Whitewater canoe outfitting
For the best experience, whitewater canoes require some modifications. We call this 'outfitting.' It's all the extras that get your canoe ready for whitewater. Depending on your situation, this may mean buying some extra equipment and/or making it, which requires some subjective decisions based on your paddling style and comfort. We'll help you sort through all that here.
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Float bags
If we dump in a canoe—and everybody dumps—it's ideal to give the canoe a fighting chance by helping it float as high as it can in the water. That's what whitewater float bags are for. A canoe is not going to sink deep in the water if there are bags of air strapped into both ends. With the float bags most of the canoe will be above the water level, greatly reducing the risk of getting snagged up on a rock.
A float bag in an Esquif-style cage.
Canoe flotation
All canoes sold in Canada and the US will actually float without flotation, even when completely swamped. It's mandatory that manufactured canoes must have flotation built into the canoe. On composite canoes, like Kevlar, fiberglass and carbon, this is done by putting a bulkhead of sealed air in the bow and stern under the deck plate. Most plastic canoes use a clever method of adding flotation without using a bulkhead. Polyethylene (like SP3), Royalex, TFormex boats are created in large heated molds that are filled with tiny plastic beads that melt and become the boat. They do this in three layers for rigidity, but the middle layer has air bubbles infused into the plastic and when it dries, voila, flotation inside the plastic itself. Your boat won't sink, but it's going to be hard to paddle, as it will float just under the surface of the water. In a rapid, this is a recipe for it getting stuck—and stuck hard. Many canoes have been wrapped around rocks, not due to paddler error, but due to an already swamped boat floating deep in a rapid where the rocks are. This can be avoided by adding additional flotation.
They can help keep paddlers afloat
While the main reason for float bags is to protect the canoe, they do also give paddlers a shot at getting a completely swamped boat to shore without any swimming. Without weight, flotation causes the boat to ride high in water. With the weight of paddlers however, this benefit is cancelled out, and the canoe will be submerged. Now there's still a chance to stay in the boat if both paddlers keep their balance using their paddles. They can carefully paddle a fully loaded swamped canoe to shore. This tends to work best at the end of a rapid, but can be used if needed at any point. It's fun to paddle an underwater canoe to shore—it's a victorious feeling knowing that the rapid nearly swamped you but you made it all the way down without the swim.
Flotation cages
Thinking of the above scenario, where a fully loaded canoe is completely submerged and floating only by the bags, that's a lot of pressure on those bags and whatever is holding them in place. Those bags need to be very securely attached to the canoe so they don't pop out or even rip themselves out. In order to achieve this, a sort of webbed-cage is created with very strong cord tied through either tiny holes in the hull or through rivetted in wire holders. The bottom parts are tied to tie down points glued on to the floor of the canoe. This can be done at home, but if you're uncertain, there are professionals that will outfit your boat for you. Importantly, you want to make sure the holes are minimal size, located just below the gunwale, and that the cord is tightly tied.
Installing flotation cages
This is something that is surprisingly not all that hard to do, though it does take a bit of time. It just involves drilling some holes in your canoe (which will always feel odd), glueing down some D ring patches, and running some paracord through it all. That's not easily explained here, so best check out Jason Bayens' Complete guide to outfitting a canoe for whitewater video. He demonstrates the whole process.
Alternatives to commercial whitewater float bags
Float bags are crazy expensive. It is understandable that the really strong woven ones are expensive, but even the cheapest, and way too easy to fall apart ones, are expensive. We've lost around five of these cheap yet expensive ones. One alternative that we came up with, and later discovered we were not the first, is to use a large yoga ball in the float cage instead. They are made of pretty tough plastic and do the job, though they can look a little silly. You can find fair cheap ones online that will do a great job.
They are not for all canoes
According to the laws of the physical universe, polyethylene is not permitted to bond with other things. It's a lonely plastic and it resists being glued. This means that you can't glue down the tie points (called D-rings) to the canoe, and you cannot go without them. This means you cannot install canoe flotation on any boats made from Polyethylene, included SP3. While poly boats can be fantastic, seemingly indestructible canoes, for dragging around rivers, they will never make excellent whitewater boats.
