Difference Between a Kayak and a Canoe

A canoe or a kayak can make for a fun day on the water. The type of water at your recreation site and the number of passengers are the main determinants for deciding which type and variety of vessel to choose. Visit a location where you can rent all types of both craft and test them before settling on one type or variety.

  1. Seating

    • When riding in a canoe, you sit on a seat in the same way that you would sit on a chair in your home, with your feet down -- but you sit in a lower position. The posture is similar to sitting on a low beach chair. In a kayak, you sit flat with your legs out in front of you, as if you were sitting on the floor with your legs straight out before you. In some types of kayaks, your legs are secured in straps.

    Paddles

    • Most kayaks carry a single person; most canoes carry two or more people. A kayaker is solely responsible for paddling and paddling with a single-ended paddle is difficult -- so kayakers use a double-ended paddle, which has a blade on either end of the paddle shaft. Due to a canoe's width, the use of a double-ended paddle is difficult; most canoeists use only single-ended paddles for propulsion.

    Types of Kayaks

    • Kayaks are available open-top or enclosed-hull models. Open-top kayaks, also called sit-on-top kayaks, are made to be entirely open, and the kayaker sits atop it with nothing covering his legs. On an enclosed-hull kayak, the kayaker puts his legs down into the cockpit.

    Types of Canoes

    • Canoes are available as flat-water and whitewater models, which differ in hull design. A flat-water canoe has a flat bottom with a distinct keel that enables it to stay straight in the water. A whitewater canoe has a curved bottom without a distinct keel; this allows the whitewater canoe to turn in rough waters.