The first thing you should do, if you've never been in a canoe together, is to go to a lake near your home that has a canoe rental business. It won't matter what kinds of canoes they've got—beater aluminum Grummans with plastic paddles will work just fine. Take the canoe out and just mess around—you won't need anything but the most basic book instruction for this in terms of how to sit and paddle. You'll do fine, and probably have a blast poking along the shore and looking at ducks.

	Jonathan Hanson Jonathan Hanson Jonathan Hanson is a paddler and writer whose lifelong appreciation of nature shows up frequently in his work. Meet Jonathan Previous Answers

If that whets your appetite for more, the best next step is a course taught by an outdoor school. Such an experience will do more than anything else to gel in both your minds what you want out of the sport. You'll also get a much better idea of what type of canoe and ancillary equipment will suit you when you make the decision to buy your own. Two suggestions: If you think you might be drawn to canoe tripping and camping, call the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School in Maine at (888) 552-3261. They run several classes, from a half-day introduction to a great seven-day trip down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, which will give you a chance to hone your skills on both lakes and mild rivers. If you're looking for more aggressive whitewater paddling, try the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, North Carolina, at (800) 232-7238. They offer a bunch of river classes ranging from basic instruction to serious rescue situations.

Professional instruction is not mandatory—many, many people have learned canoeing entirely on their own. But it does give you a significant jump-start on technique and experience, and enables you to make informed gear choices early on. The latter attribute has the potential of saving you as much money as you spent on the classes.

When you're ready to buy your own boat and paddles, don't scrimp on quality. If you're on a tight budget, you're much better off buying top-quality used gear than cut-rate new stuff.

Good luck and have fun,

—Jonathan

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