A Canoe is a Canoe is a Canoe

The other day, a friend made the comment to me that although there are some differences here and there in it's design, in the end, a canoe is a canoe. That got me to thinking about how different canoes and kayaks can really be - and would a canoe still be a canoe, by any other name?

We know about the traditional boat making methods and designs from history to modern times: From dugouts to birchbark to wood and canvas; from aluminum to fibreglass; then on to the various plastics and other modern materials such as Kevlar®, Carbon-Kevlar®; or even the stunning Barracuda® cloths of today. But what about making a canoe or kayak from the rind of a huge squash?!!

Take for instance the pumpkin. Not the usual material to make a boat from, right?! Well, tell that to the many who paddle giant pumpkins every year...

Or how about the coffin as a canoe? Sounds creepy, I know. But it's been done!

Apparently canoes are not always made to merely float, either. In 1947 Britain introduced the MSC, a Diving Canoe, built secretly for wartime attacks on ships in enemy harbours. Note: MSC was the acronym for Motorized Submersible Canoe.

But even when we want to see what's underneath, most of us want to stay on top of the water when we paddle. And so a perfectly transparent canoe will surely provide a much more comfortable experience then that submarine canoe, the MSC.

Then there are canoes and kayaks made from paper, cardboard, or even blue tarps, where the optimal load capacity - as well as over-all design and function - varies greatly. Probably best to stay away from the rocks in these boats!

These are all pretty weird canoes and kayaks, you will have to admit, but this one is my personal favourite.... it's an inflatable canoe... that doubles as a cloak. Yep... you read that right. It's a Cloak Boat, otherwise known as a Halkett Boat. According to Wikipedia: "Halkett's first design was a collapsible and inflatable boat made of rubber-impregnated cloth. When deflated, the hull of the boat could be worn as a cloak, the oar used as a walking stick, and the sail as an umbrella. This was followed by a two-man craft that was small enough to fit into a knapsack, and when deflated served as a waterproof blanket." For some reason, it failed to be a commercial success...

But at the end of the day, the weirdest (and probably worst) canoe there ever is to paddle... is one that is sinking! Hey! Somebody get this guy a bailer, would 'ya?!!

Do you have any images of a canoe/kayak as weird and wonderful as these?!! Send us your picture(s) and we just may post it here!

Image Sources:
diving canoe source: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/
coffin canoe source: http://richardtulloch.wordpress.com/
clear canoe source: http://surferjerry.com/
pumpkin canoe source: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/
sinking canoe source: http://users.xplornet.com/~osprey/
Boat Cloak source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halkett_boat
tarp kayak source: http://www.shelter-systems.com/kayak.html
cardboard boat source: http://www.thecardboardboatbook.com/