Hi,

I haven't built or paddled a double, but I have a couple observations that may be useful.

First, I tend to think that a nice double will be more likely an advantage for you than otherwise when compared to two singles. My wife and I have been paddling two singles for years. We are both experienced paddlers, and both fit. However, our natural paces on the water have never matched, nor have our comfort levels with regard to water conditions. I am invariably at least a bit faster, and quite a bit more tolerant of rough water. My experience and my observations of other couples leads me to believe that it is highly unlikely that you and your wife will progress similarly in paddling strength and psychology. If you are in two singles, accommodation of one another's skills and comfort levels will almost certainly require significant effort, perhaps significant enough to detract from the fun you should be enjoying. If you are in a double, the stronger more comfortable paddler will by proximity provide support and assistance to the other, and as others have indicated, a good double is more efficient at covering distance, albeit with a sacrifice in maneuverability. A good double will also be more comfortable in rougher water for a more nervous paddler. The main reason my wife and I still have two singles is that we store them on the deck of a sailboat, and a double simply would not work. We only do day paddles, so the mismatch in pace and comfort are not a big deal. If we were doing longer multi-day paddles, the situation would be dramatically different.

All that being said, double canoes and kayaks have been referred to as "divorce boats", at times for good reason. The conflicts that can erupt, especially in white water, are legendary. I think that the lesson here is that you will want to be very careful and supportive with one another while learning the sport. Steady progress will be preferable to scaring the bejesus out of one another by tackling too much too early.

Last fall, my wife and I met a couple in Waterton Park in the Rockies. They had a really nice looking stitch and glue double which I naturally complemented them on, and struck up a conversation about. They were and older couple, with years of paddling experience, many years of which were in singles. They built their double a couple years earlier specifically for the reasons of paddling pace and boat efficiency mentioned above. They loved their double, and would not consider going back to singles. They trailered the boat on a modified boat trailer which could also carry other gear beneath the boat. The setup was super light as trailers go - it could be moved around loaded with one hand lifting the hitch. They towed it behind a VW camper with ease but it would have towed behind anything you could put a hitch onto. Since the boat was only about four feet or so off the ground, it was dead easy to load.

My vote would be to go for the double. If you are careful how you introduce yourself to its use, you should have a ball with it. You might want to try to borrow or rent a good one (not a plastic barge only 18 feet long) to see how you both like the activity before diving into construction of a stripper.

Good luck with it,

Best regards,

Allan Edie