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A kayak is a small human-powered Boat , typicaly a covered deck, a cockpit covered by a Spray Skirt , and is propelled by a double-bladed Paddle . The kayak was originally developed by native Aleut and Inuit hunters in sub-arctic regions of North America and Greenland . Modern kayaks come in a wide variety of designs and materials for specialized purposes. Kayaks may accommodate one, two, or occasionally three Paddler s who sit facing forward in one or more cockpits below the deck of the boat. The spray skirt or similar waterproof garment attaches securely to the edges of the cockpit, preventing the entry of water from waves or spray, and making it possible, should the kayak Capsize , to Roll the kayak upright again without filling with water or ejecting the paddler. Kayaks are of distinct design and history from Canoes , more flat-bottomed boats propelled by single-bladed paddles, though some modern canoes may be difficult for a non-expert to distinguish from a kayak, and kayaks are often called canoes in Great Britain and Ireland. ORIGINS Kayaks were originally developed by the Aleuts and Inuit , the indigenous peoples living in the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland , who used the boats to hunt on inland lakes, rivers and the coastal and open waters of the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. These first kayaks were constructed from stitched animal skins such as Seal stretched over a wooden frame made from collected driftwood, as the areas where kaysk originated were treeless. Archaeologists have found evidence indicating kayaks to be at least 4000 years old. Though the term "kayak" is now used broadly for this class of boat, native people made many different types of boat for different purposes. The Baidarka is a double or triple kayak developed by the Alaskan Aleut, used for hunting and transporting passengers or goods. An "umika" is an open decked boat ranging from 17 feet to 60 feet, made with seal skins and wood. It was paddled with single bladed paddles and typically had more than one paddler. It is thought the kayak originally started out as a decked over umiak and evolved into its traditional form. Greenland style boats are typically narrower than Alaskan boats, and are paddled with greenland paddles, typically wooden, long and narrow. The word "kayak" means "man's boat" or "hunter's boat", and native kayaks were a very personal craft, built by the man who would use them (with assistance from his wife, who would sew the skins). The skin jacket of the hunter was then sewn into the skins of the kayak, to create a waterproof seal. The man would measure the frame for the kayak based on his forearm, and a typical kayak is about 19 feet (5.8 m) long. This measurement style confounded early European explorers who tried to duplicate the kayak because each kayak was a little different. Because the user was sewn in, the boat was almost like a piece of clothing 'worn' by the boater. This meant that what is now known as a 'wet exit' (getting out of a kayak that has overturned, righting it, and getting back in) was impossible, leading to the importance of the Eskimo Roll maneuver, where the kayak is righted without leaving the cockpit. For the Inuit, without modern floatation devices or cold water protection, being thrown into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean was almost certain death in any event. Contemporary kayaks trace their origins primarily to the native boats of Alaska , northern Canada , and Southwest Greenland . Wooden kayaks and fabric kayaks on wooden frames (such as the Klepper ) were common up until 1950s, when fiberglass boats were first introduced. Rotomolded Plastic kayaks first appeared in 1984. MODERN KAYAKS Modern kayaks have evolved into numerous specialized types, that may be broadly categorized as ''sea kayaks'', ''whitewater'' (or ''river'') ''kayaks'', ''surf kayaks'', and ''racing kayaks'', though many hybrid types exist as well. Sea Kayaks are typically designed for travel by one or two paddlers on open water and trade manueverability for seaworthiness, stability, and cargo capacity. Sea-kayak sub-types include open-deck "sit-on-top" kayaks, Recreational kayaks, and collapsible "skin-on-frame" boats. ''' Whitewater ''' kayaks are highly manueverable boats, usually for a single paddler, and include such specialized boats as Playboats and Slalom kayaks. ''' Surf Kayaks ''', often called "surf skis", are specialized narrow and long boats for surfing breaking waves and surf-zone rescues. '''Racing''' kayaks are designed for speed, and usually require substantial skill to achieve stability, due to extremely narrow hulls, though downriver racing kayaks are a hybrid style with whitewater boats. Modern kayaks are made typically constructed from wood, fabrics over wooden or aluminum frames, Plastic , Fiberglass , Kevlar , or Carbon Fiber . They come in one, two, and occasionally three person models. Skin on frame kayaks Often an umbrella term for several types of kayaks, ''Skin on Frame'' boats are primarily considered a more traditional boat in design, materials, construction, and technique. They are often the lightest kayaks, and traditionally made of Driftwood pegged or lashed together and stretched Seal skin, as those were the most readily available materials in the arctic regions. The Dutch were some of the first Europeans to take interest in the indigenous American boat design, spelling the name for these Inuit & Aleut boats, ''Qajaq''. This spelling of the word