Kayaking has become a very popular sport through-out the world. It is included in the Olympics program. A kayak is a manually operated small boat. It features a covered deck as well as a cockpit covered by the spraydeck. The kayak is moved by a sitting paddler using a double-bladed paddle. Previously, the kayak was used by the native Eskimo, Aleut and Ainu hunters residing in the sub-Arctic regions of Asia, Greenland and North America. Modern kayaks are available in a huge variety of materials and designs for various specialized purposes. The kayak is also referred as the canoe in some parts of the world.
Modern kayaks are made up of various materials such as wood, fiberglass, Kevlar, fiber, rotomolded plastic or carbon fiber over the wooden or aluminum frame. They are available in various models that can accommodate single, double or even three to four persons. The modern kayaks are classified in various types such as sea kayak, surf kayaks, racing kayaks, whitewater kayaks, fishing kayaks, wavewalking kayaks and speciality and multi-type kayaks.
The sea kayak is suitable for one or two paddlers. They are having extreme stability, cargo capacity and more maneuverable. The sea kayaks are future classified as strip-built kayak, skin-on-frame kayak, recreational kayaks and sit-on-top kayaks. The strip-built kayaks are more similar to rigid fiberglass boat. But, it is very lightweight. The sit-on-top kayaks are used for diving and fishing. It can accommodate upto 1 or 2 even 3-4 persons. Generally, the seat of this type of kayak is above the water level which causes higher center of gravity.
The skin-on-frame kayak shows the similarity with the traditional kayaks in construction, material, design and technique. It is the lightest type of kayak that is used by Inuit people in Greenland for hunting purpose. The recreational kayaks are created for the paddlers who are more interested in photography, fishing or peaceful paddling in the lake. These kayaks have a larger cockpit and wide beam that offers more stability. The capacity of this type of kayak is limited.
The whitewater kayak is highly maneuverable. It is made up of the rigid material such as polyethylene. This type of kayak is smaller in size about 6-10 feet. They don’t need the inherent speed as they flow with the current.
The surf kayaks are also referred as the surf skis. They are long and narrow for surf breaking waves and surf zone rescue. The design of surf kayak is similar to whitewater kayak except a planing hull. The surf kayaks are about 12 feet long that increases the planing speed on wave. It is useful for having a good paddling speed to catch the waves.
The racing kayaks are specially designed for speed. They need to have the substantial skill to gain the stability due to extremely narrow hull. The slalom kayak and flat water kayak are sub-types of racing kayak. The multi-type kayak is of two types such as pedal kayak and inflatable kayak.
The modern kayaks are designed with Computer Aided Design software programs along with the naval design software. Modern kayaks are equipped with extra hulls to increase the stability, some are inflatable and some are having twin hulls. The length of the kayak and the rocker affect the maneuverability of the kayak.
Originally kayaks were made to be sailed or to be used on till, calm lake water. But with passing year use of kayaks in ocean kayaking is increased and now this ocean kayak is also very popular. Original design of kayak was suitable for calm water but for using it for sailing on sea their design is somewhat modified. To cope up with changing weather of ocean these kayaks are built more wide and their cargo carrying capacity is better than whitewater kayaks.
The best part of this ocean kayak is that they can glide when needed, so ocean kayak can move around without making any kind of noise; this is perfect for who loves to watch nature or love to photography with complete concentration or best thing fishing. Unlike the motor boats these ocean kayak will be quite, an ideal condition for fishing.
Ocean kayaking is not the same as kayaking in lake. You must learn basics of ocean kayaking before kayaking trip. If you are beginner then, it advisable for you take some experienced person with you on ocean kayaking trip. Always check whether your ocean kayak and other gears are in excellent condition before starting kayak trip. Do not forget to carry container that floats with you.
If you are planning to buy one ocean kayak for you they decide if you are planning to use ocean kayak with your family, as ocean kayak needs to be perfectly balanced float on ocean water perfectly. It is very important to check sea worthiness of an ocean kayak.
Getting a perfect ocean kayak is not a problem. There are many websites and online store are there on internet that will give you quite good ocean kayak and gears. Never attempt to use your whitewater or lake kayak in ocean, it could be dangerous.
Basic structure of ocean kayak is completely different. Ocean kayaks are huge; means have longer length than normal kayaks. These ocean kayaks are about fifteen plus feet longer and about 26 inches wider. Cockpit of ocean kayaks can be built as per your specification if you want it large choose larger. Most common size of ocean kayaks is in between 12 to 15 feet and usually kayaks long lengths are built for two paddlers. Ocean kayak usually 18″ to 28″ wide but some special type of kayak like surf skies, which is specially designed for wave surfing are not wide. Longer length of ocean kayaks increases their stability while sailing and keep them in straight line.
Weekend trip with night camping is popular amongst recreational kayakers and you can combine ocean kayaking tour with watching wild life. Contemporary ocean kayak are designed to carry more equipments and things for trip for two weeks. Even expedition kayaks are there, which can be loaded with very heavy load.
With few training sessions of ocean kayaking and you are ready to go for kayak trip that too with your family. These coaching sessions are available on all major beaches and sports clubs. This will defiantly help you to have fun kayak trip.