canoes

Canoes as Rowboats

A standard canoe with some minor modifications can make an excellent rowboat for use with the FrontRower.

If you already own a canoe and it is not special purpose (like "whitewater" or "racing" or a "sportsman's" canoe) you can probably use it.

If not, you should be able to buy one from a local canoe dealer and have it fitted out. And in many localities there are plenty of used canoes around that can be purchased inexpensively. It is not difficult to set a canoe up for rowing and we have drawings showing you what needs to be done. You can download the drawings and print them out from our drawings page.

Ordinary tandem "recreational" or "touring" canoes are the most popular type and they work the best. Stay away from special purpose canoes like "whitewater" or "racing" or "sportsman's" type canoes.

The main dimensions to be considered are the overall length, the beam at the gunwales and the rocker. Rocker is the amount of rise in the bottom of the canoe at the bow and the stern. Many touring canoes have zero rocker, which is good in a rowing canoe. If rocker is more than about 2 inches, it is probably a whitewater canoe and will not track straight at the higher power levels of rowing. In general, the beam at the gunwales should be between 25 and 36 inches. Also see Maximum beam limits.

What material should it be?

Any material will do but we recommend kevlar as the material of choice. Tandem canoes in kevlar will weigh around 40 to 50 pounds. The cheaper fiberglass and roto-molded canoes can weigh 90 pounds and can be difficult to lift for car topping.

List of Canoes

Listed below are some canoes and how they can be used with the FrontRower. Also see drawings page for additional details.

Solo only

If you will always be rowing solo, a smaller canoe can be used. This can be a solo canoe with a narrower than average beam or a shorter canoe with an average beam. One model that works well for this situation is the Wenonah Prism; length:16'-6"; beam at gunwales:26"; rocker:0. Because it is narrow on the waterline, this boat is more efficient than most tandem models and moves a little faster at the same power level, but has less stability. And it does not have room for a passenger.

Example solo only rowing canoe.
Wenonah Prism shown.

Solo with passenger

Tandem canoes make excellent solo row boats, perfect for going out by yourself. And they have the capacity to bring a passenger and lots of cargo along. (For optimum trim, the rowing station can be repositioned when going from "solo" to "with passenger" mode.) An optional passenger seat can be used. One person rowing can generate more power than two people paddling, so you will not feel underpowered, even with a passenger. On long trips you can always take turns rowing. This is the most popular arrangement and the one we recommend most often.

Here are a few tandem models that will work well:

Lincoln Concord; length:16'-6"; max beam:36"; rocker:0
Wenonah Escapade; length:16'-6"; max beam:35; rocker:0
Bell Northstar; length:16'-6"; max beam:34-1/2"; rocker:2"
Mad River Malecite; length: 16'-6"; max beam:34-1/2"; rocker:2"

Example solo with passenger rowing canoe.
Lincoln Concord shown (set up for solo rowing).

Doubles rowing

Doubles rowing is a special situation, and we do not recommend it for beginners. It's a something like riding a bicycle built for two— most people would prefer two separate bikes. It is best to wait until you both have some solo experience before considering doubles rowing.

For doubles rowing, you need a longer boat. Here are some models that should work well:

Bell Northwoods; length:18"-6"; max beam:36"; rocker:2"

In case you are wondering why you don't see
more people rowing canoes—

There are two problems that hinder the use of conventional oars in canoes:

(1) Canoes tend to be narrow—too narrow to get the distance between the oarlocks required for good mechanical advantage with conventional oars.

(2) Canoes are often used on inland waterways with twists and turns and rocks and downed trees. Places where a forward facing position is essential and the rear facing position of conventional rowing is not practical.

The FrontRower™ eliminates these problems.