kayak has evolved to be synonymous with “traditional kayak” and often encompasses three subcategories of boats: Baidarka s, from the Alaskan & Aleutian seas, are a much older design. Their more rounded shape and high number of Chines give them an almost Blimp -like appearance. West Greenland kayaks are what most neo-traditional polymer boats are modeled after. Often possessing fewer chines, they are more angular in shape with the gunwales rising to a point at the Bow and Stern . East Greenland kayaks appear similar to the West Greenland style, but are often more snugly fitted to the paddler and possess a steeper angle between gunwale and which lend maneuverability traits more adapted to the local environment. Folding kayaks A special type of skin-on-frame kayak is the Folding Kayak , the direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak. A ''folder'' is a modern kayak with a collapsible frame, of wood, aluminum or plastic, or a combination thereof, and a skin, of some sort of water-resistant and durable fabric. Many types have integral air Sponsons inside the hull, making the kayaks virtually unsinkable. ''Folders'' are known for their durability, stability, and longevity: The Klepper ''Aerius I'', a single-seater, has been used successfully for white-water kayaking, due to its durability and excellent maneuverability, while many Kleppers have been in frequent use for more than 20 years. Folding kayaks exhibit many of the same paddling characteristics as the original skin-and-frame vessels of the circumpolar north. Of all modern kayaks, they are closest relatives to the skin-and-frame boats of the past. Whitewater kayaks Whitewater kayaks are generally made out of rigid, high impact plastic, usually Polyethylene . They are shorter than other types of kayaks, ranging from 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 metres) long. The trend formerly was toward shorter boats, but this is now reversing slightly to longer boats of around 7 to 8 feet that can become airborne more easily. Whitewater kayaks are among the most maneuverable types made, however they are much slower than many other styles. Whitewater boats, however, do not need inherent speed. Their speed comes from their ability to ride the crest of flowing river. In "freestyle" competition ("kayak rodeo"), whitewater kayakers use features of Rapid s to do tricks, typically while remaining in one place on the river. Ultra-low-volume kayaks that are designed to be paddled both on and below the surface of the water are used in Squirt Boating . Surf kayaks Surf Kayaking uses kayaks that are similar in design to whitewater kayaks, except they have a planing hull (flat side to side) to carve into a wave face, like a surfboard. While typically seven or eight feet in length, competition surf kayaks can be nearly twelve feet long to increase both planing speed while on a wave and to provide faster paddling speed for catching waves. A variation on the closed cockpit surf kayak is an open cockpit design called a Waveski. Although the waveski utilises similar dynamics, in terms of paddling technique and surfing performance on the waves, construction can be very similar to surfboard designs. Elite waveski surfers are able to more closely imitate surfboard manouveres. Recreational kayaks Recreational Kayak s are designed for the casual paddler interested in Fishing , Photography , or a peaceful paddle on a lake or flatwater stream; they presently make up the largest segment of kayak sales. Compared to other kayaks, recreational kayaks have a larger cockpit for easier entry and exit and a wider beam (27–30 inches) for more stability on the water; they are generally less than twelve feet in length and have limited cargo capacity. Using less expensive materials like polyethylene and including fewer options keep these boats inexpensive (US$300–$800). Most canoe/kayak clubs offer indroductory instruction in recreational boats as a way to enter into the sport. {Link without Title} Flatwater racing kayaks Flatwater Racing kayaks are generally made out of lightweight materials, and as such, are somewhat weak; they are not intended for anything other than flat water on a relatively calm day. They are thin, extremely unstable, and expensive, with a competitive boat running in the $4000 range. They require a good level of expertise to paddle well, but are extremely fast in the hands of proficient users. The beam of a flatwater boat is typically barely wider than the hips of the person who paddles it, allowing for a very long and narrow shape to reduce Drag . The most common types of flatwater racing kayaks (sometimes termed 'sprint boats') are K-1, K-2 and K-4. These boats are raced at the Olympic level by both men and women, over courses of 200m, 500m or 1000m. Due to their long length (a one person sprint kayak will be on the order of 17 feet long), sprint boats come equipped with a rudder to help with turning. The rudder is controlled by the feet of the paddler (the foremost paddler in multiperson designs). In spite of this, these boats still make fairly large turns. Flatwater racing kayaks are closely related to flatwater racing canoes, and are usually paddled out of a common club or team, although it is rare for paddlers to compete in both canoes and kayaks. A highly specialized variant of flatwater racing kayak called a '' Surf Ski '' has an open cockpit and can be twenty-one feet long but only eighteen inches wide, requiring expert balance and paddling skill. Surf Skis were originally created for surf and are still used in surf races