Solo Inside and Outside Landings

Landing a canoe against a dock, river bank, or rock outcrop is an important skill when out for the day or in the middle of a longer trip. Before you start practicing landings make sure you are comfortable with paddling solo in a straight line. Make sure you can go at least 25m with very little deviation.

To start with I want to clarify what I mean by inside/outside landings. People often find the terminology 'inside/outside' confusing when dealing with landings since they are thinking about the shore not the paddler and canoe. The direction that you turn is the same as an inside or outside turn or circle on open water:

Outside Turn	Inside Turn
Outside: The turn is away from the solo paddling side (or stern side in tandem *). This means that the paddle is between the canoe and dock at the end of the maneuver.	Inside: The turn is towards the solo paddling side (or stern side in tandem). This means at the end of the landing the paddle is on the far side from the dock.

Landings:

The 'right way' to execute a landing depends a little on conditions, where you need to land, and having time to practice - what works for me may not work for others. I have assumed you are using a symetric canoe with some rocker and some tumbleholm. If you are in a canoe with a straight keel line and a v-bottom you will find turns and landings more difficult. The following provides a starting point and some alternative options.

Inside Landings

Most people find inside landings easier to execute when just starting.

1. With less than 1/2 of a canoe length to the dock initiate the turn with a reverse sweep. A partial reverse sweep, no more than half way, is usually good enough. If you are coming in on an angle a hard 'J' or 'C' will probably be enough. Make sure you have a good heel (tilt) on the canoe. Moving your weight slightly forward might also help.
2. As your canoe comes around level out the canoe to stop the turn. Use a light backstroke with a little sculling draw to stop the canoe.

A common problem here is to much continued motion towards the dock. It is kind of cool to 'bump' the dock but it also shows lack of control. The reverse sweep is appropriate for landings because you want to stop the forward motion of the canoe; unlike an inside turn where you want to continue forward motion.

When you have this landing working well try initiating the turn with a running bow draw (duffek), or cut. Freak out your friends and prove you really are a contortionist by using a cross bow jam with the canoe still heeled to the inside.

Outside Landings

The outside landing is a little tricker to master. This is because the turn is often initiated with a sweep which adds to the forward motion, unlike the inside landing where the reserve sweep stops the canoe. For this reason, when you are comfortable with the canoe motion, using a cross cut, or jam may work better. The second set of strokes are just alittle harder to execute correctly. The jam requires deep water.

1. When approaching the dock initiate the turn with a forward sweep and heel the canoe well. As the canoe starts to turn transition to a running draw behind your paddling position to pull the back end around and stop the forward motion. The turn is generally started a little less than one canoe length away from the dock. If you are coming in on an angle than 1/2 canoe length should be OK. Shifting your weight a little forward also helps. A good heel is important to executing this maneuver.
2. As your canoe comes around parallel to to the dock level out the canoe (remove heel) and back stroke enough to stop the canoe. Depending on the speed you may have to apply a pry or push away alittle to the stern.

Over rotation is the biggest problem I find with this landing along with stopping the overall motion towards the dock. Removing the heel as you come around and adding a small push away behind you will help.

When you feel comfortable you can try two alternatives to initiate the turn: a) Initiate with a jam or forward running pry (look really cool and do this one handed). Initiating with a Jam is probably the hardest of the landing maneuvers. b) Initiate with a cross cut or forward running cross draw (cross duffeck). When to use these depends on conditions, water depth, shoreline (dock), and your abilities. The most difficult thing about using these alternatives is stopping the forward motion of the canoe.

Weight Turns:

I have found practicing weight turns very helpful when working on solo turns and landings. These turns give you a feel for how the canoe is going to turn anyway; with practice you can actually do landings without a paddle.

A weight turn is basically turning the canoe without using a paddle using the subtle direction and momentum already in the canoe from the last stroke (or two). You can turn the canoe and control the turn rate using just your weight.

Practice on a on a calm, wind free, lake. Start by paddling in a straight line then pull your paddle out of the water and heel the canoe over. It should turn one way (or the other) depending on the how the canoe is running. The key with weight turns is the ability to move your weight and adjust the amount of heel.

When the is canoe weighted it will have have some natural tendancy to turn based on the amount of heel and pitch (see edging). Except in extreme cases any existing inertia and force from the paddle will overwhelm this natural tendency. The trick is to have all of the forces work together when possible.

To slow or stop the rate of turn level the canoe (no heel) to increase the drag on the stems of the canoe. Weighting the back end of the canoe also slows the turn in some cases. Conversly un-weighting the back end of the canoe by moving forward, slightly, will allow the back of the canoe to swing or wash out freely. Increasing the amount of heel will excentuate this effect.

• To do an outside turn use a straight forward stroke for the last stroke.
• For an inside turn use a 'J', it may have to be a slightly stronger 'J' than normal, or 'C' as the last stroke.

When first trying out weight turns just pull your paddle out and see where things go. Control the speed of the turn by adjusting the amount of heel on the canoe. Try moving your weight backward and forward to see how different positions change the rate and direction of the turn. With practice you can actually get the canoe to turn the direction you want without the last stroke cheat.

Outside Weight Turn

Inside Weight Turn

Here are a few additional clips

• Outside weighted reverse (overhead)
• Inside weighted turn
• Inside weighted reverse (overhead)
• Outside weighted turn
• Outside weighted turn (overhead)
• Inside weighted turn reverse (2)
• Inside weighted turn reverse (1)
• Outside weighted turn reverse
• Outside weighted turn reverse (overhead)

Final Thoughts:

• Start slow - almost all paddling manoeuvers work just as well slowly as quickly sometimes even better. But not too slowly! landings and other manoeuvers require some initial speed.
• Heeling the canoe allows the canoe to turn. Moving your weight forward (a bit) lets the back end swing faster.
• It is easier to turn to the same side as your canoe is heeled.
• Removing the heel slows the turn.
• Moving your weight backward slows the turn but also may change the direction of an outside to inside when the canoe is well heeled over. It is possible to complete a weight S-turn
• Once you have mastered landings going forward try them in reverse.

^*I have always referenced the stern paddler when determining 'inside' or 'outside'. Some authors and paddling organizations reference the bow paddler.

Back to Home Page
Back to my Canoe Instruction WWW page
Paddle Manitoba Home Page

If you have any questions or comments please send me Email: burc...@cc.umanitoba.ca