Good and useful tips from two of my web-footed friends, but as you can imagine, I have some more that you may, or may not, find useful.

The technique for guiding a canoe through the rapids from the shoreline via the painter lines, that greyhound pictured & MnS was trying to recall the name for, is called 'lining'.......best practiced at home before you try it with a fully-laden boat on a week-long trip, I found out.

It works quite well, but there IS a learning curve!

It requires painter lines that are around 20-25' in length like greyhound suggests. I like to keep mine coiled under a short length of bungee cord, knotted on each end & stretched between two holes drilled side by side in the forward and stern decks.
The placement of the attachment points at the stem and stern is best if kept as close to the waterline as possible for the best stability in towing or lining. For a good reference, check out a picture of the placement of Grumman's excellent pin & clevis arrangement.

They got it right, and it's a good method to copy when doing yours, even if it is not an aluminum canoe.
A good way to make your holes in the stem and stern is to drill them a bit oversized and line them.....like you would in making a thong-hole liner in a knife handle. Plan on making room for a 3/8" or 1/2" painter line and size the hole accordingly. With the decks removed, install your liners snugly and flush with the hull's exterior surfaces and glue in place. Then apply epoxy putty or plain old automotive body-shop bondo to the inside of the hull between the liner material and the stern and stem bands to add backup strength to the strain points.
That's the way I do it anyway.
