Canoeing - Ray Goodwin

The first edition of this book received a lot of praise, that’s why I pre-ordered this second edition long before it was published.PRESENTATION: The book’s presentation is flawless: high gloss paper, beautiful photographs and drawings. Five star! Personally I don’t like pages that are only written half-full or even less, containing a lot of blank spaces. Why loosing place? To increase the number of pages and the price? But that’s a detail.CONTENTS: A) Beginner - If someone is planning to buy a canoe and wants to learn first what it’s all about before taking a decision: five stars. There is a lot to read and learn on Internet, but then again, some like books better and I agree. This book tells it all though in my opinion the text is not thorough enough, not exhaustive enough here and there to enlighten a beginner. For example: a flat bottom canoe has a very good primary stability and a bad secondary stability. Why? A drawing would have cleared this easily. This paddle is for shallow waters, this one for lakes, etc. Why? Canoes’ materials and their pros and cons are not exhaustively described. The explanation for the choice of a paddle’s length is deplorable, but a serious salesman will help anyway.As a conclusion I would say a beginner is more interested in learning the basics, leaving the second half of the book for later. Those basics are not covered in depth; it’s an introduction, an overview. On the other hand, once he/she has a canoe, he/she will benefit a lot from the second half of the book. B) A confirmed canoeist will skip the first half and find in the second half things he didn’t even imagine they existed before: swims and rescues f.i. Five stars!Not a single word about canoeing at sea! Why? Am I the only one around canoeing at sea? Sailing rigs are nicely described, but nothing about outriggers neither rowing rigs or motor mounts. A pity! A canoe is such a multi-talented boat! The last chapter “Canoe country” is just a page-filler add-on. I would have written about those accessories instead.Whatever my remarks, a very nice, five star book!

What is there left unsaid about canoeing? Why this book? In his own words Ray Goodwin says this book was written "standing on the shoulders of giants". This is a very practical book written with the experience and wisdom of an expert practitioner - but the real value of this book is not it's technical accuracy - after all, there are only so many ways of using a paddle! The real value is the way the author allows his personality to come through. Rather than a manual you feel like you have a coach by your side, which is refreshing!The book covers a broad range of topics covering canoe anatomy, history, techniques, tripping & safety and plenty more besides, accompanied by crisp, sequenced photos that clearly illustrate the point in question.Anecdotes and personal experience are shared throughout the book that really help to bring it to life. The experience, passion and enthusiasm of the author is infectious and, ironically, inspires you to put the book down and pick your paddle up!

This book tells me everything I need to know.Great presentation. Loads of pictures.

As expected, well written, informative book even for an experienced kayaker

This book is a definitive work on the traditional open canoe, from a true master of the sport. Anyone considering this genre of paddling would be well advised to get a copy. It has clear helpful explanations and beautiful photographic illustration. This book truly exudes friendliness, just as Ray does himself. All I can finish with its well worth buying and reading!

Great book. Learnt loads from it 😀👍

This is a lovely book, well produced, and with loads of useful and interesting stuff. A small gripe - as an actual beginner, I find the techniques section illustrations far from clear. Photographs of a man in a canoe, at four different stages of doing a particular stroke, with no close-ups to show (for instance) hand position, no arrows to show movement and no way of seeing under the waterline to understand paddle angles - it would all be so much more useful with the addition of a few simple diagrams. I suspect that most of the other reviewers are already experienced paddlers and so can look at these sequences or read the descriptive text and know what they are getting at. I know there is no substitute for learning in person, but a good book is very useful for consolidation, I find, and the addition of simple diagrams would make this one perfect! It’s still a great book, though, and I would recommend it.

An absolutely fantastic book. Very well written with great pictures. Covers everything from your first paddle onwards. Brilliant tips and advice. I look forward to coming back to this book time and time again. What makes it even better is it's a bit of escapism when I'm not canoeing.

Excellent addition for anyone who loves to Paddle!

Bello bello e interessante, se ami la canoa, è da leggere.

Many years ago when I started paddling I bought Bill Mason's "Path of the Paddle" to learn what I was doing wrong. If I was an aspiring paddler today I would start with Ray Goodwin's book. Bill Mason's book was good but "Canoeing" addresses the same topics with more up-to-date techniques and copious illustrations. In addition to the basics of controlling the boat and reading the river Ray addresses the important topics of how to stay out of trouble and what to do if and when it arrives (aka Swims and Rescues). He even devotes a chapter to the arcane art of Poling but I do not think that is something I will ever get good at!

This truly is the best how-to book on modern canoeing available. Many colored photos illustrate strokes and maneuvers are combined with a terse text which make it a must for serious paddlers.The author has taught canoeing in Britain for years, been decorated by the British government for his efforts, and has produced numerous videos many of which are available on YouTube.

Questo libro si propone come guida moderna al mondo della canoa, in sostituzione di "path of the paddle" di Bill Mason. Il libro effettivamente si dimostra interessante ed innovativo su molti aspetti: non si limita a spiegare le tecniche utilizzate dall'autore ma, dove possibile, spiega o almeno accenna alle altre possibilità, a ciò che fanno altri canoisti o a ciò che è più utilizzato in altre regioni. Inoltre si focalizza più su dove deve andare la canoa, rispetto a cosa fare con la pagaia in ogni singolo istante.Nel complesso ho apprezzato moltissimo il cambio di prospettiva rispetto ai molti libri di canoa letti finora: dal libro è chiaro che qualunque cosa fatta in canoa può essere fatta in molti modi e non solo come pensa l'autore. Per i canoisti esperti è una lettura piacevole che permette di cambiare prospettiva; è inoltre pieno di nuovi spunti di riflessione. Per il canoista principiante, invece (unica pecca del libro, a mio avviso) manca una descrizione accurata della posizione delle mani e delle bracia durante i vari "strokes", sempre perché si focalizza l'attenzione sul percorso della canoa.In conclusione ritengo questo libro rappresenti la più valida alternativa ai libri di Bill Mason, insuperabili ma ormai arretrati.