Kayak
Kayak
Kayak
means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic language, where it is the word
qajaq (pronounced [qajaq]). In the UK the term canoe is
often used when referring to a kayak.[1][2] The traditional
kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each
seating one paddler. The cockpit is sometimes covered by
a spray deck that prevents the entry of water from waves
or spray and makes it possible for suitably skilled kayakers to roll the kayak: that is, to capsize and right it without
it lling with water or ejecting the paddler.
Kayaks are often used to get closer to marine animals, such as
sea otters
1 History
See also: Kajukki
Kayaks (Inuktitut: qajaq (
[qjq]), Yup'ik: qayaq
(from qai- surface; top),[4] Aleut: Iqyax) were originally
developed by the Inuit, Yup'ik, and Aleut. They used the
boats to hunt on inland lakes, rivers and coastal waters of
the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic, Bering Sea and North
Pacic oceans. These rst kayaks were constructed from
stitched seal or other animal skins stretched over a wood
or whalebone-skeleton frame. (Western Alaskan Natives
used wood whereas the eastern Inuit used whalebone due
to the treeless landscape). Kayaks are believed to be at
1 HISTORY
ter capsizing, especially as few Inuit could swim; their
waters are too cold for a swimmer to survive for long.[6]
Instead of a tuilik, most traditional kayakers today use
a spray deck made of waterproof synthetic material
stretchy enough to t tightly around the cockpit rim and
body of the kayaker, and which can be released rapidly
from the cockpit to permit easy exit.
2.4
Design principles
with only moderate primary, but excellent secondary stability are, in general, considered more seaworthy, espeTypically, kayak design is largely a matter of trade-os: cially in challenging conditions.
directional stability (tracking) vs maneuverability; sta- A V-shaped hull tends to ease traveling straight (track),
bility vs speed; and primary vs secondary stability. This but makes turning harder. V-shaped hulls also have the
is true for single hull (a.k.a. mono-hull) kayaks, but does greatest secondary stability.
not necessarily encompass newer types of hulls, such as
Conversely, at-bottomed hulls are easy to turn, but
twin hulls.
harder to direct in a constant direction.
2.1
Length
The chine typically increases secondary stability by effectively widening the beam of the boat when it heels
(tips). Sea kayaks, designed for open water and rough
conditions, are generally narrower 2225 inches (5664
cm) and have more secondary stability than recreational
kayaks, which are wider 2630 inches (6676 cm), have
a atter hull shape, and more primary stability.
2.2
2.5 Rocker
Length alone does not fully predict a kayaks maneuverability: a second design element is rocker, i.e. its lengthwise curvature. A heavily rockered boat curves more,
shortening its eective waterline. For example, an 18foot (5.5 m) kayak with no rocker is in the water from
end to end. In contrast, the bow and stern of a rockered
boat are out of the water, shortening its lengthwise waterline to only 16 ft (4.9 m). Rocker is generally most evident at the ends, and in moderation improves handling.
Similarly, although a rockered whitewater boat may only
be a few feet shorter than a typical recreational kayak, its
waterline is far shorter and its maneuverability far greater.
2.3 Beam prole
When surng, a heavily rockered boat is less likely to lock
into the wave as the bow and stern are still above water.
The most important attribute in determining the stability A boat with less rocker cuts into the wave and makes it
of a single hulled kayak is the overall width of its cross harder to turn while surng.
