• In a canoe you sit on a raised seat with your legs bent to 90 degrees (like when you sit in a chair).

• In a kayak you sit on a seat on the bottom of the hull with your legs straight out in front of you.

• In a canoe you will usually use single paddles (although you can use a double paddle, but it will need to be longer than standard to give you the extra reach down to the water because you are sitting up higher than you would lin a kayak).

• In a kayak you will usually use double paddles (although you can use singles if required).

• In a canoe you can generally take a lot more bulky gear than in a kayak. Most canoes will be able to easily take the hard plastic 30 and 60 litre storage drums.

• In a kayak there is usually less storage space and because you have to get any gear to be stored into the kayak, you can only take smaller items and they will need to be able to fit into dry bags.

• In a sit-in kayak you will stay drier and warmer, making it more enjoyable to paddle in winter, and meaning that you can use your kayak all year round.

• On a sit-on kayak you are more likely to get wet (even with plugs blocking the drainage holes) meaning that you are more likely to get cold if you paddle through winter.

• With a sit-in kayak, you will need to be able to lower and lift yourself into and out of the kayak in a forward facing position, so some co-ordination and physical strength will be required.

• A sit-on kayak is easier to get onto for people with reduced physical capacities. For those with arthritic or range of motion issues (who will benefit from the general exercise of paddling), a sit-on kayak will allow you to sit side-on to the kayak and then to swing your legs around and into the forward facing position.

• Whilst a sit-in kayak gives you the advantage of being able to stay drier, they also have the possibility of being able to be filled with water.
  Whilst Australis watercraft will float above the waterline full of water, the weight of the water will mean that they will become heavy and will make it difficult when you have to swim it to shore to empty it out.

Tip
To get rid of water in your kayak when out on the water, carry a bailer/bucket or hand bilge pump so that you can scoop most of the water out. A sponge is great for getting rid of those last little bits of water.

• Sit-on kayaks are great for children and teenagers because they can climb onto the kayak from the water, and any water they bring over the edge as they climb back in, will drain straight out of the drainage holes, meaning that they can't fill the kayak up with water.

• A flatwater kayak is generally very flat from the front to the back of the kayak (very little rocker). This makes the kayak run straight, but makes it harder to turn.

• A sea kayak has rocker (a curve that runs the length of the kayak from the nose to the tail), which makes it much easier to turn, especially in rougher conditions

• The nose of the flat water kayak will generally sit right on the water line. It will glide over flat water, but will not lift if there is a slight wave, chop or swell.
  In choppy conditions, this type of nose will punch into the waves which will make it more difficult to paddle because it will slow you down.

• The nose of a sea kayak is generally up-swept and "rakes" back, to help it to lift over oncoming waves, swell and chop.
  This makes a sea kayak faster in rough conditions because it will lift over the wave and continue to glide.

• A flat water kayak may or may not have separate bulk-head sealed storage areas.

• A sea kayak will have at least 2 storage compartments (one in the front and one in the rear), separated from the cockpit area by bulk-heads.
  This means that if you capsize or are flooded in the open ocean, only the cockpit area will flood and not the whole kayak, so that the kayak will maintain maximum, usable floatation.

• The rudder on a flat water kayak will usually be a "trailing" rudder that reaches only a couple of inches down past the bottom of the kayak.
  This type of rudder generally does not swing up onto the rear deck of the kayak when not in use.

• A rudder on a sea kayak is usually a "drop-over" rudder, (although they can sometimes be "integrated" - see features explained).
  This type of rudder gives much deeper penetration into the water than a trailing rudder to help maintain directional control in varying water conditions.