Exploring the inland waters of Britain by open canoe is a truly magical experience and one you can share with friends and family. Take a boat, pack a picnic and discover the delights of quiet water boating on a lake, river or loch. Or opt for a more thrilling experience tackling some of Britain’s white water rivers. Either way you can take to the water in an open canoe with minimum effort and maximum enjoyment.

Open canoeing is an almost entirely recreational activity. Although there is a category in freestyle competition for open boats, the number of competitors is usually small. The rest of the open boating community paddles purely for pleasure. The beauty in the design of open canoes is the amount of space they offer the occupants, making them ideal for storing gear for long distance or multi-day camping trips, or for stowing a couple of kids and the dog for a day trip. They are wide and stable boats popular with less mobile paddlers who might struggle to get in and out of a kayak, so their appeal is far-reaching.

Open canoes come in all shapes and sizes. They are usually between 4 and 5 metres long and can be made of plastic, composite materials, wood or aluminium. In deciding which boat is best for you, you need to decide what you will be using it for. Will you be paddling it mostly on flat water, white water or a bit of both? On your own or with the family or a friend? A general purpose tandem open canoe will be perfectly adequate for most activities. Paddles can be made of a variety of materials with blades of different shapes and sizes, but all have a blade at one end and a ‘T-grip’ handle at the other. Although a canoe, paddle and buoyancy aid are the bare essentials for open boating, you should invest in a good helmet if you’re planning to paddle any white water.

 

Come and say hello to:

Open Canoe Association
Open Canoe Sailing Group
British Canoe Union

plus plenty of course and trip providers and much more.  

 
Sailing Your Canoe - The Options - Keith Morris
Best open canoe trips in Scotland - Eddie Palmer
Tarpology and “The Origami of Tarp” - Jed Yarnold
The Nahanni or The Mountain River - which is Canada’s Bst Open Canoe trip? - Mark Nichols
Have Kids: Will Travel Paddle! - Samantha Forrest
Warm Water, Vin Rouge, and easy Rivers - Pete Knowles
Why the WCA Tore up Access Agreements - Ashley Charlwood

Bell
Esquif
Evergreen
Glyn Edwards
Mad River
Nancy Gibbs
Novacraft
Old Town
Pelican
Venture
We No Nah

Plus a host of accessories, kit, cothing and paddles