Canoe Basics

Canoe Dictionary

A

B

Back Ferry: Paddling the canoe backward at an angle to the current when crossing a stream laterally.

Back paddle: (Should always be referred to as Reverse Paddling!) Paddling backwards will move the boat in a reverse direction. It will also stop or slow the boat when in a forward motion.

Backcountry: Distant wilderness invaded by those with a sense of adventure.

Bail: To empty water from a craft by scooping it out with anything from a sponge to a tin can.

Bailer: Device used to remove water from the canoe.  Can be as simple as a milk jug cut to make a scoop.

Bang Plate: See Stem Band.

Bank Support (team): Land based assistants acting as rescue cover and support.

BAT: Baths Advanced Trainer, a small kayak with round ends and designed for use in swimming pools.

Beam: Refers to the width of the canoe at its widest point. The widest part of the canoe, not necessarily at the gunwales. Width of a canoe when measured at its widest point.

Beaver Tail Paddle: A paddle with a narrow blade.

Before: What lies ahead; in front of.

Belay: Method of holding the rope to safeguard a climber or swimmer rescuer.

Belly: The bottom of the canoe.

Below: Downriver.

Bent Shaft Paddle: Canoe paddle with the blade angled anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees for better touring performance.

Berry Break: What happens when you pass bushes loaded with delicious berries on a long, hot, difficult portage.

Bilge: The point of greatest curvature between the bottom and side of a canoe.

Bilge Keel: Two additional keels, one on each side of the main keel, that protect canvas-covered canoes.

Bivy bag: Waterproof and windproof bag which can enclose a person for basic shelter. Frequently carried for emergencies. Many of the top quality and purpose built bivvy bags are made of breathable fabrics or a combination of fabrics (Gortex, Milair or nylon).

Bladder: An air bag inside a kayak which adds to the buoyancy of the craft in the event of a capsize.

Blade: The wide end of the paddle used to propel the boat.

Body rotation: Rotating the upper body whilst paddling. Using body rotation ensures that the powerful back muscles are used and strain is reduced on the arm muscles.

Boil: Where current foams upward when it is deflected by obstructions under the water.

Boils: Water surging vertically upwards to the surface and spilling outwards, giving confused and unpredictable currents. Common near deep stoppers and on eddy lines in high volume rivers and tidal areas in the ocean where there is an uneven bottom.

Boof: Boofing is a whitewater paddling maneuver for going over drops whereby the paddler jumps over water hazards known as holes at the bottom. When you do this properly, there is a distinct "boof "sound.

Booties: Footwear made of neoprene. Usually used by snorkel/scuba divers and commonly used by canoeists.

Bottom: The part of the canoe that is under the water.

Bow: Is the front end of the canoe. You can easily spot the bow by looking at the seating arrangement. The front seat is located further from the end of the canoe to provide legroom for the bow paddler  ( French: Proue (avant) )

Bow draw: A paddle stroke applied towards the front of a canoe or kayak. By using a combination of a bow rudder and draw stroke, the bow of the boat is turned very effectively sideways and around the blade performing the stroke.

Bow In: With the bow forward.

Bow-Paddler, Bowman, Bow Person: The person who paddles in the bow.

Bow Plate: Another term for the stem band.

Bow rudder: A paddle stroke applied towards the front of a canoe or kayak. By holding the blade still in one position the momentum of the boat will assist the bow to veer sideways around the blade performing the stroke. It is a very effective way of turning the boat.

Bow seat: The seat located at the front end of a canoe or kayak

Brace (support) Stroke: A paddle stroke designed to maintain stability and prevent capsize. The paddle blade is pushed down horizontally on the surface of the water, somewhat like an outrigger, to give support or recovery from instability. A stroke used somewhat like an outrigger to stabilize a canoe. The brace may be a high or low brace. The usual reference is to "throw" or "hang" a brace.

Breaking in: Maneuvering the boat from an eddy into the current so as to carry on downstream.

