Daniel Gray - Knack Canoeing for Everyone: A Step-by-Step Guide to Selecting the Gear, Learning the Strokes, and Planning Your Trip

Bow: The front of the canoe.

Beam: The widest part of the canoe.

Blade: Part of the canoe paddle that is put in the water.

Bridging: When a canoe rests partially on water and partially on land. Makes canoe very unstable and tippy.

Deck plate: Flat portion at the bow and stern, level with the gunwale.

Dry bag: A water tight plastic, rubber, or nylon bag that varies in size from big enough for a camera, to full backpack or duffel bag size (It must be sealed properly to remain waterproof).

Duffer: The middle paddler or passenger in a tandem canoe; name is derived from the opinion that this person just sits on his or her duff while the bow and stern paddler do all the work.

Flatwater: Calm water without rapids; may be a lake or slowly moving river. Also call quietwater.

Floatation: Material that is built into the canoe to make it more buoyant like Styrofoam or air pockets; or inflatable plastic bladders, bags, or inner tubes that are tied into the canoe to displace water and make the canoe more buoyant.

Grip: The handle of the canoe paddle that is held by the upper hand.

Gunwale: The upper edge, or rail of the canoe (pronounced gunnel).

Hole: Spot beneath a ledge, dam, waterfall or other obstacle, where water collects. Holes can be difficult to maneuver through or get out of.

Keel: A strip of wood or metal, or a plastic ridge, that runs from the bow to the stern along the keel line. The keel is intended to help the canoe move in a straight line on windy lakes. Many canoes do not have keels.

Keel line: The imaginary line that runs along the middle of the bottom of the canoe from bow to stern. This is the line around which weight is balanced to keep the canoe from leaning to one side.

Painter: A length of cord or rope tied to the bow or stern of the canoe.

PFD: Personal Floatation Device. Lifejacket.

Portage: To carry canoes and gear over land.

Powerface: The side of the power blade that pushes against the water.

Solo: Either to paddle by oneself, or a canoe designed for one paddler.

Stern: The back end of the canoe.

Tandem: A canoe designed for two paddlers.

Throat: The part of the canoe paddle above the blade that is gripped by the paddlers lower hand.

Thwart: Cross brace in the canoe that goes from side to side.

Whitewater: Fast moving turbulent water. Rapids.

Yoke: A specially shaped crossbar for carrying the canoe overhead on one's shoulders. Is often the middle thwart.

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Editor-in-Chief: Maureen Graney

Editor: Katie Benoit

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Text Design: Paul Beatrice

Layout: Maggie Peterson

Cover photos (front and back) by Stephen Gorman

All interior photos by Stephen Gorman with the exception of p. 3 (right): Kris Holland/shutterstock; p. 6: www.canoeing.com; p. 7: www.canoeing.com; p. 22 (right): Stas Volik/shutterstock; p. 100 (left): David Coleman | Dreamstime.com; p. 100 (right): Joanne Stemberger/shutterstock; p. 101 (left): Jennifer Lind | Dreamstime.com; p. 103 (left): Yegor Piaskovsky | Dreamstime.com; p. 104 (left): Frhojdysz | Dreamstime.com; p. 123 (left): Sorin Alb | Dreamstime.com; p. 123 (right): George Peters/istockphoto; p.124 (right): Vincent Dale | Dreamstime.com; p.125 (left): Crystal Kirk/shutterstock; p. 127 (left): Courtesy of Ben Morookian; p. 134 (right): Beisea | Dreamstime.com: p. 135 (left): Kushnirov Avraham | Dreamstime.com; p. 137 (right): Chris Hill/shutterstock; p. 138 (left): istockphoto; p. 146 (right): Arthur Kwiatkowski/istockphoto; p. 166 (right): shutterstock; p. 181 (right): Jaimie Duplass/shutterstock; p. 183 (left): shutterstock; p. 183 (right): shutterstock; p. 184 (left): shutterstock; p. 184 (right): shutterstock; p. 185 (left): shutterstock; p. 185 (right): Jason van der Valk/istockphoto; p. 186 (left): shutterstock; p. 186 (right): shutterstock; p. 187 (left): shutterstock; p. 187 (right): shutterstock; p. 188: Courtesy of Cindy Dillenschneider; p. 221 (right): Rick Olson/istockphoto

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ISBN 978-1-59921-524-2

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My thanks to my parents for exposing me to the great outdoors, to the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee where I did the bulk of my canoeing instruction, and to the Milwaukee Riverkeeper for involving me in protecting our rivers.

We would like to thank the following people for their support: Kate Fisher, Josie Fisher, Alexandra Zagaria, Todd Uva, Mary Gorman, Steve Brownlee, the staff of Umiak Outfitters (Stowe, Vermont), the staff of Canoe Imports (Burlington, Vermont) Cheers, Steve Gorman & Eli Burakian.

The world of canoeing is a broad and varied one that has a lot to offer the casual weekend paddler and the hardcore enthusiast.