Inflating float bags
It's a pain to inflate these things. Here are two tips.
Consider inflating them at your car with a tire inflator. You just need to use the adapter used to inflate beach toys. It's not a perfect fit, but it will still get air in there much faster.
If you're inflating by mouth, float bags usually have a larger opening with a flat screw top. It's much faster to blow in through that hole and cover it with your hand when taking breaths.
Float bag care
Float bags need very little care other than being careful that they aren't punctured or pop from expanding too much. You definitely want to avoid inflating them too firmly on hot days. The sun will bake these things and the air will expand, increasing the risk of bursting a seam. In hot weather, monitor your float bags to ensure they are not too tight. Also, they are less likely to be popped if the bags are still flexible. They dry out quickly, but always ensure they are fully dry before stored so they don't become a moldy mess.
Our advice
If you're running real whitewater (i.e., plenty of class II and above) use float bags. No need to put your boat at a greater risk of a wrap. We don't, however, use float bags in swifts and class I. The risk feels low to us, but you make your own call on that. We also usually carry a spare or two on trips, as a float bags could pop for many reasons—an errant stick on a portage, water pressure when a boat is pinned, etc.
For more information about canoe float bags, have a look at the WCR's An Introduction to Floatation Air Bags for Whitewater Canoeing (sic).
Stefan working away on the float bag inflation.
Painters (end ropes)
Painters is a term picked up from sailing. It's just the name for ropes that are attached to the bow and stern of a boat. They have many uses in whitewater and, in our opinion, are indispensable. In fact, painters should be considered as part of your safety gear.
Floating rope attached to the bow and stern of whitewater canoes.
Important safety reminder
Any talk about painters on canoes needs the reminder that they add risk to swimmers in whitewater. Loose ropes in the water are extremely dangerous and present an entanglement risk which could prevent a swimming from keeping their head above water. It is crucial that you use the right rope, the right ways, have it properly secured to the canoe, and that you regularly check ropes for frays or other damage. Improper handling can put you at risk.
What rope to use
Don't use just any rope! You need proper 3/8" or 1/2", double braided, polypropylene floating cord. Don't be fooled by the poly name though, as regular utility poly cords are garbage— they are difficult to handle and make terrible knots. The odd thing is, the proper high quality, floating rope needed for painters is hard to find now. Even MEC discontinued it (whilst still selling canoes) probably to make room for Yoga pant displays. The "Complete" Paddler doesn't sell it either. The only place we've been able to reliably find it is the London Paddle Shop. Good on them.
For canoe handling
A painter on the bow also a fantastic way to secure a boat whether from shore or in the water. For example, when you stop to scout and the shore incline is steep enough to cause the canoe to slip back into the water, you'll want to tie it off. Grab the painter as you exit the boat, toss the rope through a simple overhand knot around a tree and keep walking. Quick tip about that: use a regular old overhand knot but on a single loop (like you do when you tie your shoes, but you just need one loop) and you're on your way.
You can also use the painter to control a boat when in the water after a dump. It's great to have a pre-installed ropes that can be used to get the boat to shore. Moving a submerged canoe without a rope is just all around annoying, whether it's trying to swim while holding on to it or trying to push it around from another canoe. With painters, either the swimmers (in calm water) can grab and swim to shore with the rope and pull the rest from shore or a rescue boat can come pick up the line and tow the boat to shore.
If using a painter to tow a boat, the paddling rescuer should use a coastguard-approved PFD with a quick release. Never tie a painter to yourself without one. If you don't have a rescue PFD, you can put the painter once around a thwart and then kneel on the end. Usually this is strong enough to pull a submerged canoe and if anything goes wrong, like the canoe is starting to pull you into the next rapid, then move your knee and the rope will release.
Warning: grabbing a painter while in moving water adds considerable risk to your safety and while it may be tempting to try to rescue the boat in a rapid, only those with proper training and experience should ever attempt this.