Breaking out: Maneuvering the boat out of the current into an eddy

Bridle: A line looped around the front end of the canoe to which another line is attached under the canoe and used for towing or lowering the craft.

Broach (broadside): Sideways to the wind, a wave or an obstruction in the current, such as a boulder. Broadside to any obstacle-wind, waves, current, or rocks; usually the prelude to an upstream capsize. Don't broach!

Broadside: A canoe, which is moving perpendicular to the current of a river, thus exposing its broad side to obstacles in the water.

Bulkhead: A partition under the forward and rear decks of a canoe or kayak, usually fitted to create a sealed compartment. In sea kayaks the space inside is used to store gear. A ‘wall’ sealing off one end of a kayak to form a watertight compartment. Normally seen in sea kayaks.

Buoyancy: Flotation materials fitted inside a craft or onto a person to keep the craft or person afloat. What, in a sea kayak, there is never enough of. (When the compartments of a sea kayak are not filled with gear they should be filled with buoyancy material.) All canoes and kayaks must have sufficient buoyancy material so that they float level at the surface when swamped.

Buoyancy aid (PFD): A waistcoat style jacket which is inserted with special closed cell foam to assist with buoyancy, and designed to help a swimmer stay afloat.

Buoyancy Chamber: An enclosed section of the canoe, typically located at the bow and the stern filled with foam or other buoyant material.

Bull Cook: An ancient and honorable north woods term for the person whose job it is washing pots and pans and cleaning up the kitchen.

Bush: the deep wilderness.

C

C1: A one person Canadian canoe in which the paddler may sit, kneel or half kneel, and is paddled with a single blade.

C2: A two person Canadian canoe in which the paddlers may sit, kneel or half kneel and is paddled with single bladed paddles.

Cag' (cagoule):  A windproof and water resistant paddling jacket. Many jackets have neoprene cuffs and waist and are breathable.

Canadian canoe: A craft paddled in a kneeling or sitting position and paddled with single bladed paddles. They can be open or decked (closed). (This term has been used, following archaic British practice, for ‘canoe’.)

Canoe A small boat propelled with a single blade paddle, from a kneeling position in sprint and whitewater competition. Touring and marathon paddlers normally sit. Touring, sprint and most marathon canoes are undecked; many whitewater canoes are decked, and may appear to be kayaks. Canoes are derived from the birch bark canoes of North America. The term ‘canoeing’ often refers to kayaking as well.

Canoe Pole: See Pick Pole.

Canoe polo: A ball game played by two teams of five a side. The players use short kayaks and score goals by throwing the ball into a goal or against a suspended board.

Canoe Seats:  The bow seat is wider and is fastened to the gunnels further from the end of the canoe. The stern seat is narrowest and is fastened to the gunnels closest to the end of the canoe

Canoeing: A generic term used in Australia and Great Britain, for kayak and Canadian canoe paddling. In USA and some other countries, canoeing is only used for Canadian canoe paddling. Kayaking is used for paddling a kayak.

Capacity: The amount of weight a canoe can carry and still be safely operated

Capsize: How upsetting. (Leave the boat upside down until you either get it on shore or the rescuer takes over—roll it back upright and you will fill it with water, making life difficult.)

Carabineer: A steel or alloy link developed for climbing/mountaineering to make quick connections with ropes and tapes. Now widely used in river rescue situations.

Carry: See portage.

Carrying Thwart: A brace that runs from gunwale to gunwale, typically with a cut out for the neck, sometimes padded, and located just forward of the beam of the canoe.  Used to portage the canoe on your back.

Carrying Yoke – The center cross piece, typically wooden, with the curve cut out. The cut out is for carrying the boat.  The cut out fits behind one’s neck, once the canoe has been flipped.  (Be careful!) 

Carve turns: Where the kayak is leaned over on its edge to help it follow a smooth turn. Used frequently when doing eddy turns.

Carvel-Built: A wooden canoe built so the longitudinal sides are laid edge to edge, smoothed, and the gaps sealed with waterproofing material.

Cat Hole: What you dig at least 200 feet from camp and water when there are no outhouses. Bury the toilet paper, too.

