If you want to improve your paddling skills, learn how to read the water, or just want to learn how to load a canoe for a multi-night expedition, almost certainly a book is available about the topic.
While nothing beats practice when it comes to improving paddling skills, many books provide superb advice which assist with the “learning curve.”
Let me illustrate how helpful a book can be and how knowledge gained from the book helps keep you safe and dry. Back in the 1990's, while canoeing the St. John's River in Maine, my paddling companion (who insisted on driving the boat), took us through a Class III whitewater. Since he was clueless on what he was doing, we would have capsized (in 33 degree water) but for one thing I learned from a book (The Complete Wilderness Paddler) I read a few days before the trip. As the canoe was about to capsize to the left, I reached as far as possible to the right, dropped the paddle in the water and pulled it toward me—righting the boat. Capsize was averted, despite the canoe filling with water like a bathtub.
So, why do I bring this up? When it comes to books about paddling (and many other topics), here's one perspective to consider if you're hesitant about parting with your money.
If you come away with a few skills you didn't have before, you remember them, and you use them then the book was worth the price.
Canoeing & Kayaking Books
Click any of the links or images for more information about each book. All books available through Amazon.
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Boundary Waters Canoe Camping - Covers places to go, planning a canoe trip, navigating, selecting a canoe and rigging it out, selecting equipment, camping and cookery, traveling with children, and dealing with hazards. |
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