Poll Results Archive

How did you learn to paddle?
Total Votes: 374
From my parents: 9%
From friends: 11%
From a paddling school: 5%
At summer camp: 8%
From a club: 5%
At school: 2%
Paid private instruction: 1%
On my own: 55%

How old were you when you started paddling? Total votes:356
0-5: 4%
6-10: 12%
11-15: 18%
16-20: 8%
21-25: 6%
26-30: 7%
31-40: 16%
41-50: 14%
51-60: 8%
61 and older: 2%

How many overnight paddling trips have you taken in the last year?
Total votes: 62
1: 27%
2-3: 25%
4-5: 32%
6-10: 1%
More than 10: 12%

Do you belong to a paddling club?
Total Votes: 168
Yes - local club: 26%
Yes - national organization: 4%
Yes - local and national both: 11%
No: 57%

Where will your next overnight paddling trip be?
Total Votes: 245
Western United States: 20%
Midwestern United States: 22%
Eastern United States: 16%
Southern United States: 13%
Eastern Canada: 7%
Western Canada: 4%
International - warm: 4%
International - cold: 9%

Do you go paddling in the winter?
Total Votes: 229
I paddle year-round.: 41%
I paddle as long as the water is not frozen.: 27%
I can't paddle in the winter - the water is frozen.: 8%
I'd rather ski!: 10%
I stay inside and read books.: 2%
I stay inside and plan trips for next year.: 5%
I stay inside and watch TV.: 3%

What is the Next Boat You Plan to Buy?
Total votes: 213
New Touring Kayak: 25%
Used touring Kayak: 9%
New Whitewater Kayak: 7%
Used Whitewater Kayak: 9%
New Recreational Kayak: 10%
Used Recreational Kayak: 7%
New Solo Canoe: 6%
Used Solo Canoe: 4%
New Tandem Canoe: 13%
Used Tandem Canoe: 4%

How long have you been paddling?
Total Votes: 653
Less than 1 year: 29%
1 to 3 years: 18%
3 to 5 years: 11%
5 to 10 years: 9%
10 to 20 years: 13%
More than 20 years: 18%

How many days do you paddle a year?
Total votes:688
0-10: 22%
11-20: 17%
21-50: 31%
51-100: 16%
100-200: 6%
More than 200: 4%

Where is your favorite place to paddle?
Total votes: 1,194
I love gentle waters - protected lakes and harbors, or easy rivers. 29%
Flatwater is boring! Give me whitewater! 8%
The ocean is best - seeing sea life and the challenge of currents and tides. 6%
Surf's up! Find me a beach and a wave: 2%
Wilderness is what I crave. I don't care if it's lakes or rivers or ocean, as long as it's remote: 32%
All of the above - I paddle any time, anywhere I can get on the water: 20%

How many boats do you have?
Total votes: 5,041
1 canoe: 7%
1 kayak: 9%
2 canoes: 1%
2 kayaks: 7%
1 canoe, 1 kayak: 3%
2 canoes, 2 kayaks: 1%
1 canoe, 2 kayaks: 60%
2 canoes, 1 kayak: 1%
Way more kayaks!: 5%
Way more canoes!: 1%

What is the most significant paddling achievement of the last 30 years?
Total Votes: 1166
Verlen Kruger's 28,043-mile Ultimate Canoe Challenge across North America, 1980-83: 20%
Greg Barton's back-to-back gold medals in K1 and K2 1000-meter sprints just hours apart at the 1988 Seoul Olympics: 4%
Ed Gillet's 2,200-mile, 64-day solo paddle from California to Hawaii by sea kayak in 1987: 40%
Jon Lugbill's 10-year reign as C1 slalom king, 1979-1989, during which he won five world championships: 24%
Tao Berman's 98-foot world record waterfall descent in 1999: 10%