C-Forum

The biggest reason more people pick kayaks to learn on? $$$. My first kayak was free, its way easier to borrow a kayak, and I can buy a kayak that will get me down just about anything for $100. Try buying a canoe you trust in class V for that. You can't. Our company KG boat has been abused for years, including plenty of manky creeking, and it's still going strong. My Maxim is half duck tape, and the Prelude I just bought cracked after a week on the Ocoee. Which is awesome for the most expensive thing I've purchased save for cars (and most of those were less than a new open boat). So if you are young and broke, kayaking has a much much lower barrier for entry. I'm sure that the situation is going to get better now that Rx is gone, the price of a used boat is only going to go up.

Definitely less boats out there, BUT if you are willing to go "old school" lots of boats for cheap, be they $50 Gyramax, Slashers, or some old slalom race boat. Does it take a bit more looking? Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if there were 100 kayaks for every c1 out there (or more...)... and likely 10 kayaks for every open boat. Lots of kayaks sold cheap that are death traps too, though (plastic so thin they'll crack on you... and if you are a beginner pushing your limits and not really knowing how to handle the water your in, this can get ugly fast).

On the flip side for price, to a certain point C1's and OC1's do hold their value. You can put down $400 on a boat, paddle it for a few seasons, and if you haven't made it much worse likely get $400 back out of it. Good luck with that in a kayak....

Thankfully for either if you ask around you can generally find someone to take you under their wing (and loan boats / gear potentially) if you are young, enthusiastic, and polite.

Boat cost wise, I don't we'll every see the plastic canoes for the same price as kayaks. Just not enough volume to make it worthwhile. As it is a number of the canoe manufacturers don't make much (if any) on their WW boats... their $ comes from their flat water lines. Thankfully for us they are die hard WW paddlers who are willing to break even to bring a new boat to our small market.

I still think the real evolution will continue to be in composite boats, due to the other shapes that are moldable (that you can't in plastic), as well as customizing to your weight. Plus building your own boat in your backyard is still doable (and easier than every) for anyone who is willing to learn and put in the time to do so.

The fewer canoeists there are, the better I become by default and lack of competition. So I think it's a good thing. Why if I had the money, I would buy up all of the canoes, and then I would become the best canoeist on the planet!

Johnd, sounds more like extinction...

The reason that I picked OC-1 and C-1 to learn on, back in 1974, was that there were NO kayaks that would accept my 6' 5" twisted leg frame with acceptable safety.

The first kayak that sufficed, minimally, was the Perception Dancer XT, and it totally sucked.

About the same time, I bought the c-1 version of the Noah Magma from Vladimir, for $100. Later I glassed a huge Prijon rim onto it, and learned kayak roll in it. Magma was brilliant in some ways. Though too narrow to be a c-1 (owners HATED them), it was a fast kayak with a flattish bottom and rather hard chines. Like Noah's c-1s, but more radical. Tricky handling, though.

By '93, Perception offered a version of the Corsica where I could hack the thigh braces for safe entry and exit. Much, much better than the Dancer XT, but porky on a citizen race slalom course.

Dagger Animas is the most comfy kayak I have ever owned, though too roly poly as a c-1. But the Animas thigh brace and front wall location assembly still makes wet exit a bit dangerous.

Kayak fit problems for really tall, twisted persons continue. I can get in an Axiom 9, but it's so chancy that I'm reluctant for safety reasons. I'm hoping to try a Jackson Zen, and recommend it for consideration for conversion.