For lining
With painters you have ready-to-go lines on either end of the boat, perfect for lining (see our Portaging and lining section for more info about that). They will need to be long enough for this though. We'll touch on that below. You can also line the boat down shore while loading to make room for others or to find a better spot to load. On shallow parts of a river, you might even line the boat from in the water.
For rescue
Painters can play an essential role in a rescue situation. Like any situation involving rope in the water, you need to be vigilant, which includes staying upstream of the rope, never looping the rope around your hand or any other part of you, and only connecting ropes to quick releases.
In low risk situations, such as when an empty boat is stuck in a small rapid, a painter can be used to move the boat quickly. Sometimes, time is of the essence.
Jacob once did a swift water entry upstream of a canoe that was stuck on the opposite shore and at risk of becoming wrapped. As he swam past the boat, he grabbed the painter and pulled the boat free. In this situation, a swimmer would need to be very mindful of the boat's position in the water so as to not get pinned.
After a dump, experienced paddlers may use a painter to set the canoes trajectory until the rescue boat arrives to collect the canoe. This can help ensure the boat takes the best line possible and, hopefully, avoid getting pinned or worse. This is only done safely if upstream of a canoe. A swimmer should never be downstream of a submerged canoe since there is a high risk of being pinned between it and a rock.
With some quick action, and if conditions are safe enough such as in a pool between rapids, grabbing a painter after dumping and getting to shore may save the canoe from running the next rapid and gives the paddlers the opportunity to also run the rest of the rapid.
Other uses
Rope is essential for camping. Much of the rope we use is paracord, but on occasion, when warranted, we have used painters in the campground. The most common use is at the end of the day is to use painters to tie boats on shore to a tree (or rock) and a painter is often our default for a clothes and gear hanging line. We also used them to help hoist tarps and food caches (see Cooking.) If you're base camping, painters should be prioritized for paddling and not camp.
As long as you're willing to replace them when they get frayed, painters can also be used to bundle together wood to be carried back to camp, as back up hammock straps, set up sailing rigs, and in a pinch, to tie your boat down to a car or trailer.
How long should a painter be?
Here we have a bit of a debate. Typically, the suggestion is between 15' and 20'. Either works as long as you understand the risk associated with the length chosen. Short painters are a bit safer since you will have less cord around to get tangled up in should you find yourself with it in the water. You can swim a canoe to shore with a short line and it's probably fine for towing from another boat, but they are also not as useful for tying the canoe to shore or lining.
Long painters give you more options for tying and are great for lining or use at camp, but it's a lot of rope to deal with and you'll need to be very careful with it when it's outside it's little loop bundle on the deck plate that attaches it to the canoe.
Split Rock tends to go with the length of the canoe plus a foot or two.
How to attach your painters
Use the grab handle only. This is the only place to tie them. (More on grab handles below). Do not tie it to the handle on the deck plate! If a lot of pulling pressure is put on those painters it will rip off the riveted-on deck plate long before it pulls the grab handle through the hull (the grab handle is likely to give out before that!). If you don't have grab loop handles, then install some.
What knot to use: A while back, we got into the (perhaps bad) habit of putting a semi-permanent loop at the end of our painters and we just pass the rope around the grab loop and through it's own loop and pull for a securely attached painter without any knot knowledge required. It's actually pretty great for any novice we paddle with since anyone can easily attach and unattach the painters. It's not really the 'proper' way of doing it since you shouldn't leave permanent knots in cords (if you do, inspect the knots regularly). What you should use is literally called a "bow line" knot. This Animated Knots site has a excellent example of how to tie it.
Coil your painters. This is a technique that ensures that rope can be pulled out clean without risk of it getting tangled or snagged. Boreal River Rescue has a great video on coiling ropes for rescue. For painters, you would use the "loop coil" method, and make sure that the coil is not too big, so it stays in the shock cord.
Secure your painters with a shock cord. After the painter is attached to the grab handle, the cord needs to be neatly looped into a little bundle and secured to the boat so it doesn't come loose with waves or movement. The easiest thing to do is tie a loop of stretchy shock cord around the grab handle in the deck plate as seen in the image below. The better method is to drill two holes in the deck plate parallel to the handle and add the shock cord to the deck plate with an overhand knot below each hole. That's a bit more complicated to set up.
