How To Carry A Canoe
Get Your Boat to the Water
Unlike larger boats, which can be moored or put up on boat-lifts to avoid damage from wind and waves, canoes and kayaks are typically stored out of the water. They need to be moved to the water to be used. Here’s how to carry your craft.
First, be sure that the boat is empty. Although most modern canoes are made of aluminum or plastic, one person usually can’t carry it alone, so two or three people should help move it to and from the water.
Two Person Carries
Some modern canoes have handles fore and aft. If there are two people and the carry distance is fairly short, this offers a simple way to carry your craft. If there are no handles, it is still possible to move the canoe by each person standing on opposite sides of the canoe and lifting the canoe by the gunwhale (the reinforcing strip running along the top edge of the hull – pronounced gunnel) at the center of the canoe. Then, simply walk the canoe to or from the water. This, too, works best for short carries.
The Portage
The more traditional portaging technique should be used for longer distances, or carries over uneven terrain or around obstacles like trees. In this case, the canoe is turned upside down and one person lifts the bow off the ground. The second person (the one who’ll do the carrying) walks underneath and positions himself, allowing the yoke to settle on his shoulders. If there’s not a yoke in the canoe, one can be fashioned by securely lashing the paddles to the thwarts with the painter. The painter is a line (rope) attached to the painter rings fore and aft. It is used for “lining” (walking) the canoe or for tying up.
With the yoke resting on her shoulders and one hand on either side of the canoe, the person carrying lifts it with their legs and balances it. The weight of the canoe is carried on the shoulders; the hands are used strictly for balance and steadying the craft. When doing a solo carry, keep the canoe balanced. Let it ride a little down at the stern; it will be easier to see ahead. There’s no hurry, take your time, and be sure to watch where you step! The canoe is then carefully walked to the desired location, and the entire process is reversed.
Are you looking for an easier way to move your kayak or canoe to and from the water? Carts offer an easy way to walk your craft to the launching site. Check out this comparison of the top canoe & kayak carts.
Let’s Do Launch
Where possible, load your canoe while it’s floating in shallow water. If that’s not possible, load it on the beach- as close to the water as you can get. If you load your boat in the water, tie a painter to a tree along the shore to keep it under control. On the other hand, if loading on the beach, don’t over-pack. You’ll need to be able to carry the loaded canoe the last few feet to the water. Modern materials are certainly strong, but dragging a loaded boat over sharp rocks won’t do it any good. Treat your canoe as if your life depended upon it. It does.
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