section. The shape of the cross section can aect both
maneuverability and stability. Hull shapes are categorized by roundness/atness, whether it has a V shape 2.6 Paddling ease and ergonomics
at various points, and by the presence and severity of a
chine, where the side and bottom of a hull meet at an Some recreational kayak makers try to maximize hull volangle, creating an edge below the gunwales. This cross ume (weight capacity) for a given length as shorter kayaks
section may vary along the length of the boat. Kayaks are easier to transport and store. Many paddlers who use
4 MODERN DESIGN
Stitch & Glue designs typically use modern, marine- 4 Modern design
grade plywood eighth-inch, 3 millimetres (0.12 in) or
up to quarter-inch, 5 millimetres (0.20 in) thick. After Modern kayaks dier greatly from native kayaks in evcutting out the required pieces of hull and deck (kits of- ery aspectfrom initial form through conception, design,
ten have these pre-cut), a series of small holes are drilled manufacturing and usage. Modern kayaks are designed
5.1
Recreational
5
their being designed mainly for paddling using a kayak
paddle featuring two blades i.e. 'kayak paddle'. However, even this inclusive denition is being challenged by
other means of human powered propulsion, such as foot
activated pedal drives combined with rotating or sideways
moving propellers, electric motors, and even outboard
motors.
5.1 Recreational
Main article: Recreational kayak
Types
Sit-on-top
TYPES
5.3 Surf
Main article: Surf Kayaking
Specialty surf boats typically have at bottoms, and hard
A paddler in a sit on top kayak explores Kealakekua Bay in
Hawaii.
Recreational kayak
Surf kayaking comes in two main varieties, High Performance (HP) and International Class (IC). HP boats tend
to have a lot of nose rocker, little to no tail rocker, at
hulls, sharp rails and up to four ns set up as either a three
n thruster or a quad n. This enables them to move at
high speed and maneuver dynamically. IC boats have to
be at least 3 metres (9.8 ft) long and until a recent rule
change had to have a convex hull; now at and slightly
concave hulls are also allowed, although ns are not. Surfing on international boats tends to be smoother and more
owing, and they are thought of as kayakings long boarding. Surf boats come in a variety of materials ranging
from tough but heavy plastics to super light, super sti
but fragile foamcored carbon ber. Surf kayaking has
become popular in traditional surng locations, as well as
new locations such as the Great Lakes.
5.5
Racing
Surf skis, are specialized narrow and long boats for racing, 5.4.2 Creekboat
surng breaking waves and surf-zone rescues.
The other primary type is the creek boat, which gets its
name from its purpose: running narrow, low-volume wa5.3.1 Waveskis
terways. Creekboats are longer and have far more volume
than playboats, which makes them more stable, faster and
Main article: Waveski
higher-oating. Many paddlers use creekboats in short
boat downriver races, and they are often seen on large
A variation on the closed cockpit surf kayak is called a rivers where their extra stability and speed may be neceswaveski. Although the waveski oers dynamics similar sary to get through rapids.
to a sitontop, its paddling technique and surng per- Between the creekboat and playboat extremes is a cateformance and construction can be similar to surfboard gory called riverrunning kayaks. These mediumsized
designs.
boats are designed for rivers of moderate to high volume,
5.4
Whitewater
5.5 Racing
5.5.1 Whitewater
Whitewater kayak
Playboat
TYPES
debuted at the 1936 summer olympics.[8] Racing is governed by the International Canoe Federation.
5.5.3
Slalom
Surf ski
5.6
from them. However, there have been considerable advancements in inatable kayak technology over recent
The term kayak increasingly applies to craft that look years.[9]
little like traditional kayaks.
5.6.1
Inatable
5.6.2 Folding
Main article: Folding kayak
Folding kayaks are direct descendants of the skin-onframe boats used by the Inuit and Greenlandic peoples.
Modern folding kayaks are constructed from a wooden
or aluminum frame over which is placed a synthetic skin
made of polyester, cotton canvas, polyurethane, or Hypalon. They are more expensive than inatable kayaks,
but have the advantage of greater stiness and conseWhile many inatables are non-rigid, essentially pointed quently better seaworthiness.
rafts, best suited for use on rivers and calm water, the
higher end inatables are designed to be hardy, seaworthy vessels. Recently some manufacturers have added an 5.6.3 Pedal
internal frame (folding-style) to a multi-section inatable
sit-on-top kayak to produce a seaworthy boat.
