>>1415162>Can handle light rapids but nothing too extremedepends on the boat and the paddlers
I regularly hit class 3 rapids with my buddies and occasional 4.
My boat is 18' and beamy, it's way too much for me to solo handle a 2 , but 3s are easy with even a novice in the bow. My friends boat is 15.5' with a narrow beam and much easier to maneuver.
It's pretty fun to pass a group of rafters on the river who are wearing helmets and life jackets, when your buddy and you are in a rigid boat and using your PFDs as cushions.
A 13-14.5' solo canoe will do any water you can navigate in a kayak or raft.
15+' canoe with a experienced paddler in the stern and novice in the bow will be fine up to class 3, the better the bow paddler the harder water you can do.
among my friends and I the stern calls where to go, bow is mostly power stroke but really makes turns happen through back paddling if it's sharp or tight (also easy to fuck up). Stern can back paddle in drops to keep the bow dry, fucking up in the stern can make the bow paddler really hate you especially when they get a lap full of water.
if you have a good working relationship between the bow and stern paddler, you can get pretty much any canoe through any navigable water .
