Choosing a boat to treat spring fever

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Soul lifting spring sunshine and warmth as well as strong water flows have recently passed and the closest I've come to paddling is sanding gunwales and replacing a bow seat. Needless to say, I'm pretty eager to feel the pull of the current and hear the soft splash of a paddle breaking the water's surface.

If you too are feeling the urge to glide across ponds, peel off a circulating river eddy, or undulate over bay waves, it's time to break out the boat. If you don't have one, you might need some guidance as you look to get the tools to scratch your paddling itch.

Buying a boat can be a daunting proposition. Touring kayaks, tripping canoes, squirt boats, inflatables, and sit-on-tops are all just a few of the options out there. To navigate this quagmire of choices, it is useful to pretend that you're buying a vehicle. Consider the following: who's going to be "riding" with you? Where will you be going? What will you need to transport?

Just as a Sunday drive in June lends itself to a different choice of vehicle than would a spin on the Autobahn, different paddling trips tend to favor certain types of boats.

An outing late last summer serves as a good example of this. My brother, Eric, and I traveled to the west side of Moosehead Lake to paddle the origin of the Kennebec River (actually two "origins" that coalesce at Indian Pond). We chose three crafts, a 17' Old Town canoe and two white-water kayaks, to help tackle these characteristically distinct river segments.

While I feel at home in an open canoe, I'm a little "green" in a kayak. As I crammed my body into a comparatively "unsexy" five-year-old kayak (ancient by whitewater kayaking standards), I looked over to see my brother effortlessly fuse with his compact, snub-nosed boat. He pushed into the current, playing with its flow like a cyclist hugging curves along winding backroads. It was clear who the real kayaker was.

My kayak, so small and low compared to my usual canoe, pointed towards the noisy current. I checked that my neoprene skirt was fully snapped around the cockpit of the boat and decided I was ready. Finally, with a thrust of my hips forward, I propelled the kayak into the river. Eric was patiently waiting in a calm eddy. Before I knew it, we were zipping down the noisy East Outlet of the Kennebec River.

Earlier, we had canoed the West Outlet, a smaller waterway dominated by relatively gentle riffles and small rapids. Canoeing is SUV-type of experience that I gravitate toward. Comfort, storage, and carrying capacity trumped turn-on-a-dime attributes.

I carried food, cameras, extra clothes, some wildlife guides and binoculars -- and there was plenty of room for more. We could have packed gear for over a week's worth of travel if we so desired. It's not to say that paddling a canoe (or for that matter driving an SUV) is a dull experience. Rather, it all comes back to finding the best fit for your paddling goals.

Speaking of automobiles and boats, it seems that more frequently kayaks are replacing canoes on roof racks. If you're looking for portability, kayaks do make a lot of sense. General recreational kayaks, which offer good stability, steady tracking, and affordability, are good choices for protected lake and pond paddling. Their wide, open cockpits and flat design don't allow for Eskimo rolling, though. Sea kayaks provide excellent tracking (especially when equipped with rudders) and have opened up a massive new opportunity for exploring our fabled coastlines (as well as lakes).

White-water kayaks, like computers, become smaller and smaller each year. Flattened bows and crisp new lines enable seasoned kayakers to execute not just rolls but cartwheels and a number of other wild moves.

Though there seem to be less canoes atop vehicles, they, like classic cars, always command respect. They possess great utility as well. River tripping (paddling and camping along rivers and/or lakes) pretty much calls for a canoe. Canoes can handle gear that would never fit into a kayak. Plus, though I've never tried it, its seems plenty tough to stand up and cast a fly rod from a kayak!

It's springtime, and that means opening water, emerging fiddleheads, and rising trout are close at hand. So, it's only natural that as we roll down our car windows our thoughts turn to pry strokes and the glint of water breaking across rock.

If you're in the market for a new boat to get you out on the water, remember to start with what experiences you want and work backward.

As long as you know what you want to do with a boat, it's tough to buy a canoe or kayak that's a lemon.

Rex Turner of Augusta is a freelance writer. He can be reached via e-mail at: rex@backcountryheritage.com