Learning to Paddle Your First Cedar Strip Canoe

Buying a cedar strip canoe is a very good idea whether you want to get some exercise or to just calmly paddle your canoe on a relaxing lake once in a while. Learning to paddle, however, can be a real challenge and it has to be approached with care, as well as purchasing a quality cedar canoe paddle for the job.

The first step on your journey should be to focus on learning about the physics of a canoe and how paddling should work. Understanding the dynamics of how your canoe moves will help you have a clear picture in your mind of how the techniques you’ll be learning will help you stay safe and balanced, while also assisting you in steering your canoe better and paddling more efficiently over time.

Posture and physical condition is very important, so it’s a good idea to make sure that yours will be good. If you have problems with your back, legs or arms, or if you’re overweight and out of shape, it’s a good idea to address that before you actually try to steer your cedar strip canoe.

Next, it’s important to learn the basic strokes and paddling movements and practice them. You can do so by reading books, but it’s far better to watch videos or better yet, to have an experienced instructor show you how it’s done in person while you’re actually in the canoe.

Finally, it’s important to stick to calm waters and slower speeds at first, until you get the hang of keeping your balance and steering your canoe accurately. Doing so will allow you to gain experience and reach a point where you can easily paddle your canoe in different types of settings.