Although usually not considered a canoe, the dragon boat is the largest craft in existence that uses detached paddles (instead of oars).
Interestingly, boating with this design of "canoe" is also the fastest growing team water sport in the world.
Origins It seems that dragon boating started in China perhaps as far back as 7,000 years ago.
The boats apparently were built to represent water deities.
Mythology was important in China at the time, so the boats were built to appear as dragons...
and they likely developed gradually over the centuries into today's designs.
The boats themselves were originally made from several hollowed out logs lashed together, and the paddles were carved from trees.
Common legend has it that a Chinese poet named Qu Yuan committed suicide 2,500 years ago in the Miluo River as a protest over government corruption at the time.
The townspeople raced out to try and retrieve him before the fish ate on him, so now, festivals and dragon boat races are held all over the world in commemoration (loosely) of this event.
Dragon Boat Description Over the centuries dragon boats were built in many sizes and shapes, and were used for both spiritual and competitive purposes.
Throughout the years dragon boats have been built to hold from 8 paddlers to over 100 paddlers.
In recent years, the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was formed to standardize on dragon boat design.
As a result, two design standards were created:

1. The standard Model 1222, which is 40 feet long and holds 20 paddlers (10 to a side), plus the "drummer" (or caller) in the bow of the boat, and a "tiller" (steerer) in the stern of the boat.
   
2. The smaller Model 912, which is 30 feet long and holds from 8 to 12 people (10 paddlers, a drummer, and a tiller).
   

These are the boats we see participating today, although occasionally a festival will have an exhibition boat that holds up to 50 paddlers or so.
Races In ancient China, dragon boat races were usually held at water festivals, and the competition was sometimes physical in nature, with rocks and debris thrown at each other.
A swamped boat with drowning paddlers was considered the will of the water dragon and a fair trade for valuable rainfall and healthy crops.
Fortunately, today's races are much more civilized, and the IBDF recognizes two basic forms of racing:

1. Festival racing, which consist of sprint races up to 500 meters.
   
2. Sport racing, which is more for "professional" racers, with race lengths up to 2000 meters.
   Sport racing has very formal rules, while festival races are more informal.
   

There are various classes of races, by age and experience, from youth races to senior citizen, novice to professional, all male, all female, and mixed crews.
These races have grown in popularity dramatically in recent years and it is now estimated that over 50 million people in 60 different countries participate in these races around the world.
Paddles The standard paddle used is of wood construction, between 41 inches and 51 inches in length; has a 7-inch wide blade that is squared off at the widest point; has a straight shaft, and a "T" grip that is four inches wide.
Obviously, "festival" racers see many kinds of paddles because these races usually follow more informal rules.
So, there you have a brief overview of dragon boats.
Considering that this is the fastest growing team water sport in the world...
it just might trap your interest as well.