Whatever you do, don't do silly things like tape it or zip tie it to the boat. Sometimes you'll have mere seconds to grab the painter when you need it. It's also dangerous to leave your painters loose in the boat, or just tucked in beside the flotation. That's asking for a knotty mess of unruly rope if you dump and exponentially increases entanglement risks.
What the bow of a Split Rock canoe look like.
Grab handles
Grab handles can be used for grabbing and moving or carrying a canoe—but, admittedly, it's not great to carry a canoe with these and it's not really what they're for. These handles are for situations where you're towing, lining or "unstucking" the boat. As discussed above, there are situations where you may attach a rope to the grab handle, such as attaching painters. They also play a critical role in rescue (see Safety).
By looping the these grab handle ropes through the hull itself, you've made a very strong contact point for rescue (and even for tying down a canoe to a car or trailer). If a canoe is pinned, an incredible amount of pulling force is needed to release it, often through a Z-drag set up which gives extra mechanical advantage. Anything else you could tie it a rope to, the deck plate, seats, thwart etc., would all be ripping off like it was nothing. This little loop through the bow and stern hull can take the extremely high tension.
Tying your own
One big no-no in adding grab handles (and this happens to be done by companies like Esquif) is to secure the grab handle with just two overhand knots in the inside stopping the rope from popping through the smaller hole. This is fine for carrying the boat, but if this grab handle ever needs to be use in a rescue Z-drag set up with pulleys which can exert over a tonne of tension on that loop, it'll just rip the hole a little bigger and out pops the knot. The proper way is to make a continuous loop using something like a double fisherman's knot, or a square knot (You can look up how to do those here).
Material
Typically grab handles are made from the same braided floating rescue cord we mentioned above but there are other options. For hand comfort you could use 1/2" rather than 3/8". Again no utility poly cord and don't use climbing cords which aren't great at keeping a knot in them forever (this is one case where a permenant knot is ok!) Black painters, by the way, aren't a great idea. High-viz colours are ideal to help you in finding the grab loop underwater if the canoe is pinned. We haven't upgraded the grab loop below yet.
Location
You can see in the image below where Esquif drills the hole for painters. You'll definitely not want to go any close to the outer edge than this. Some go in a bit deeper.
An Esquif factory installed grab handle.
Thigh straps
Whoever was the first to try this was one brave dude. It turns out that it's not actually that dangerous to strap your legs into a canoe while you're at risk of tipping over in tumultuous water—but ya, it sounds bonkers. Thigh straps offer a canoe paddler incredible control over the angle of the canoe that is separate from the paddle. All sharp turning maneuvers in whitewater should be done with appropriate leaning into the turn and that's really hard to set without thigh straps.
Thigh straps also help help you become part of the boat, so to speak. Some really strong strokes may cause your knee to slip off the knee pad, or cause your offside knee to rise up. You can also pull off reaching braces, which look fantastic, with the confidence that you won't fall out of the boat.
Fortunately, thigh straps, when applied properly, become loose when you put your knees together and you can fall out of them easily if you dump. They do, however, add a potential entanglement risk, so never use thigh straps without a river rescue knife attached to your PDF and easily accessible.
Skid plates
Whitewater canoes will endure a lot of damage over their long lifetimes, but one kind of wear that they don't take very well is the abrasion on the bow and stern from landings. You can try to avoid this by being more careful to not do sliding shore landings, and avoiding dragging the canoe, but as cautious as you try to be, the bottom of the bow and stern will be slowly sanded down. The solution for this is to put something else on those spots that will take the abrasion a bit better and is replaceable. It kind of works like a screen protector that will take the scratches and then you can replace your screen protector, rather than the screen.
Skid plates are made of Kevlar and installed with a resin similar to that used with fiberglass repair. How long they will last completely depends on how much use the canoes experience. Have a look at the Northern Scavenger's "How to make your canoe more durable" video on how to install them.
Skid plate on the bottom of an Esquif Pocket Canyon.