Can any boat get you closer to the water or closer to nature than paddling a canoe or a kayak? Canoes range in length from 10 feet right up to 36 foot but most are normally in the 14-16 foot category. They can either be for solo use or for two paddlers on short day trips on sheltered waters most of which can be seen below:

These lightweight boats have evolved to a stage that there are now boats specific to just about every type of paddling allowing you to explore every type of coastline, lake shore, canal or river bank.

From traditional Canadian canoes, sit on top canoes right down to basic inflatable canoes each model has affordable options and cheap canoe prices and the fact they are highly transportable and easily stored means they are responsible for getting more and more people on the water each year.

When exactly a canoe can be called a kayak is difficult to determine though and for most times the words are generally interchanged. In the strictest sense a kayak differs from a canoe in that the kayak uses a double-bladed (one on each end) paddle while canoes use a single bladed (one blade at one end and a t-grip at the other) paddle, while canoes are generally open decked and kayaks are generally closed deck.

As well as competition there are many recreational uses for kayaking including sea kayaking which is very popular in Ireland. This includes everything from day trips to much longer expeditions (including 700-mile round Ireland trips).

It may also include paddling on heavy seas, in surf, or in tidal currents, and usually requires some navigational skills. As well as being an Olympic sport the international Canoeing Federation organises the sport into different disciplines such as Paracanoe, Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom, Wildwater Canoeing, Canoe Marathon, Canoe Polo, Dragon Boat, Canoe Freestyle, Canoe Ocean Racing Canoes can be made from a variety of different building materials including wood, canvas, aluminium, fibreglass different types of plastic such as Royalex and Kevlar.