Canoa

Canoa is a lightweight, narrow watercraft with typically pointed ends that is propelled by one or more paddlers using a single-bladed paddle. It is open-topped or decked, and can accommodate two or more people; weight and stability vary with size and design. Canoes are used on rivers, lakes, and coastal waters where the water depth allows.

Most canoes are symmetric in cross-section and are designed for efficiency in straight tracking and maneuverability. Traditional dugout canoes are carved from a single log; modern versions are built from aluminum, fiberglass, kevlar, rotomolded plastic, or wood. They may be outfitted with seats and thwarts; some are designed for whitewater, others for long-distance trekking or racing. Propulsion is normally with paddles, but small outboard motors are sometimes used.

Canoes have a long history in many regions. Dugout canoes are among the oldest watercraft, dating back thousands of years in the Americas and elsewhere. Indigenous peoples used canoes for transport, fishing, trade, and exploration. In the Amazon basin, river peoples rely on canoas of various shapes, while in North America, the Canadian canoe and birchbark and dugout varieties were central to travel and commerce before European colonization.

Variants include flatwater canoes optimized for speed on calm water, touring canoes designed for long journeys, whitewater canoes for rapid rivers, and racing canoes. Seating arrangements vary, from solo to three or more paddlers, with different hull profiles for stability or speed.

Etymology: The word canoe derives from Caribbean languages, with cognates in several European languages, including the Spanish canoa and Portuguese canoa. The term entered Western languages through contact with Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and North America.