Canoe vs. Kayak

Light, and fast. And friends!

You can load and unload our Slipstream watercraft all by yourself.

This is 80lbs of boat ready to help this gentleman find his nearest Chiropractor. Absolutely no fun to load alone.

So light, a woman can lug this 13' Impulse all by herself! And she did... our last trip was 8 portages, with 2 of them over 1/2mile long. Not bad for first time out.

90lbs of boat is a lot to portage. It's best to bring a friend for that, a nice strong one.

Ultralight paddle camping; light boat, and just the right amount of gear. The best part of canoe camping is that the gear is cheap, and simple to load.

Not the safest way to go. Weight is way to high. Not only does it become a sail, but it also becomes a tipping point with weight so high.

Small, light, expensive gear. Intricate planning. It'll fit, but the question is, can you put it all back in, once you get it out?

For years past, and years to come, it seems there will always be a debate about which is better: a canoe or a kayak.  There are purist on either side that will say theirs is better.  Let's explore this further:

Issue	Canoe	Kayak
Vehicle Loading	Non-ultralight canoes make loading very heavy and awkward. ​Ultralight canoes make this an easy non-issue.	Even with 'lightweight' kayaks loading is not simple, but a typical rotomolded kayak definitely requires 2 people.
Camping	Since all of the loading area is in the open, the camping gear can be much less specialized and economical.  Plus, if you want to get glamping-ish, you can really get fancy.	Everything taken must either fit into the small loading holes (read: expensive 'little stuff'), or worse; gear tied to the top of the boat making it tippy.
Portage	Many typical canoes are a heavy portage (70-105lbs), and require either additional portage trips, additional people, or a cart. ​Slipstream Ultralight canoes are an easy choice for portage (9-26lbs), even for one person. You can carry everything in one trip, and still have energy to paddle.	Portaging kayaks is not practical.  You can be creative, or just drag it, but in the end it's absolutely no fun to manually transport.
Entry/Exit Methods	Put the ultralight canoe in about 8" of water, sit in it sideways, then swing your legs around into the boat. Exiting is the same but in reverse order.	Squeeze yourself in, feet first.  Walk your feet down inside, and then lower your butt.  Cockpit sizes vary greatly, and this determines your method of exit, especially during an emergency.
Seating Options	Hung seating in a typical canoe makes the canoe feel tipier.  Canoes were originally designed for kneeling, or sitting on gear. Slipstream Ultralight models use kayak type seating, which allow you to sit lower in the canoe giving a better/lower center of gravity. (Although Slipstream does offer hung seating on the Impulse model).	Kayak type: seat on the floor. Stable.
Kids/Dogs	Extra passengers, kids, dogs can be taken easily; lots of room.	Unless you have a large cockpit, these are generally not practical.
"Tippyness"	Canoes with bench seating are generally tippy. Hulls that are flat are less tippy, but do not handle water swells very smoothly Our Slipstream Ultralight canoes with kayak type seating are not tippy because the seating is low, and the hull design is not flat, allowing the boat to stay upright in swells that come from the side.	Depends upon the kayak. Some are very tippy, others not tippy at all. Some are very slow, some are not. It's all based on hull design for initial and secondary stability.
Prices	Cheap canoes start around $500 to $2000 Many 'lightweight' (35-50lb) canoes are $1,600 up to $3000. Our 14lb Slipstream Ultralight Wee Lassie canoes start at $1,299.	Heavy plastic Kayaks (50-85lbs) range from $300 to $2000. Light kayaks (40-55lbs) are often $1200 up to $2500.  Ultralight (30-45lbs) typically to $2,000-$4,000.