Boats > Kayak

Recreational Kayaks

They 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 (USA$300–$800). Most canoe/kayak clubs will offer indroductory instruction programs in recreational boats as a way to enter into the sport.

Whitewater kayaks
They are generally made out of high impact plastic, usually polyethylene. They are shorter than other types of kayaks. The size usually ranges from 6 to 10 feet/2 to 3 metres long; the trend was toward the 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 of boat. 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 rapids 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
They 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.

Inflatable kayaks
Another special type of kayak is the inflatable kayak. Inflatable kayaks usually can be transported by hand using a carry bag. They can be inflated with foot pumps, a variety of hand pumps, or electric pumps. The pressure sounds low, almost always below 3 psi.

They are made of hypalon (a kind of neoprene), pvc, or polyurethane coated cloth. Besides being portable, inflatable kayaks generally are stable and easy to master, but they take more effort to paddle and are slower than traditional ones.

See also:

Whitewater kayaking
Canoe
Royak
Canyoning
Playboating
Squirt Boating

See:
• Boat
• Boat Types
• Watercraft
• Kayak Origins
• Folding Kayaks
• Recreational Kayaks
• Sea Kayak
• Whitewater Kayaking

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kayak".