January 12, 2009 (by Gerald K). A kayak is a small human-powered boat. The word “kayak” means “man’s boat” or “hunter’s boat”. The kayak was a very personal craft, built by a man (with the assistance of his wife who would sew the skins) to fit his measures and for maximum maneuverability. It typically has a covered deck and a cockpit. The cockpit is covered by a spraydeck (also, made of skins) creating a watertight seal.
Traditional Eskimo Kayak
The snug fit, maneuverability and watertight features of a kayak enable the Eskimo to roll-back when capsized, hence the name, eskimo-roll. The eskimo-roll is the preferred method of regaining posture after turning upside down, especially as few Eskimos could swim; their waters are too cold for a swimmer to survive for very long.
The kayak was used by the native Ainu, Aleut and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland. Most of the Eskimo peoples from the Aleutian Island eastward to Greenland relied on the kayak for hunting a variety of prey, primarily seals, though whales and caribou were important in some areas. Skin on frame kayaks are still being used for hunting by Inuit people in Greenland. Contemporary kayaks trace their origins primarily to the native boats of Alaska, northern Canada, and Southwest Greenland.
The Traditional Dugout Canoe
Many indigenous peoples of the Americas also built canoes of tree bark, sewn with tree roots and sealed with resin. The indigenous people of the Amazon commonly used Hymenaea trees. In temperate North America, white cedar was used for the frame and bark of the Paper Birch for the exterior, with charcoal and fats mixed into the resin.
Canoeing began to meet the simple needs of transportation across and along waterways. Canoeing was the primary mode of long-distance transportation at one time throughout much of North America, the Amazon Basin, and Polynesia, among other locations.
A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be covered. The canoe is ordinarily propelled by the use of paddles, with the number of paddlers (most commonly two) dependent on the size of the canoe. Paddlers face in the direction of travel, either seated on supports in the hull, or kneeling directly upon the hull. Paddles may be single-bladed or double-bladed.
In Southeast Asia, the indigenous seafaring Austronesian groups (Malay, Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian peoples) rigged their canoes with one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. The outrigger gives greater stability and seaworthiness upon a canoe, enabling the seafarers to cross vast oceans. Smaller canoes often employ a single outrigger on the port side, while larger canoes usually employ a double outrigger configuration.
Present Day Philippine Paraw - Double Outrigger Sail
The outrigger canoe fitted with a sail enabled the Polynesians to cross the oceans to New Zealand and as far away as Hawaii. These sailing canoes are an important part of the Polynesian heritage and are actively raced and sailed in Hawaii and Tahiti today. Outrigger canoes (Tagalog and Indonesian: bangka; Maori: waka ama; Hawaiian: wa’a; Tahitian: va’a) were originally developed by the Austronesian speaking peoples of the islands of Southeast Asia for sea travel, and were used to transport these peoples eastward through to Polynesia and New Zealand during the Austronesian migration period. Even today, it is exclusively among the Austronesian groups that outrigger canoes are used.
When Magellan’s ships first encountered the Chamorros of the Mariana Islands in 1521, Antonio Pigafetta recorded that the Chamorros’ sailboats far surpassed Magellan’s in speed and maneuverability. In fact, the Micronesian sailing canoe, the proa, was the fastest sailing vessel in existence well into the 20th century.
This versatile craft has persisted into the modern age. Outrigger canoes can be quite large fishing or transport vessels, and in the Philippines, outrigger canoes (called “bangka or “banca”) are often fitted with gasoline engines.
Kayaking is generally differentiated from canoeing by the fact that a kayak has a closed cockpit and a canoe has an open cockpit. Another major difference is in the way the paddler sits in the boat. Kayakers sit in a seat on the bottom of the boat with their legs extended out in front of them. Canoeists will either sit on an elevated bench seat or kneel directly on the bottom of the boat.
Indeed, up until the development and refinement of the Rotational Moulding process in the mid 1990’s, kayaking as a sport was focused on two main areas of activity; white water and ocean or coastal ‘trekking’. These kayaks were made of fibreglass, kevlar or a composite material. Lightweight and purpose built, they were, and still are, the preserve of a dedicated group of athletes and enthusiasts around whom a whole industry has evolved.
Thanks to the development of ‘roto-moulding’ technology and the use of linear polyethylene, kayaking has become a healthy, fast growing sport capable of supporting its own unique market industry.
Kayaks are classified by their intended use. There are five primary classifications: whitewater, surf, touring/expedition, light touring/day tripping and general recreation. From these primary classifications stem many sub-classes. For example, a fishing kayak is simply a general recreation kayak outfitted with features and accessories that make it an easier kayak to fish from. Also within these classifications are many levels of performance which further separate the individual models. In other words, not all touring kayaks handle the same.
There are two major configurations of kayaks – “sit on tops” which as the name suggests involves sitting on top of the kayak in an open area and “cockpit style” which involves sitting with the legs and hips inside the kayak hull and a “spray skirt” that creates a watertight barrier around the waist. Whether a kayak is a sit-on-top or a cockpit style has nothing to do with which classification it falls under. Both configurations are represented in each of the five primary classifications. While most kayaks are designed to be paddled by a single person, other configurations include tandem and even triple cockpit boats.
Because of their range and adaptability, kayaking has won many hearts and is popular amongst divers, fishers, and adventure enthusiasts.
