: ..... can mean an uncomfortable paddling position for someone
: sitting on the floor. That's why so many paddle in a kneeling
: position if they aren't sitting on seats.

Might not be a bad idea to throw in a word about seating since there are lots of options in canoes; you can go anywhere from no seat at all to a La-Z-Boy. My Merlin is set up marathon racer style, with a sliding bucket on a pedestal and a foot brace. The sliding seat is for fine-tuning boat trim, and the foot brace connects you to the boat in a very kayak-like fashion when you hook your toes under it.

It is exceedingly easy for me to hook my toes under the foot brace and lay back so I can instantly pass under obstacles as low as ~30" off the water.

The high seated position allows you to get your feet under you, which then enables you to rise and stand, which makes getting in and out so very easy as compared to a kayak where you are so entirely committed to your sit bones with your legs and feet extended far in front of you.

In the photo below, you might imagine where it's very east to stand, sit, or kneel as the spirit moves you while on the water. Kneeling seriously connects you to the boat for maximum control/stability; just the thing for hitting rapids or larger waves. I can come out of the seat and into a kneeling stance in one second or less.