Appropriate safety gear depends on the environment you venture out in. It can range from immersion clothing to bilge pumps and signalling devices and navigation equipment. When traveling with a group it should include rescue equipment. 1. Whistle Spend the extra $2 on a water emergency-specific whistle – one that blows loudly even when wet and is made of plastic so it won’t corrode. In some jurisdictions, whistles for emergency use must be pealess; whistles with a pea can freeze up in cold weather. All kayak, general marine, or diving shops should carry several variations of the same basic design. Most are well under $10. A Fox 40 is probably…
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A kayak paddle generally has a blade at both ends of a shaft. The different variations of paddles differ primarily in the length and width of their blade and the length of their shaft. The “standard” paddle that purchased by most kayakers is often referred to as a Euro paddle. This is to differentiate from traditional paddles such as the Greenland paddle. 1. Wing paddle The wing paddle has a blade which is airfoil shaped. The forward stroke is very vertical with the lower hand moving out to the side. These paddles are designed for very efficient racing and are optimized for going straight and fast. They are not that good for bracing. Wing paddles occupy the extreme…
The choice of paddle material is personal and based on preference, feel, esthetics, price and other factors. There is no “right” material for a paddle. 1. Wood Wood paddles can be light, though some are heavy. They tend to not be as strong as well-made synthetic paddles, but are fine for most paddlers. They can be made in many shapes and styles and now feature attributes like feather, take apart and bent shaft just like synthetics. Wood paddles can be expensive for the fancy ones, but home-made paddles can be really cheap. Most traditional style paddles are wood. 2. Synthetic…
Style of rolling developed by Greenlandic hunters to recover from a capsize in a hunting situation. The Greenlandic word for kayak rolling is kinngusaqattaarneq. Modern Greenland style paddlers may compete in the Greenland National Championship every summer. Armpit roll One arm sweep roll with end of paddle tucked in armpit or against inside of shoulder. Your outboard hand holds the paddle palm-up, during the sweep. The inboard hand is placed over the hull during recovery as a counterweight. Behind the back The “behind the back” roll is a forward leaning roll. After you capsize you kiss the deck, your inboard…
A brace roll is a roll that primarily uses a bracing action to perform the roll. Bracing actions in this context refer primarily to those that do not contain sweeping or sculling motions. Back Deck Roll This roll is extremely quick and very impressive. If performed quickly enough you can avoid getting your head wet. It is however a completely different style of roll to all others I have seen. SETUP Place Paddle alongside as if for normal screw roll Cock your wrists back so that the power faces of your blades are facing towards the water Lean as flat…
Kayak fishing Kayak Fishing is one of the greatest ways to access those hard to reach fishing waters while enjoying the art of kayaking. Kayak fishing is still in its infancy and new members join the ranks daily. Kayak Polo Known also as ‘canoe polo’, kayak polo is a type of kayaking team sport. It is played in kayaks (not Canoes), and also involves a water polo ball and two rectangular goals. It is generally played in a 40m by 25m rectangular area (e.g. a large swimming pool), and goals are suspended 2m above each goal line. Boats are padded…
Kayak history is extensive both in terms of time and of geographic area. Here in this, we are going to take a look at the glorious past of Kayaking and its future prospect. 1. Whitewater kayak history Early whitewater kayaking was done with folding kayaks – see Sea Kayak History. This led to the development of whitewater as a sport and as a racing discipline. Slalom racing became popular in Europe, as did flatwater racing and eventually became part of the summer Olympic Games. According to Charlie Walbridge in his book Boatbuilder’s Manual, if you were a whitewater kayaker in the ’60s, you were definitely a kayak maker.…
To get the best performance out of your trolling motor, you have to have a deep cycle battery to power that trolling motor. Contrary to what most people believe, these trolling motor batteries are not at all related to traditional car batteries; they are poles apart and therefore, they can’t be used interchangeably. The main difference between a kayak trolling motor battery and a car battery is that car batteries are mainly used to start the engine whereas the trolling motor batteries are primarily used as power backup and therefore, it is quite expected that people would expect beastly performance…
We all love to ride on boats but wouldn’t it be nicer to at least know the different boat parts (boat parts) and label them according to their “actual” names? This is because most people (of us) tend to switch the names of the parts. Notwithstanding, it must be mentioned that the anatomy of the boat varies on the size and type of vessel. For instance, yachts do not really have sails; only sailboats do. On the other hand, there are few boat parts (boat parts) which are common to all boats and ships. Example of this is the hull. This…
Kayaking on rivers is an amazing experience in itself. There are so many twists and turns involved in river kayaking that it makes super exciting for newbies who have got tired of kayaking on Stillwater. Traversing along a river is a unique experience in itself. Most of the time, you will find the river a perfect place for fishing but things can change dramatically after a few turns. You could find yourself battling through whitewater. Yes, rivers are treacherous in nature and which is why you need to have a kayak that can withstand extreme conditions. Best 7 Kayaks for…