They use the river's forces to their advantage, instead of letting the river work against them. A large part of any river boating, especially canoeing or kayaking, is river reading. This is knowledge of which all river boaters should be intimately familiar. Small-boat characteristics River boating is not as easy as it looks. The best place to learn river boating is to start on a pond or small lake.
All boats operate differently, especially on moving water.
These two types of boats are commonly found on our rivers. Flat-bottom boats were not designed to cut through large waves or strong currents. Their stability depends on their size. John boats less than four feet wide can capsize easily. Flat-bottom boats also have less carrying capacity than other boats of their size.