Term Definitions
Bailer A plastic jug
or similar object with the bottom removed that can be used
to scoop out water.
Beam Width at a
widest point of a boat
Beavertail "A paddle,
usually made of wood with a pear grip and the blade with a
rounded end"
Bent Shaft Paddle A
paddle with a blade which is at an angle from the shaft to
provide a more efficient paddle stroke
Blade
The end
(bottom) of the paddle used to propel the boat
Bow The front of a
boat
Bulkhead
A wall that
divides a boat into sections and used to create water tight
areas
Broach
To pin
sideways on a rock or other obstruction such as a bridge
abutment
C1 A closed canoe
with a cockpit. Looks like a kayak however the paddler is
kneeling and uses a single bladed paddle
Canoe A small open
watercraft propelled by a paddle.
Capsize When a Boat
tips over and fills with water.
CFS
"Cubic feet per
second, the standard unit for measuring the flow in a river"
Channel "An area of a
river defined by the banks, a bank and an island, a bank and
a rock, or between two rocks"
Coaming
The edge
around the cockpit of a kayak
Deck The top of a
kayak or closed canoe. Also the covers on either end of a
canoe used to shed water
Discharge
"The amount
of water being released from a dam or passing a specific
cross-sectional area in a given time interval,
measured in cubic feet per second. (cfs)"
Draft
Distance from
the water line to the bottom of the boat
Draw Stroke A paddle
stroke used to pull the canoe or kayak in the direction of
the paddle
Dry Bag
A Bag made of
a heavy duty plastic which can be sealed to make it water
tight.
Dry Suit
A Suit made
of waterproof material designed to keep you dry.
Eddy A calm spot
formed downstream of a rock or other obstruction in the
riverbed. Eddies may be still or may move upstream
Fastwater
(Quickwater) Featureless water moving downstream
Feathered Paddle
A
kayak paddle with the blade at one end at a different angle
from the blade at the opposite end
Ferry The ability to
cross a river without traveling downstream by paddling in a
upstream direction at a slight angle
Flatwater
"Lakes,
ponds or rivers with little or no current. "
Freeboard
Distance
from the water to the Gunwales (top of the side)
GPS Global Positioning System
Using satellites to determine your location anywhere in the
world
Grab loop A short
loop of rope at either end of a canoe or kayak
Gunwales
"The top
edge (sides) of a canoe, usually made of wood, vinyl plastic
or aluminum"
Hatch An opening with
a cover which can be used to store equipment behind a water
tight bulkhead
Haystack
A wave
produced when the grade of the river increases causing water
to back up and producing wave not caused by rocks or other
obstacles.
Hull
The body of the
canoe or kayak the makes contact with the water
J Stroke Stroke used
by a solo canoe paddler to keep in a straight line without
switching sides. Can also used by a stern paddler in a
tandem canoe.
K1 A one person
kayak.
Kayak A small closed
watercraft with a cockpit propelled by a paddle.
Keel A protruding
ridge along the center line down the length of a boat
Life Jacket See
Personal Floatation Device (PFD)
Meander Slow moving
water. What a river does naturally when it hits flatter
terrain
Moving Water Same as
Quickwater or Fastwater
Paddle "Tool used to
propel a canoe or kayak Having a grip, shaft and blade(s)"
Painter Lines
(ropes)
tied to either end of a boat
Pear Grip
The grip at
the top of the paddle has a shape similar to a pear
PFD
Personal
Floatation Device or life jacket
Pillow "The water
that piles up upstream of a rock or other obstruction,
creating an area of boils which may hide the obstical, and
folds that tends to keep boaters off the rock. Not all rocks
form pillows."
Playboat
"A paddling
style that emphasizes surfing holes and waves, enders and
eddy-hopping"
Portage "When you
must leave the river to carry around a dam, waterfall or
other obstacles"
Pry stroke A paddle
stroke used to push the canoe or kayak away from the paddle
Put In The place you
plan to start your trip
Rapids When water in
a river go over or around obstacles causing waves and
hazardest conditions
Reading the River
The
skill used to identify features and obsticles in a river so
the paddler can safefy avoid rocks and other obstuctions
when navigating the river.
Recreational Kayak "A
short kayak Less than 15 feet, used on Rivers and Lakes"
River Left While
traveling or facing downstream the river and bank to your
left
River right While
traveling or facing downstream the river and bank to your
right
Rocker The sweep up
curvature at the ends of a boat which is high than in the
middle of a boat. Used to help control whitewater boats
Rock Garden A rapid
or other aera with numerous rocks
Roll
The ability to
upright a capsized canoe or kayak without exiting the boat.
A learned whitewater skill.
Rudder A movable
devise used to turn a boat or to help a boat track
Run A section of
river done as a single trip or how the a river feature will
be accomplished example: We will run the rapid on the left
S-Turn
"A River or
channel that bends first one way, then the other"
Scouting Going to
check out a river before a trip or stopping to examine a
rapid or other obstacle before attempting to run it.
Sea Kayak A closed
kayak that is 16 feet or longer
Self Rescue Any of a
number of techniques that allow a boater to help himself
after a capsize
Shaft The part of the
paddle between the grip and the blade or between the two
blades for a kayak paddle
Shuttle Taking the
vehicles from the put in to the take out before (or after) a
trip.
Skeg
A fixed rudder
used to help a boat track
Solo
A canoe or kayak
made or outfitted to be paddled by one person
Sculling Stroke A
stroke used to move a canoe or kayak sideways using a back
and forth motion of the paddle
Spray skirt A water
tight skirt that you wear when kayaking to keep water out of
the kayak
Standing wave or haystack
"A wave formed by one of three conditions: a narrowing of
the riverbed, a steepening of the riverbed, or an increase
in the volume of water. In contrast to ocean waves, standing
waves don’t generally move much upstream or downstream"
Stern
The back of a
boat
Strainer "Anything
that allows water to pass through but keeps solid objects,
such as boats and paddlers from doing so. Especially common
types of strainers are trees ( especially on the outside of
bends). Never go under a strainer as you could get caught in
its branches."
Surfing (on a moving
river) - A method of riding a wave or a hole in which a boat
is made to stay in one place by careful placement on the
river feature in question.
Swamp To take on
water in an open boat
Sweep stroke A paddle
stroke where the blade is sweep away from the canoe or kayak
used to turn the boat
Take out The place
you plan to end your trip
Tandem A canoe or
kayak made to be paddled by two people
Tee Grip
"The grip at
the top of the paddle has a cross piece that resembles the
letter ""T"""
Thwart
Wood or
Aluminum cross piece that goes from gunwale to gunwale to
maintain the boats shape
Touring Kayak "A
kayak, usually between 12 and 15 feet used in coastal and
other open waterways"
Tracking The ability
of a canoe or kayak to travel in a straight line
Tidal Rip A rapid
formed by a tidal current being squeezed into a narrow
opening.
Trim The way a boat
sits in the water. Distributing weight so that the boat is
level
Watershed
"A region
of land within which water flows down into a specified body,
such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean"
Wetsuit
A suit made
of neoprene designed to keep a paddler warm
Whitewater "Water
moving downstream with rocks and other obstructions that
form such features as waves, holes, eddies and drops. (link
to WW classifications)"
Whitewater Canoe A
canoe designed to be used in Rapids usually made of ABS
plastics and equipped with floatation bags
Whitewater Kayak
A
kayak designed to be used in Rapids
Yoke Cross member
used to carry a canoe on a persons shoulders
|