Modern Kayak Types

Modern kayaks may be categorized into sea kayak,4. Whitewater kayak: are highly maneuverable and
white water kayak, racing kayak, and surf kayak.are made of rigid material like polyethylene. The
These kayaks are made from wood, rotomoldedlength of these kayaks is small (6-10 feet) in
plastic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar, or fiber overcomparison to others. Small boats are maneuverable
aluminum or wooden frame. They are available inbut slow. Whitewater kayaks do not require inherent
single, double, and sometimes even in three- orspeed, as they move down with the current. In
four-person models. Let us discuss about the modernkayak rodeo competition, whitewater paddlers use
kayak in detail.rapids features to do tricks while they are in one
Modern kayak types:place on the river.
1. Sea kayak: these are designed to accommodate5. Surf kayak: also known as surf skis, are narrow
one or two paddlers. These are more maneuverableand long kayaks for surf zone rescue and surf
and have extreme stability and cargo capacity. Seabreaking waves. Surf kayaking uses kayaks similar to
kayak has further subtypes that include:o Strip-built-whitewater kayak design. The only difference is that
that is more close to rigid fiberglass boat but verythey have a planing hull. Surf kayaks can be 12 feet
light in comparison to it.o Sit-on-top- these are usedlong to increase the planing speed on wave and to
for fishing, diving and can usually accommodate 1-2have good paddling speed for catching waves. A
but also come have models that can accommodatevariation to closed cockpit surf kayak design is open
3-4 people. Normally, the seat of this kayak is abovecockpit (Waveski) design.
the water level, so the center of gravity is higher. In6. Racing kayak: these are designed for speed. To
order to compensate, the width is increased for theachieve stability, the paddler requires subsatntial skill,
same length of a traditional kayak.as the hull is extremely narrow. These kayaks have
2. Skin-on-frame- the design, technique, material andsubtypes of flat water and slalom kayak.
construction of these kayaks is more similar to7. Multi type kayaks: these include inflatable and pedal
traditional kayaks. These are the lightest among allkayaks.o Inflatable kayak-these can be easily stored
and are being used in Greenland by Inuit people forand transported. They are made of polyurethane,
hunting.PVC, or hypalon. You can inflate them with hand,
3. Recreational- these are built for paddlers interestedfoot, or electric pump. They are highly portable,
in photography, a peaceful paddle in a lake, or fishing.stable, easy to master, and are slower than
These have larger cockpit and wider beam fortraditional boats.o Pedal kayak- is a special type of
stability reasons. The capacity of cargo is limited, andboat using pedals allowing the paddler to propel the
the length is less than 12 feet.vessel with underwater flippers instead of a paddle.