New canoe technique invented! — “Scootering.” When you hit some shallows, put a foot out, kick off the bottom and GLIDE! It’s fun and works great. If kids tried it awhile I bet they could do it without holding onto the gunnels — I’m almost to that point.
Keep other foot in center of hull. And let kicking foot fling back out of the water with each kick.
Yep, for canoeing (and other outdoor) innovation, look no further! New technique is invented, what, once a century?
I’ve been doing it when out poling. The canoeing is great these days! –Just can’t hardly use a paddle, is all. The water is crystal clear and VERY low. Tons of aquatic critters flitting everywhere. All sorts of obstacles, too. Pure boatocross! (…A new sport, also invented courtesy OYB.) I even scooter-kick off of the logs I teetertotter over.
This situation happens around here every late summer and fall: the canoeing is great, but you can’t do regular canoeing. Can’t really paddle. The same would happen anywhere water levels get really low. You’d think that the regular canoeing media might pick up on things like canoe poling for resuscitating — amplifying — canoe fun in such conditions. I’ve emailed ALL the editors of ALL the canoe mags and haven’t even given me the courtesy of a single reply. I’ve also emailed the editors of the SUP mags about how fun SUP-Canoeing is — no replies there, either.
Thankfully, both “Silent Sports” and “Backwoodsman” ran the poling/SUP-canoeing article and pics. They were into it. BWM even gave me the cover shot! …Yet the mags MOST concerned with these sports won’t even send me a form-letter rejection.
Well, it’s their loss…their readers who are left out. They’re behind the curve, missing the news. Neglecting their sport. Yeah, I’m calling them on it.
(Tom went out last night with me for his first poling. Now he’s Experienced. He was videoing with a gorilla-pod cam on his stern. He stayed dry. At the end I got launched into a total body wet exit! …Boat stayed dry. Hubris. I hadn’t wiped out yet this year so I was wearing my street clothes! We’ll see if he uploads his video — it should reveal some prime scootering.)
