How To Move A Canoe Alone?

Paddling a canoe solo is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and is not difficult. To successfully paddle, the canoer must kneel in the middle of the canoe and keep their knees in to control balance. There are different canoe seat positions and their roles in paddling a canoe, as well as different types of canoes.

Trimming your canoe appropriately will affect how efficiently you can keep your canoe moving in a straight line. When paddling solo, you want your canoe trimmed almost perfectly level in the water, with just a little more weight in the stern. The basic parts of a canoe include the near gunwale, slide the canoe up your legs, rock the boat, grab the far gunwale, use your leg to lift the canoe, settle the yoke on your shoulders, and align your body to the boat.

To transport your canoe solo, lift the back third of the canoe onto wheels and strap it in. Before purchasing a boat cart, check the load capacity. Some models like the CRS Ultralight are only meant to carry a small amount of weight. A simple solution for a short carry is the gunwale on the shoulder, similar to carrying a kayak.

For a longer carry, pull the gunwale toward your stomach and bend your knees to lower your body. Hold the cockpit over your shoulder, tipping the cockpit into your leg and lifting it over your shoulder to balance it.