Canoe Poling - the other side of canoeing

Stand tall and carry a canoepole

There is an old saying that you should never stand in a canoe. The people who say that have obviously never heard of canoe poling. Instead of sitting with a paddle, you stand and use a long pole to move the canoe. Poling makes it easy to push upstream, move slowly through difficult rapids, or slip across shallow water.

Poling started with the wilderness trippers of northern Maine, but it definitely has a following around here. I am fortunate to have a group of friends that likes canoe poling. The best boat for poling is a tandem tripping canoe - 16 to 18 feet long, with a 32 to 36 inch beam. Canoepoles are usually about 12-feet long. They are traditionally made of wood, but can also be aluminum. 

Floating down calm water

To get started, find some shallow water where you can get the feel of standing in your canoe. Stand just aft of center. Keep your head over the center of the canoe, and feet shoulder width apart. Use your legs as shock absorbers, bending at the knees and hips as you rock your canoe back and forth.

Once you feel comfortable standing in the canoe, it is time to start on forward movement. The easiest skill to learn is the windmill stroke. Grip the pole in the center with both hands and alternate paddling from side to side like a kayak stroke. You can also practice turning the canoe with forward and reverse sweeps on both sides of the canoe.

Pushing upstream

Once you feel comfortable with that, you ready to push. Stand just aft of center with your feet shoulder width apart. Drop the pole so it is firmly planted on the bottom, a few feet behind where you are standing. This will put the pole between a 30 to 45 degree angle from vertical. With your offside hand on top, slide your hands up as high as you can on the pole. Then begin to lower your body weigh as if you were going to sit in a chair, at the same time start pushing your pole straight back. You will feel the canoe move forward. To recover the pole for another push, move the pole up with your top hand as it slides through your bottom hand.

Now it is time to apply your new skills to moving water. The trim of your canoe is very important when traveling upstream. Stand slightly aft of center to lighten the bow and weight the stern. The canoe will act like a weather vane helping to maintain a straight course.

Snubbing downstream

Going downstream you remain in control by using a technique called snubbing. Instead of using the pole to move the boat forward, you use it as a brake to slow or even stop your descent. Again, trim is important and you will want to move forward to lighten the stern and weight the bow when snubbing. With the pole out in front, use the pole to slow your decent, using your arm as shock absorbers. As the current rushes pasts, you will be moving downstream slowly and with precise control.

Poling can be hard work and a little frustrating at first, but before you know it, poling will become second nature. So get out there, grab a pole, and discover the other side of canoeing.

A poling cruise in the Farmington River

Links:

Canoepole from a 12-foot closet rod. 

Aluminum canoepoles from Hayden Canoepole Company.