Kayak facts for kids
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word qajaq.
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler. The cockpit is sometimes covered by a spray deck that prevents the entry of water from waves or spray, differentiating the craft from a canoe. The spray deck makes it possible for suitably skilled kayakers to roll the kayak: that is, to capsize and right it without it filling with water or ejecting the paddler.
Some modern boats vary considerably from a traditional design but still claim the title "kayak", for instance in eliminating the cockpit by seating the paddler on top of the boat ("sit-on-top" kayaks); having inflated air chambers surrounding the boat; replacing the single hull with twin hulls; and replacing paddles with other human-powered propulsion methods, such as foot-powered rotational propellers and "flippers". Kayaks are also being sailed, as well as propelled by means of small electric motors, and even by outboard gasoline engines.
Kayaks differ distinctly in design and history from canoes, which are craft propelled by single-bladed paddles by a kneeling paddler, although some modern canoes may be difficult for a non-expert to distinguish from a kayak. Kayaks are often called canoes in Great Britain and Ireland.
The kayak was first used by the indigenous Aleut, Inuit, Yupik and possibly Ainu hunters in subarctic regions of the world.
Images for kids
-
Interior 360 degree photosphere of a kayak at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Click for an immersive 360 degree view
-
Kayaks are often used to get closer to marine animals, such as sea otters
-
Kayaking in the Upsala Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park
-
Two people in a kayak, Nunivak, Alaska, photographed by Edward S. Curtis, 1930
-
The world cup competitions in kayaking in Vaxholm, Sweden, photographed by Gunnar Lundh in 1938.
-
This Greenland paddle is 7 ft (210 cm) in length, and much narrower than European paddles. A storm paddle would be shorter.
-
Child using oversized equipment. The kayak is floating too high, it is too wide for his hips and shoulders, and it is so deep that his elbows hit the deck. His paddle is also too long. It is impossible for him to paddle efficiently, and he will tire quickly. His PFD is also large enough to slip off over his head while fastened.
-
Racing kayak; long hull, ~no rocker.
-
This polo kayak has a lot of rocker; that is, the bottom is not flat when seen from the side.
-
Inflatable kayaks tend to be very wide; this is not a problem for the large, broad-shouldered stern paddler. The smaller bow paddler is leaning sideways and sliding her hands along the paddle to improve her leverage. Her safety equipment is also too large. US Navy.
-
Rotomoulded whitewater kayak
-
Inflatable kayak
-
Strip-built solid wooden kayak with fiberglass coat
-
Modern skin-on-frame kayak; the skin is cloth, sewn to fit over the wooden frame and then waterproofed.
-
Folding kayak, partly-assembled
-
An inflatable expedition kayak
-
Kayaking in a double on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington, United States
-
Sit-on-top three-person kayak
-
Sit-on-top kayaks
-
Surf Kayaking competition, Tofino, British Columbia
-
A waveski. Skegs below. The straps form back- and foot-rests
-
Whitewater kayak
-
Playboating competition
-
A squirt boat barely floats, allowing the paddler to submerge completely.
-
Single-person racing
-
Surfski kayaks
-
An inflatable sit-on-top kayak
-
An example of a man using an inflatable kayak
-
Assembling an aluminum frame for a folding kayak; the cloth covering (foreground) will later be stretched over it
-
Fishing kayak with high lateral stability.
-
Klepper Aerius Quattro XT in military colors
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Kayak para niños
