Kayaking Dictionary - Kayaking Terms and Definitions

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	ACCESS POINT This is the spot on the banks of a river or lake where you put in or take out.
	AGROUND This is a point in which a kayak or other watercraft is stuck upon a sandbar or shoal.
	ASYMMETRIC This is a type of paddle on which the top side of the blade is longer than the bottom side.
	BACKPADDLE This term refers to paddling backward as a means of slowing or reversing the forward motion of a kayak.
	BAIL This term is used to empty water from a kayak by scooping it out with a pail or pumping it out with a bilge pump.
	BEAM The beam is the widest part of the kayak.
	BILGE PUMP This refers to a hand or foot pump used to remove water that collects in the bilge.
	BOOF This refers to a technique for landing a freefalling boat flat on its hull.
	BOW The bow is the front end of the kayak.
	BRACING This is a stroke used to provide support and prevent the kayak from capsizing.
	BROACHING This is a point when the kayak is oriented to waves, currents or an obstacle.
	BULKHEAD This is the vertical partition inside the kayak designed to create separate chambers inside the boat. Bulkheads create watertight areas where gear can be safely stored.
	CANOE A canoe is a small craft propelled with one or more single-bladed paddle(s) while sitting or kneeling and facing the direction of travel.
	CHANNEL This refers to a section of passable water through reefs, shoals and other obstructions.
	CHUTE This is a section of river that flows between two large obstructions, compressing the water and causing a swift current.
	CLEAT It is a fitting used for tying lines to. Often attached to the deck of a kayak, they have two protruding horns that make it easy to tie a line or bungee cord to.
	CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE This is the position of the kayak when one end fills with water and the other end sticks up in the air.
	COAMING This is the rim of a kayak's cockpit. It has a lip or flange that a kayaker's spray skirt fits on to keep the kayaker dry.
	COCKPIT This is the area where the kayaker sits while in the boat.
	CUSHIONS This is a type of pressure wave that tends to deflect boats and swimmers from the rocks that generated it.
	DEAD RECKONING This is a way of determining your position by taking into account such factors as currents, wind speed, and your projected course and speed.
	DECK This is the top of the kayak.
	DOUBLE KAYAK This term refers to a kayak designed for two paddlers to operate at one time. It has two separate cockpits, and more cargo space than a single kayak.
	DRAG Any resistance to a kayak or other boat’s forward motion is called a Drag.
	DROPPING IN It refers to an attempt to surf a wave or hole that another person is already using.
	DRY BAG A Dry Bag is a waterproof bag kayakers use to protect the items they bring with them.
	DRY-TOP It is a special type of cagoule designed for paddling which has efficient seals to keep the water out.
	DUFFEK TURN A Duffek Turn is a compound stroke used for entering an eddy.
	EBB This term refers to a receding current.
	EDDY An eddy is a current which is usually behind a large rock or other obstruction in a stream or river which is at variance with the main current.
	ENDER This is a playboating maneuver where the kayaker allows the bow of his boat to be sucked into a hole, standing the kayak up on end, until the buoyancy of the boat sends it shooting back up in the air.
	FACE This is the side of a paddle blade that is pushing against the water.
	FERRY This term means to move a kayak or other watercraft laterally across a current.
	FIBERGLASS A fiberglass is a lightweight composite material used in the construction of kayak hulls.
	FISH FORM This term is used to describe a hull form where the beam (widest portion) of the hull is in the front half of the vessel, often in front of the paddler.
	FLATWATER This refers to a calm river, lake, ocean water without rapids or high waves.
	FOOT BRACE A foot brace is a peddle-like footrest, normally found in sea kayaks, that provides greater maneuvering control through a skeg or rudder.
	FREE BLADE This refers to any paddle or propulsion device that is held in the hands and not attached to the boat.
	FREEBOARD This is the distance between the waterline and the lowest point of the deck of the vessel.
	GAFF This is a type of sailing rig with a boom-like support at the top of the sail as well as the bottom.
	HATCH A Hatch is waterproof holder inside the kayak where you can store items you're taking with you.
	HATCH COVER The removable cover on top is called a hatch cover.
	HULL This refers to the bottom side of the kayak (below the seam).
	HUSKY TOW This term refers to two or more paddlers towing a third paddler who may be tired or injured and experiencing difficulty on their own.
	KAYAK It is a small craft propelled with one or more two-bladed paddles while sitting and facing the direction of travel.
	LINE This refers to a rope used to tie the kayak to a point on the shore.
	LUBBER'S LINE This refers to a mark or permanent line on a compass indicating the direction forward parallel to the keel when properly installed.
	MELTDOWN This is to deliberately put your boat underneath a wave or hydraulic.
	POCKET/POWER POCKET This refers to the steepest green part of the wave, usually right next to the shoulder.
	PORT A port is a directional term meaning to the left of the kayak or the left side of any boat.
	PORTAGE This refers to the carrying of a boat or its contents over land from one body of water to another.
	PRYS These are strokes that are performed by levering the paddle shaft against the side of the boat.
	RAPID This is an area of turbulent water.
	ROCKER This term refers to the curve on the bottom of the vessel along the center line from the bow to the stern.
	RUDDER This is the vertical blade in the rear of the kayak, used to steer the boat.
	SCULLING DRAW This is a technique that propels the boat continuously sideways towards the paddle.
	SEAL LAUNCH This is to slide or drop into the water while seated in the boat and holding the paddle.
	SEAM This refers to the one-inch wide line around the middle of the kayak where the deck and hull are joined together, usually a different color than the deck or hull.
	SHUTTLE This refers to the vehicle used for, or the practice of transporting paddlers or equipment by road to the opposite end of a paddling trip.
	SINGLE KAYAK A single kayak is a kayak designed for one paddler and has only one cockpit. It is typically shorter in length and beam than a double kayak.
	SPRAYDECK/SPRAY SKIRT This is a device that is worn around the waist to keep water out of the cockpit.
	STERN This term refers to the back end of the kayak.
	TANDEM PADDLING This refers to two paddlers paddling the same boat.
	TRACKING This is the term used to describe how well a boat tracks (keeps its direction) under the influence of currents and winds.
	VOLUME This is the amount of air trapped inside a boat. It also refers to the volume of water moving down a rapid.
	WAKE This refers to the disturbed water following a moving vessel.
	WATERLINE This is the line on the hull of a vessel to which the surface of perfectly calm water rises when the vessel is motionless.
	WAY This refers to the movement of a vessel through the water such as headway, sternway or leeway.
	WHIRLPOOLS This refers to whirling vertical vortices with a core of air that carry anything that falls into them down to the bed of the river, lake or sea.
	WINDAGE This refers to the degree to which a boat’s sides are exposed to, or tend to catch, the wind.