A kayak with pedals allows the kayaker to propel the
The appeal of inatable kayaks is their portability, their vessel with a rotating propeller or underwater ippers
durability (they don't dent), ruggedness in white water rather than with a paddle. In contrast to paddling, kayak(they bounce o rocks rather than break) and their easy ers who pedal kayaks use their legs rather than their arms.
storage. In addition, inatable kayaks generally are stable, have a small turning radius and are easy to master,
5.6.4 Twin hull and outrigger
although some models take more eort to paddle and are
slower than traditional kayaks.
Traditional multi-hull vessels such as catamarans and
Because inatable kayaks aren't as sturdy as traditional, outrigger canoes benet from increased lateral stability
hard-shelled kayaks, a lot of people tend to steer away without sacricing speed, and these advantages have been
9
successfully applied in twin hull kayaks. Outrigger kayaks
attach one or two smaller hulls to the main hull to enhance stability, especially for shing, touring, kayak sailing and motorized kayaking. Twin hull kayaks feature
two long and narrow hulls, and since all their buoyancy is
distributed as far as possible from their center line, they
are stabler than mono hull kayaks outtted with outriggers.
5.7
Fishing
folding kayaks that can be launched from surfaced submarines or carried to the surface by divers from submerged ones. They can be parachuted from transport aircraft into the ocean or dropped from the back of Chinook
helicopters.[13] US Special Forces have used Kleppers but
now primarily use Long Haul folding kayaks, which are
made in the US.[14]
6 See also
Main article: Outline of canoeing and kayaking
Aleutian kayak
5.8
Kayak shing
Military
Canoe
Canoe & Kayak UK
Canoe polo
Canyoning
Creeking
Flyak
Freeboating
Kayaking
Playboating
Recreational kayak
Royak
Sea kayaking
Squirt boating
Surf kayaking
Waveski
Whitewater slalom
Klepper Aerius Quattro XT in military colors
7 References
[1] Buying a canoe or kayak. gocanoeing.org. Retrieved 8
September 2014.
[2] BCU General Canoeing information. BCU.org.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
[3] There is scant evidence of Ainu peoples using the classic
kayak design in prehistoric times. the follosing indicates
that they did use skin-covered vessels, however: Like the
yara chisei, bark houses, yara chip, bark boats, were
probably substitutes for the skin-covered boat, elsewhere
surviving in the coracle and kayak. Skin-covered boats
10
are referred to in old [Ainu] traditions. -Ainu material culture from the notes of N. G. Munro: in the archive of the
Royal Anthropological Institute, British Museum, Department of Ethnography, 1994 , p. 33
[4] Jacobson, Steven A. (2012). Yup'ik Eskimo Dictionary,
2nd edition. Alaska Native Language Center.
[5] (English) Voelkerkundemuseum-muenchen.de
[6] D.C. Hutchinson, The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking,
5th ed., Falcon Guides, Connecticut.
[7] Rideaucanoe.on.ca
[8] . International Canoe Federation http://www.canoeicf.
com/icf/Aboutoursport/Canoe-Sprint.html. Retrieved
18 July 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
[9] http://paddlepursuits.com/
what-is-the-best-inflatable-kayak/
[10] Cockle Mark II
[11] James D. Ladd, SBS, The Invisible Raiders: the History
of the Special Boat Squadron from World War Two to
the Present, Arms & Armour Press 1983, ISBN 978-085368-593-7 (p.231)
[12] The Star Canadas special forces to get ancient warghting machines: canoes
[13] Special Boat Service Information on the SBS Klepper
Canoes
[14] Special Forces Long Haul Kayaks
External links
International Canoe Federation The International
federation of kayak and canoe bodies
The Canadian Museum of Civilization Native Watercraft in Canada
British Canoe Union The National Governing Body
of Kayaking in the UK
USA Canoe and Kayak The National Governing
Body of Kayaking in the U.S.
EXTERNAL LINKS
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9.1
Text
9.2
Images
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9.3
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