Customer Reviews

Path of the Paddle: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Canoeing

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bill Mason and son Paul really get down to basics in canoe and paddling technique in this revised soft-cover paddling manual. This book is geared to those who want to learn everything there is about flat-water and white-water travelling. It's the most definitive guidebook on the market.

I own both "Path of the Paddle" and "Song of the Paddle". These are the best books I have seen on canoeing, written by one of the best canoeists ever. They cover all facets of the canoe and how to use them properly. The "step-by-step" photos and the diagrams help teach proper techniques and the text is both informative and entertaining without becoming confusing or boring. Bill Mason and his son Paul have done a splendid piece of work and these books are a cherished addition to my personal library.

Best canoeing book on the market. Not only is it a great how to guide on canoe handling, it is an excellent read for those long winter nights for the canoe enthusiast. The book imparts Bill Mason's love of the canoe. Written by a true legend in canoeing and wilderness film making.

Path of the Paddle provides more than an instructional text, it introduces the reader to the art of canoeing. Mason infuses the practicality of the subject with a respectful dose of philosophic underpinnings that anyone who has ever slid a canoe onto the water's surface and experienced the joyful dance of boat, paddle and water will appreciate. There are many "how to" canoe books, covering the basic stokes and safety concerns, but this book conveys that information in a form that demonstrates the author's love for his craft.
If you want to become a canoeist, not only do I recommend this book, I recommend finding and getting the video of the same title.

This is the best book on canoeing ever written - no kidding! Bill Mason combines practical, hands-on advice gleaned from years of canoeing experience with the soul of an artist via his photography and painting. The total effect for those of us who are drawn to self propelled water craft is wonderful. This is a book that will draw you back again and again....

This is an almost perfect book - Bill Mason's love of the craft shines through homey but well-written prose, while his descriptions of canoe technique and rivercraft are generally clear and easy to follow. He obviously writes from a wealth of experience, which translates into solid advice without becoming needlessly dogmatic. As a technique book, I much prefer this to Jacobson's series of canoe texts (although those are reasonable in their own right); I especially appreciated his series of river scenarios and discussions of how to handle them.

I would really liked to have rated this 5-stars. However, the production could have been much improved. The b/w pictures accompanying the text are often poorly reproduced, with insufficient greyscale to allow them to be clearly interpretted. Additionally, a bit more editting might have spotted some inconsistent terms as well as other undefined terms. But all in all, this is one of my favorite canoe books. It certainly should have a place on the shelf of every serious paddler.

I've never canoed but the instructional aspects on reading and anticipating white water and current in Bill Mason's book are actually very applicable if you are paddling a long kayak (single or double) in moving water (short WW boats have more differences but some stuff still applies). I tried some of his techniques (backferry and edy out for instance) and they worked great with my short sea kayak in class II easy class III that I paddle regularly in. Passing (mostly) the "quiz" he's got on planning a path thorough rapids with obstacles was also a satisfying experience. While kayaks have some advantages over canoes for WW and allow you to do stuff you can't in a long canoe and at the same time can't do some of what you can in a canoe, much of the advice translates well to both crafts.

Great book! Not gonna make me get into a canoe -;) but a pleasure to read and the advice is sound.