Canoes: Description and Construction

What is a Canoe?

A canoe is a small narrow boat, usually powered by paddling, although it can sometimes be powered by sails or small motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top.

Photo © by Jeff Dean

The paddler or paddlers face in the direction of travel, either seated or kneeling directly upon the hull. Paddling differs from rowing, where the rowers usually face away from the direction of travel and use mounted oars (though some canoes can be fitted with oarlocks and rowed). Paddles can be single-bladed or double-bladed.

The oldest recovered canoe in the world (about 10,000 years old) is the ‘Pesse canoe’ found in the Netherlands. This canoe is exhibited in the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands.

Materials

Wooden Canoes

The earliest canoes were made from wood, often simply hollowed-out tree trunks (known as dugouts). These are still used in some parts of the world. Modern wooden canoes may be wood strip, wood-and-canvas, stitch-and-glue, glued plywood lapstrake, or birchbark.

In North America, white cedar was used for the frame and bark of the Paper Birch for the exterior, with charcoal and fats mixed into the resin. A few modern canoe builders have revived and continued building birchbark canoes.

Aluminum Canoes

Aluminum canoes were first made by the Grumman company after World war II, when demand for airplanes began to decline. Aluminum allowed a lighter and much stronger construction than the wood construction. However, capsized aluminum canoes will sink unless the ends are filled with flotation blocks, and they are noisy.

Modern Composite Canoes

Composites of fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber are used in synthetic canoe construction. These materials are light, strong, and maneuverable. Because they can be aasily portaged, these canoes allow experienced paddlers access to remote wilderness areas. Kevlar and Carbon Fiber are generally very expensive, but are usually more durable than other materials. Fiberglass retains the light weight, but cracks easily upon impact. On the plus side, Fiberglass can be very easily repaired, unlike almost all other materials.

Kevlar canoes

ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene,  is another synthetic composite material that makes an extremely flexible and durable hull, making it ideal for whitewater canoes. ABS canoes have been known to pop back into their original shape with minimal creasing of the hull after having been wrapped around a rock in strong river currents. Although very unlikely that the hull would be punctured, they are very difficult to repair. Additionally, they must be protected from continual sun exposure to prevent degradation of the plastic by ultraviolet light.

HDP (roto-molded high density polyethylene) is a cheaper and heavier material used for synthetic canoe construction. Its superior abrasion resistance and very low friction make it a popular choice in whitewater canoes. This material can be repaired with a hot air welding process if punctured.

The different constructions have different advantages depending on the intended use of the canoe. The wood-and-canvas canoe is more fragile than an aluminum canoe, therefore not as useful in rough water; but it is much quieter—making it better for observing wildlife. A wilderness canoe trip will require a canoe that is light yet durable.

Other Canoeing Articles:

 

.
.

Door Chimes

You want to make a good first impression when visitors enter your home or place of business. Many realtors agree that before you put your home up for sale, you first need to make your front door area warm and inviting. The front door area says a lot about your home or office. Door chimes are a great way to welcome guests when they come to your home. The welcoming chime tells your guests that they are entering a friendly and cheerful place.

Continue reading →

Bird Watching Binoculars Buying Guide

Binoculars are for the birds

Identifying and observing birds requires, above all, patience, passion, and the ability to maintain a large mental catalog. Beyond that, it requires binoculars. Birding binoculars feature a full nest of features and specs, but they all pale in importance to light-gathering capacity. Magnification is important, yes, but light gathering, light transmittance, and close focus ability should be your primary equipment concerns. Some birders may be willing to sacrifice close focus, as it tends to increase the price substantially, but we find that capturing every fine detail enhances the overall bird watching experience.

 

As technology advances, more and more features become accessible to the average birder, and today’s binoculars reflect that. Our highest-rated birding binoculars feature dialectic prism coatings and multi-coated optics for the bird watcher who thrives on detail, or focus-free operation for the one who can’t stand to miss a wing. Bird watching binoculars come in all shapes and sizes – literally. Many birders carry multiple pairs and accessories on every trip – compact birding binoculars to catch a thrush flushed from the brush, or full-size birding binoculars to put an eye on an eyrie in the distance.

Brand matters

The most important thing when choosing a pair of bird watching binoculars is to start with a trusted brand. You’ll consider several factors as you scan the skies- objective lens size, comfort, magnification, and exit pupil size – but if you start with a list of reliable brands, it’ll help narrow things down.

