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Canoe Parts and Terminology  A Canoes Bow: The front end of the canoe. You can easily spot the bow by looking at the seating arrangement. The front seat is located further from the end of the canoe to provide legroom for the bow paddler.
A Canoes Stern: The back end of the canoe where most of the steering is done.
The Canoes Port Side: This is the left side of the canoe, looking from the stern towards the bow.
The Canoes Starboard Side: This is the right side of the canoe, looking from the stern towards to bow.
The Beam of a Canoe : This refers to the width of the canoe at its widest point.
 The Canoe's Hull: It's the body of the canoe which sits in and displaces water and provides the canoes buoyancy.
Canoe Gunnels or Gunwales : These refer to the upper edges of the canoes sides. Wood Gunwales consist of two pieces inner & outer gunnels that sandwich the boats upper edges and are usually attached by Phillips screws. Aluminum or vinyl gunnels consist of a one-piece extrusion that is set onto the canoes upper edges and is attached by rivets.
Scuppers or Scalloped Canoe Gunnels: Elongated slots (2 to 3 inches long) are cut into the inner & outer gunnels. These slots (normally 4 each side of the carry yoke) help relieve water from the canoe when cleaning, act as fasten points and are an ascetically pleasing finishing touch to a wood trimmed canoe. Some manufactures also offer scalloped deck plates as well.
A Canoes Deck Plates: These are the triangle shaped pieces of wood that are fastened between the gunnels at either end of the canoe. They provide a convenient handhold for carrying and a place to attach a painter line.
The Canoe's Thwart: This is a cross piece which attaches to the canoe's gunnels two-thirds of the way back from the bow. A thwarts purpose is to provide structure and support to the gunnels and sides of the canoe's hull.
A Kneeling Thwart: It replaces the normal thwart (about 6 inches aft) and is fitted on an angle to better enable kneeled solo paddling as it takes weight / stress off both the paddler's knees and ankles while still providing canoe structure & rigidity.
A Deep Dish Carry or Portage Yoke: It's a centre thwart which is contoured to comfortably fit your shoulders to best support the canoes weight when solo portaging (carrying).
Canoe Seats: The bow seat is wider and is fastened to the gunnels further from the end of the canoe. The stern seat is narrowest and is fastened to the gunnels closest to the end of the canoe.
 A Canoes Keel: A narrow strip which runs along the centre of the bottom of the hull from bow to stern. Keels provide better tracking, act as a bang plate, which takes most of the bangs and wear.
Canoe Stem Bands or End Plates: Brass or aluminum strips that follow the curved ends of symmetrical canoes (asymmetrical canoes may have Kevlar stem bands but never brass or aluminum). Stem bands help prevent wear to the canoes ends through impact relief.
The Ribs of a Canoe: Shallow "U" shaped pieces that push outwards on the inside of the canoes hull to add strength & and rigidity in some canoes. Note: some quality fibreglass and Kevlar canoes do NOT have ribs as the manufacturers have chosen to add a core stiffening material to the canoesa hull instead.
We trust Frontenac Outfitters descriptions better enable YOU to understand the basic "Parts of a Canoe"! |
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