in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. They have become very popular in the United States for both ocean races, lake races and even downriver races. Inflatable kayaks Another special type of kayak is the inflatable kayak. Inflatable kayaks usually can be transported by hand using a carry bag. They are made of Hypalon (a kind of Neoprene ), Pvc , or Polyurethane coated cloth. They can be inflated with foot, hand or electric pumps. Multiple compartments in all but the least expensive increase safety. They generally use low pressure air, almost always below 3 psi. Besides being portable, inflatable kayaks generally are stable and easy to master, but they take more effort to paddle and are slower than traditional kayaks. Slalom kayak Kayaks designed for Slalom Canoeing have a hull for manouverability and—since the early 1970s—low profile decks. Sit-on-tops Sealed-hull (unsinkable) craft were developed in the past for low level leisure use, as derivatives from surfboards (e.g. paddle or wave skis), or for surf conditions. Variants include planing surf craft, touring kayaks, and sea marathon kayaks. Increasingly, manufacturers are building leisure 'sit-on-top' variants of extreme sports craft, often with a skeg (fixed rudder) for directional stability. MODERN DESIGN THEORY The design of different types of kayak is largely a matter of two dimensions of trade-off: between directional stability ("tracking") and maneuverability, the second between primary and secondary stability. As a general rule, a longer boat is faster while a shorter boat may be turned more quickly. A longer hull creates a smoother transition from the narrow bow to the widest part of the boat and so "cuts" through the water with less resistance much like a sharp knife cuts more easily than a dull one. Longer boats also have a higher maximum non-planing hull speed, but the effect is largely offset by increased friction, and only becomes a significant factor at racing speeds. Kayaks that are built to cover longer distances such as touring and sea kayaks are themselves longer, generally between 15 and 18 feet. Flat water racing kayaks, which are built for maximum speed and efficiency, may be over 20 feet in length. Whitewater kayaks, which generally depend upon river current for their forward motion, are built quite short, to maximize maneuverability. These kayaks rarely exceed eight feet in length, and some specialized boats such as playboats may be only six feet long. The design of '''recreational kayaks''' is an attempt to compromise between tracking and maneuverability, while keeping costs reasonable; their length generally ranges from nine to fourteen feet. Although length is an important feature of directional stability, length alone is a poor basis for predicting the maneuverability of a kayak. A second design element is rocker: the curvature of the kayak from bow to stern. A heavily "rockered" boat curves more than a boat with little or no rocker, meaning that the effective waterline of the rockered boat is less than for a kayak with no rocker. For example, imagine a hoop 30 inches in diameter. When set on its edge on a table, only a small portion of that hoop touches the table. Although kayak hulls are not so extremely curved as a hoop, it is analogous to what happens when a kayak with rocker is sitting in the water: although the overall length of the boat may be 18 feet, the length at waterline may only be 16 feet. Similarly, although a whitewater boat may only be a few feet shorter than many recreational kayaks, because the whitewater boat is heavily rockered its waterline is far shorter and its maneuverability far greater. After directional stabilty, the next most important design difference among kayaks is the tradeoff between primary and secondary stability. Primary stability refers to the feeling of "tippiness" one has when seated in the kayak on flat water. Although every kayak will have some amount of side-to-side rocking, a wide kayak normally feels less likely to capsize than a narrow one, and a flat-bottomed boat will feel more stable than one with a rounded or V-shaped hull. However, if one plans to take his or her kayak into rough water, secondary stability may be more important. Secondary stability refers to the ease of righting a kayak once it has been put off balance. The same boats that have lower primary stability will generally be easier to right when rolled too far. Thus, Sea Kayak s, which are meant to be taken into open water and rough conditions, are generally narrower (22-25 inches) and less stable feeling than recreational kayaks, which are wider (26-30+ inches) and have a flatter hull shape. Until recently, whitewater kayaks had very rounded hulls. Radical changes in design philosophy have lead to whitewater kayaks with very flat hulls that allow them to sit on top of the water (planing hull) rather than in the water (displacement hull) like most other boats. There are, of course, many more elements of kayak design—see the ''external links'' for more information. Most kayaks are rigid hulled, although Folding Kayak s that can be transported easily, and inflatable kayaks are not uncommon. A special type of kayak using pedals allows the kayaker to propel the vessel with underwater "flippers". TRIVIA The word "kayak" is one the few words in the English language that is identical when spelled backwards. SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS A list of regional and online kayaking clubs and news sites can be found Here .
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