Author: MJT
Choosing Your Whitewater Kayak
Kayaking has come a long way from the days when Native
Alaskans sewed animal skins over frames of driftwood to create waterproof craft
to navigate in cold and dangerous waters. Today, kayaking is a sport. Kayaks
can be made of rigid plastics or have a choice of fabrics stretched over frames
of wood or aluminum or even be inflatable. Undoubtedly, the fastest and most
exciting variety of kayaking is whitewater kayaking. A single occupant in a
tiny boat riding the rapids is the idea behind this sport. A whitewater kayak
can come in different sizes and shapes for different styles of whitewater
sport. A little information can help choose the right whitewater kayak.
Kinds Of Kayaking
There are four basic categories of whitewater sport:
river-running, creeking, slalom and playboating. River-running is similar to
other types of kayaking. River-runners ride the rivers, including the rapids,
enjoying the scenery. Some river-running excursions can run for days. The more
competitive kayakers can turn a simple river run into a race traveling from one
point of the river to another as quickly as possible. A regular river kayak
built for stability and maneuverability is good for this sport. A whitewater
kayak that can accommodate some cargo is good for longer trips. Creeking is a
sub-category of river-running. The difference is in the selected river.
Creekers travel rivers with very technical and difficult rapids. A creeker
needs a whitewater kayak that can withstand steep gradients, waterfalls, slides
and tight rivers. The whitewater kayak designed for creeking has more water
displacement than other types of kayaks and more rounded bow and stern. This is
for safety, more control in large drops and quicker resurfacing. The most
competitive form of creeking is extreme racing.
The slalom is a competitive form of kayaking. A series of
poles, called “gates” is set up on a river to be negotiated in order by the
kayakers as quickly as possible. Green gates are for downstream racing and red
gates for upstream. The difficulty of a competition is determined by the speed
of the river’s rapids and the placement of the gates. At the professional
level, slalom competitions specify that the whitewater kayak used must be
within length and width requirements and be made of Kevlar, fiberglass or
carbon fiber composites. Playboating is also called “freestyle.” The purpose is
to perform trick moves, using the activity of the rapids. Instead of moving
down the river, a playboater may stay in one spot to perform a series of
maneuvers on the same eddy or rapid. A whitewater kayak for playboat is short –
from six to seven feet long. Control and maneuverability are the key. The right
whitewater kayak should fit the size and weight of the user as well as the
purpose of the use.
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