When it comes to introducing yourself to the water, canoes are great place to start! Some people prefer to start out with inflatable boats or even kayaks. Most people start their boating adventures when they're young, at a summer camp or fishing with their dad. They are versatile and practical for a number of reasons, and can work in a number of different situations. Canoes are designed for ease of getting in and out, especially for older folks wishing to get into the sport. For the younger paddlers, this may not be as important. Another thing that makes canoes very popular over kayaks is their storage capacity. If you're planning on buying one, you can use it on a camping trip and numerous other types of adventures. Because the canoe is available in an array of sizes, some people even prefer this to an inflatable dinghy.

The longer canoes are excellent for long open water trips, but you can also buy one-person smaller canoes for running white water. Canoes can sometimes be difficult to transport, unless you have a full-sized pickup truck and especially if you plan on loading it yourself. For this reason, some people choose inflatable kayaks instead. The storage capacity in the longer canoe is wonderful and can hold most items you will need for your adventure trip.

If you don't own a pickup, you may need to purchase a trailer to tow your boat. One benefit that kayaks have over canoes is their portability. Inflatable kayaks are becoming more and more popular for this main reason. Another drawback with canoes is that when it rains heavily, the boat can fill up rapidly with water. Fortunately, a canoe is very difficult to sink, but it will certainly make your trip annoying if it rains a lot. Also with a canoe, you may find that steering and maneuvering it can be difficult at times when a strong wind catches it.