The collections of well-known brands like Leica, Swarovski, Zeiss, Zhumell, Nikon, and Bushnell are all excellent places to start looking for bird watching binoculars. These brands use high-quality glass, advanced coatings, and the latest binocular designs to transmit a very high percentage of the light they gather to your eyes. But of course, if you don’t land on a brand you know, trust us – we know bird watching and we know binoculars. You’ll find something for every budget and experience level here.

Sizes, specs, and special equipment

 

As a bird watcher, you spend a lot of time tracking and walking, so it helps to be able to see where you’re going. For the best long-distance birding experience, look for larger binoculars or spotting scopes. These will help you scout birds, landscapes, and vantage points before you make the trek. Big binocs and spotting scopes are best used with a tripod, so consider your needs and gear capacity before taking them along.

We’ve talked about light gathering, but magnification is an important in consideration for bird watching binoculars. It’s not a telescope, though- bigger isn’t always better. We recommend around an 8x magnification with objective lenses around 42mm. The larger lens increases the field of view, in case the bird takes flight, and increases image brightness and clarity. Speaking of field of view, for best results, bird watching binoculars shouldn’t go below 300 feet at 1,000 yards.

Zeiss 8x42 Terra ED Binoculars

Best Rated Birding Binoculars

Best Rated Birding Binoculars

 

Related articles

 .

.

.

Marine Binoculars Buying Guide

Water You Looking At?

Ahoy! Before taking your maiden voyage with a pair of marine binoculars, it’s important to be sure you’re getting the right pair. Combining optics and the open water creates a unique set of challenges – namely, the movement of the water makes a steady image difficult to maintain, and potential water damage is a major concern. And since distance is much more difficult to gauge on water, you’ll want to check out the unique range-finding features often found in marine binoculars.

As always, it’s important to give well-known binocular brands top-tier consideration. Marine binoculars from Bushnell,Steiner, and Canon are always a safe bet, though any listed on our marine binoculars page are well-suited for the water. Read on for details about what makes them special.

The Marine Scene

If your main, or only, pair of binoculars is going to be used on water, we suggest getting specially designed marine binoculars. This is especially true if your chosen body of water is large or has the potential for big waves. For example, many standard land binoculars advertise water resistance, but quality marine binoculars are nitrogen-purged and o-ring sealed, making them totally waterproof to prevent fogging and any water infiltration.

Marine binoculars are predominantly in the 7×50 range to allow an ample amount of light transmission through the exit pupil, a good field of view, and adequate magnification. Since the function is less geared toward sightseeing and more toward finding landmarks on the shore and horizon, a wider field of view is essential. Some choose binoculars with smaller objective lenses, but these will be much less useful if you find yourself on the water on a cloudy day when you need them the most. Many of our highest-rated marine binoculars fit all of these characteristics, and are right at home on your boat or dock.

Image-Stabilized Binoculars, Reticles, and More

Image-stabilized binoculars are indispensable on the water. As the rolling tide moves you up and down, the mechanics of these marine binoculars keep your image steady and your head from getting seasick. Of course, standard binoculars can still be suitable for marine use, but after choosing magnification and objective lens size, image stabilization is what will really make the difference. Note – a set of marine binoculars with an extra-wide enough field of view won’t necessarily need image stabilization.

Some marine binoculars go the extra nautical mile and provide a built-in rangefinder, compass, and/or reticle. These features can help you find magnetic north, and properly judge object size and distance. Using these features properly may take a bit of practice, but once you do, you can decrease the number of gadgets packed before each marine journey. Check out our wide selection of rangefinder marine binoculars and judge your distance to optical perfection.


>>Visit The Binoculars Shop Here<<

 

Related articles

 .

.

.

Field Glasses and Binoculars: The Same, But Different

Whether you’re in the stands at a football game, bird watching, or stargazing, a good pair of binoculars always comes in handy. They are simply two small telescopes, one for each eye, mounted on a single frame, which magnify a single image in order for better viewing. Unlike a monocular (or telescope), binoculars allow a user to see with depth and perception by using both eyes simultaneously.

Leica Trinovid 8x20 BC

Field Glasses or Binoculars

There are two different types of binocs; field glasses and prismatic binoculars. Although the term field glass is often used interchangeably with binocular, there are differences.Field glasses are a type of binocular that uses both the objective lens, the large lens through which light first enters, and a second lens inside each tube, which inverts and reverses the image in order for the user to see a right-side-up picture.Field glasses can magnify an image up to five times. For greater magnification purposes, the simple field glasses would become too long and heavy, and users would instead want to consider the more-popular prismatic binoculars.

Continue reading →