possible. Ensure the fin is in the correct orientation, with the sweep or taper of the fin pointing toward the back of the paddleboard. Place the metal pins of the fin into the groove of the fin box and slide the fin into place and to its desired positioning within the fin box. Move the screw plate as needed to ensure it lines up with the front hole in the fin and secure the fin in place with a screw. Tighten the screw with a fin key.
Paddleboard fin direction
Here’s an easy way to remember the correct paddleboard fin direction. Picture a shark’s dorsal fin, which tapers or curves from the nose back toward the tail—a paddleboard fin does the same and is essentially an upside down shark fin. The taper or curvature of the SUP fin should point toward the back of the paddleboard.
In screw-in fin systems, generally the back of the fin contains a metal pin to slide within the grooves of the fin box and the front of the fin contains a screw hole. In tool-less fin systems, the front of the fin will contain the metal pin.
How to remove fin from paddleboard
The first step in removing a fin from a paddleboard is to place the paddleboard on a sturdy surface with the bottom of the paddleboard facing upward. First, confirm the fins are in fact removable and not molded or manufactured into the paddleboard. Removable fins are identified by locating a fin box which either has a removable screw or plastic tab, or an obvious slot where a fin can slide.
To remove a fin that is screwed in, first unscrew and remove the screw from the fin. Pry the top of the fin down toward the tail end of the board so the front of the fin is released from the fin box. Slide the pin at the back of the fin along the groove of the fin box, to the opening and out of the fin box. Carefully remove the screw plate and ensure the screw plate and screw are kept with the fin.
To remove small thruster fins, unscrew and remove the set screws that hold the fin in place, and then pull the fins directly up and out of the paddleboard fin box.
For tool-less fin systems that don’t use a screw or screw plate, apply pressure to the end of the fin on the underside to push the fin up and forward. This will release the back of the fin from the fin box, allowing you to then slide the pin at the front of the fin toward the opening to be removed.
For additional configurations, look to remove the securing mechanism, such as a plastic tab, and then to release the fin from the fin box by sliding it out of the channel holding it in place.
How do I know what fin box I have?
The majority of paddleboarders won’t ever need to know what fin box they have as manufacturers and retailers have replacement parts and compatible options based on what paddleboard brand and model you have. If you do need to determine what fin box you have, it may require some investigating. Begin by checking the fin box on your paddleboard to see if it contains a label such as FCS, which is fairly common. Contact the paddleboard manufacturer or a fin manufacturer such as FCS or Black Project SUP to determine which of their SUP fins are compatible with your paddleboard.
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This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
One fin, two fin, red fin, blue fin; Black fin, blue fin, old fin, new fin; This one will provide stability; This one will improve turn-ability; Say! What a lot of fins there are. | Feature photo: Tony Felgueiras Photography
The cutting-edge smartBird Safety Lighting Systems from Basin Boat Lighting that keep boaters and kayakers safer on the water has just received a highly prized Utility Patent from the United States Patent and Trade Office. The Broussard based, veteran-owned and operated company received it’s Design Patent for the Safety Lighting Systems earlier this year.
Each unit incorporates several U.S. Coast Guard required onboard safety features in one easy-to-use piece of equipment, making safety on the water as easy as can be. Utility Patents protect what an invention does, how it is used and most importantly, how the product works.
Used by both the average everyday boater or kayaker, and marine law enforcement officials of multiple counties, the smartBird line of products features the earlyBird and brightBird models to choose from.
Both the brightBird and earlyBird models for boats and kayaks provide visual (super-bright LED lights) and audible (105-decibel horn) signaling and distress tools that are critical for boaters and kayakers to stay safe—particularly before dawn or when out later than expected after sunset. The “plug and play” design makes them incredibly easy and convenient to use.
“We were especially thrilled to be awarded a Utility Patent for our lighting systems,” said Brian Signorelli, owner of Basin Boat Lighting. “A Utility Patent is only awarded if a newly created or invented product is unlike anything else out there.”
“When a near-miss boating accident in the Atchafalaya Basin nearly took me out while fishing, I immediately told myself there’s got to be a better way to make it home safely after a day on the water besides holding a Q-Beam spotlight in one hand and steering the boat with the other,” Signorelli continued.
After creating and revising a prototype, Signorelli began production of the Safety Lighting Systems. With a nod to the many types of waterfowl found in one of America’s favorite swamps, the smartBird line of Safety Lighting Systems was hatched.
Each unit features a USB port to keep mobile phones charged and ready to use in an emergency and a convenient Bluetooth key fob, or remote control, to operate the entire system from the captain’s chair. An optional app is available for both Apple and Android users that will operate the system using a mobile phone and, if subscribed to, alert first responders and emergency contacts that help is needed.
Locally owned Basin Boat Lighting is owned by U.S. Navy Veteran and avid Louisiana fisherman Brian Signorelli. For more information, go to basinboatlighting.com.
This article was first published in the 2024 issue of Paddling Business. With next year’s hottest gear for canoeing, kayaking, whitewater, fishing and paddleboarding. Plus: The best and worst idea ever in kayak rentals; and 28 industry experts on inflation, interest rates, consolidation and the future of trade shows.
This article was first published in the 2023 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. 
