The end of open boating

Ian Merringer

Rating: *****

The end of open boating

This article is from the magazine “Rapid, The whitewater magazine.” It is about the declining interest in whitewater canoeing.

The article talks about how the sale of open boats, aka white water canoes, has dropped significantly in the past two years, while the sale of white water kayaks has increased. This is the opposite of sales twenty years ago, when for every one kayak sold, four canoes were sold. A source from Madawaska Kanu Center states that the interest in their canoeing program has stayed the same for the past four years, while the kayak program has grown larger. It says this may be due to the significant price difference between the two boats. Another point it hints at is it might be easier for families who are into white watering to pick up kayaking as opposed to canoeing.

I can relate to this article, because for the past two years I have taken white water canoeing courses. This year I have decided to switch to kayaking. While I really enjoyed the canoeing, I want to have more control over what I am doing. I also want to try the challenge. This article affected me, in that it shows that I am not the only one who is changing their mind on what boat to use for white water. It shows some of the other reasons such as the amount of canoes being sold is decreasing. Overall, I enjoyed this article because it was very informative. It tells the reader about recent trends in white water canoeing and kayaking. Despite the fact that I absolutely loved white water canoeing, I don’t think that this will change my mind about switching to kayaking.

Merringer, Ian. Page 16. Summer 2012. Rapid The White Water Magazine. End of open boating. Print. Accessed October 17 2012