Canoeing: Keeping the Inside Dry and the Outside Wet

This article is humorous yet insightful. It explains how one is able to move inside of a canoe without tipping. It also lends a helping hand to those who are interested in knowing how to get out of a tippy situation.

The author explains that it is not the canoe that is tippy but rather the individuals inside the canoe who cause it to tip. With help from illustrations, the author explains that by keeping your center of gravity (mainly your torso and head) straight, orienteering towards the front of the boat that you are able to better maintain balance in the boat.

He then continues to explain that there are many different forces of nature, such as rain, wind, waves etc. that cause the individuals inside the boat to become unbalanced. However, when that happens, rather than panicking and losing balance, make use of your paddle. By using the belly flop technique with the paddle one is able to avoid tipping. By putting the paddle blade parallel to the water’s surface, one is able to use the surface area to push against the water thus creating resistance that will stop the boat from tipping.

I would recommend this article to anyone who plans to canoe or get into a boat that needs paddling. It is important to realize where one must distribute weight in order to assure that the boat will be balanced. This article will help individuals to feel more comfortable on the water.  

Tamika Richer

Bush, Darren. "Canoeing: Keeping the Inside Dry and the Outside Wet." The Art of Manliness RSS. N.p., 7 May 2012. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/05/07/canoeing-keeping-the-inside-dry-and-the-outside-wet/>.