43
votes
Accepted
How efficient is travel by canoe?
The canoe has three huge advantages:
it works in the absence of paths or trails
it can carry enormous loads
adding paddlers to it makes it go faster
The first is probably the most important. I've ...
- 12.1k
29
votes
Accepted
In the US is it legal to travel on any river/creek my canoe will navigate?
All waters no, some places like National Parks require permits, see Dinosaur Monument and Canyonlands.
It also differs state by state, in some states the water belongs to the public but not the stream ...
- 69.2k
23
votes
In the US is it legal to travel on any river/creek my canoe will navigate?
Don't violate Zebra Mussel restrictions!!!
There are lots of lakes in Minnesota, and many of them are connected by streams. Its is great to paddle between them in a canoe, you can go tens of miles ...
- 411
15
votes
In the US is it legal to travel on any river/creek my canoe will navigate?
No.
Water use, like everything else in the US, is a patchwork of Federal, State, and Local regulations plus quasi-legal muscle. Multiple overlapping laws and agencies can apply at each level. Here's ...
- 431
15
votes
Accepted
How would one person control two canoes?
Lash them together in parallel with spars such that there's a wide enough gap down the middle that you can paddle in the centre.
As you say, you're not going to be making tight turns, but you are in ...
- 8,004
14
votes
Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
It's always risky to be on a river that you have no information about.
Apart from waterfalls there could be other dangers such as rapids, rocks under the surface, whirlpools/undercurrents, artificial ...
- 12.7k
11
votes
How efficient is travel by canoe?
The most efficient boat design is fairly straightforward. Rowing is more efficient than paddling, because anchoring the oar to the hull allows oars to be longer than paddles and longer levers are more ...
- 566
10
votes
Accepted
Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
No. Not reliably. But you only need to be wrong once.
Depending on how abrupt the drop is, you may only see a horizon line, with no white caps from rapids below. If there is enough wind to put ...
7
votes
In the US is it legal to travel on any river/creek my canoe will navigate?
As mentioned in the answer provided by Charlie Brumbaugh, many states use the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) to define the limits of state control. The images below from the American Water Works ...
- 2,770
7
votes
How would one person control two canoes?
For calm water towing would work. For short stretches of even the gentlest rapids the best approach would be to tie up one boat, paddle the first down (or pole up), tie it up and walk back for the ...
- 26.1k
7
votes
How efficient is travel by canoe?
The typical speed of a canoe on calm water is at least the same as a person walking along a smooth path, about 3 mph.
If you are walking along a road, then a bicycle or a car would be the most ...
- 589
6
votes
Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
Of course you should research your rivers beforehand, and have a decent idea of where the major hazards are, but even assuming you've done so and are expecting them, it's still necessary to detect the ...
- 26.1k
6
votes
How long would it take to canoe the entire length of the Belize River upstream in July?
I canoe a bit, almost exclusively down stream I tend to paddle at a steady speed, with almost no drifting. I average about 2 miles per hour (3KPH). As the river is 290 kilometres (180 mi) long that ...
- 30.3k
5
votes
How would one person control two canoes?
Towing doesn't work well. The trailing canoe will tend to swing wildly from side to side. This is a chronic problem when towing a swamped canoe to shore. This may be affected by how the trailing ...
5
votes
How efficient is travel by canoe?
Your question mixes two things together which are actually very different:
How efficient ... in terms of effort/time required to cover distance
Boats of all kinds are really efficient in terms of ...
- 1,552
4
votes
When driving a power driven vessel heading towards the port beam of another vessel underway what is the correct proceedure to pass on the stern?
From the Marine Department: please note the question is describing a power-driven heading towards a vessel at anchor but not a vessel under way and showing a port side light. In the picture, the upper ...
- 199
2
votes
What are the navigation considerations on the Youghiogheny, Casselman & Potomac Rivers between Ohiopyle (PA) and Cumberland, MD
This answer is a work in progress
This answer is focused to a bike and canoe combination. Only legs I have traveled by bike and/or canoe are listed. No Warranty on the information is implied here, ...
- 30.3k
2
votes
Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
You can usually notice the noise. And if the river is loud, then be triple careful.
But generally, it's not important what you notice, but what you don't notice.
Can you see water 100m in front of you?...
- 9,487
2
votes
How to cross a river while keeping kit (such as laptop) dry
Keeping everything out of the water is of course the ideal answer, but a standard plastic waste sack is usually waterproof for long enough if suitably sealed, the "dry bag" types you've ...
- 8,004
2
votes
Accepted
How long does it take to sail up the Mississippi?
It's going to be slow, with a lot of rowing.
Looking at the prevailing winds, to get an estimate of how much the wind will be on your side, it's not good news. In June, at Greenville Airport the wind ...
- 26.1k
2
votes
Accepted
Is the head of navigation same for sailing and motorboats?
The head of navigation is entirely subjective.
It depends on the type and the size of boats, which have different requirements. The river Thames in UK, for example, has several locations that limit ...
- 3,908
1
vote
Is the head of navigation same for sailing and motorboats?
It is the motorboat. Definitiely
Draft
Any sailing vessel needs a mechanism to withstand sideways drift and heel. A yacht with an ordinary fixed keel will require at minimum 1.5-2m of depth but we are ...
- 7,020
1
vote
Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
It is usually much easier to climb up a steep hill, than climb down again. Then you fall and die. It is usually much easier to eel your way into a tight spot than out again. You get stuck, you die.
...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible