CanoeSport Outfitters

Copyright © July 2026 by CanoeSport Outfitters | Est. 1992 | 34 Years Serving Iowa Paddlers Of all the skills a paddler can develop on moving water, few are as elegantly useful as the ferry. Whether you're in a tandem canoe loaded for a week-long wilderness trip, a solo whitewater kayak bobbing above a rapid, or a sea kayak crossing a tidal race, the ferry is the technique that allows you to move laterally across a current without being swept downstream. It is, without exagge

Paddling upstream efficiently has very little to do with raw strength and almost everything to do with where you choose to put your boat. A river is not a uniform conveyor belt moving at one speed from bank to bank. It is a complex, constantly varying system of fast and slow water, and learning to read that system is the foundation of effective upstreaming.

Copyright © May 2026 by CanoeSport Outfitters | Est. 1992 | 34 Years Serving Iowa Paddlers The forward stroke is the foundation of kayak paddling. It is the stroke you will use thousands of times on any meaningful day on the water, and the one that most paddlers never really examine after their first few sessions. A well-executed forward stroke is not just more efficient — it is less fatiguing, easier on the joints, and faster over distance than the arm-dominant, muscle-it-

Ask ten paddlers why they're on the water and you'll get ten different answers. This is one of the most remarkable things about paddling as a pursuit. Here's a look at the many reasons people fall in love with paddling — and why, if you haven't found your reason yet, you likely will.

Mastering the Sweep Stroke Forward & Reverse Kayak Techniques for Beginning To Intermediate Paddlers Copyright © April 2026 by CanoeSport Outfitters | Est. 1992 | If there is one family of strokes that forms the true backbone of maneuvering a kayak, it’s the sweep stroke. Whether you are a beginner learning to turn in flat water or an experienced paddler peeling out of a river eddy, understanding how to execute a clean forward and reverse sweep will transform the way you move

The Key To Safety On The River Is To Control Your Kayak Or The River Will Control You Published © March 2026 by CanoeSport Outfitters | Est. 1992 | 34 Years Serving Iowa Paddlers There's a certain magic to drifting down an Iowa river on a warm afternoon — paddle across your lap, sun on your face, letting the current do the work. It's one of the simplest pleasures paddling has to offer, and on most Iowa waterways, that laid-back approach works just fine. The rivers are gentle,