How to say "It was my first time canoeing"

Question

Is it "初めてのカヌー” or is that saying something like "It was my first canoe"?

Answer 1

"初めてのカヌー体験です" is probably what I'd say to emphasize the experience of canoeing instead of the canoe itself. 経験 instead of 体験 would probably be alright as well.

Answer 2

To express doing something for the first time, use the following conjunction:

〜初めて + action verb

Thus, for your desired sentence, It was my first time canoeing. would be expressed as

カヌーを初めてしました。

References: 1, 2

Answer 3

You can say 初めてのカヌーです for “This is my first time canoeing,” as well as, more colloquially, カヌー、初めてです。

This is an addition to the other answer.