Catch (plant): The point at which the paddle blade enters the water at the start of the forward stroke.

CFS: The flow of water measured in cubic feet per second. A cubic foot contains about 8 gallons of water.

Channel: A stretch of passable water through shallows, among obstructions or trees.

Chart: A map especially prepared for navigation.

Chest harness: A belt system worn over or integrated into a personal flotation device, to which ropes can be attached for rescue purposes. This belt has a quick release system which provides a safe method of attachment and release of the paddler to a rope and is used when being rescued or when rescuing a fellow paddler.

Chine: Where the curving sides of the hull gradually merge into the bottom.

Chute: Where part of a stream is compressed between two obstructions which causes the water to speed up. It is usually the deepest and safest route. A fast current where part of a stream is compressed and flows between two obstructions.

Class: Rating system for the level of difficulty experienced on a body of water.  Ratings range from Class I for flat water or little current, to Class VI, which is extreme danger, no possible rescue.

Closed canoe (decked): Any canoe, C1 or C2, where the deck of the craft is covered (similar to a kayak) leaving cockpit openings for the paddler or paddlers.

Closed cell foam: A non absorbent flexible foam material used to provide the flotation in buoyancy aids. Closed cell foam mats are used by campers to insulate themselves from the cold.

Coach: A qualified person who concentrates on improvement of a paddler's performance and skills rather than teaching new or basic skills.

Coaming: A rim around a kayak or decked Canadian cockpit to which a spray skirt is attached.

Cockpit: The hole in the top of a canoe or kayak where the paddler(s) sit or kneel. The place occupied by the paddler(s). There is normally a seat, and in kayaks especially, the cockpit will be sealed with a spray cover around the paddler’s waist and attached by shock cord to the cockpit rim.

Collision: A collision can ruin your entire day. As far as other boats are concerned the rule is: ‘If it’s bigger, faster, or more expensive than the canoe or kayak, keep out of its way.’ On rivers and in channels, keep to the right.

Compartment : The space separated from the rest of a boat by a bulkhead (e.g. in a sea kayak) for the stowage of gear and preservation of buoyancy.

Consensus:  When the leader can't decide how to handle a problem.

Cotton: A useful natural fiber. Unfortunately cotton fabrics are poor insulators when wet, and cotton garments should not be worn when paddling except in hot weather. (Jeans should never be worn on the water.)

Composite blade: A type of paddle blade construction which uses a combination of materials such as fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber, aluminum and expanded plastic.

Compound stroke: A number of basic strokes combined together to control the boat.

CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation): Is the combination of mouth to mouth resuscitation (Expired Air Resuscitation) and chest compressions (External Cardiac Compressions) to assist the circulation.

Crest: The top of a wave.

Cross: A move executed in a canoe or kayak across a fast jet of water.

Cross bow stroke: Predominantly used in a Canadian canoe by the bow paddler. The blade is lifted across the bow and placed in the water on the opposite side without swapping hand positions.

Curler: A steep wave, usually at the base of a drop or chute, that curls back onto its upstream side.

Cushion wave: A build up of water on the upstream side of a boulder. Often called a pillow.

Cyalume: The original chemical light stick, named for the manufacturer, the American Cyanamid Company. The light sticks themselves are useful when paddling at night, and for emergencies.

D

Dagger:  A short stabbing weapon with pointed and edged blade. Also, the name of a US canoe and kayak manufacturer.

Dead Reckoning:  A way of figuring your position based upon the influence of such things as currents and wind upon your projected course and anticipated speed.

Deck: The top part of a canoe or kayak.

Deck lines: A rope, usually 6 8mm, attached along the front and back deck of a kayak. Mainly used for grabbing the boat in an emergency whilst swimming. Popular on sea canoes.

Deck Plates: Are the triangle shaped pieces of wood that are fastened between the gunnels at either end of the canoe. They provide a convenient handhold for carrying and a place to attach a painter line  ( French: Front Deck: Pontet avant   Aft Deck: Pontet arrière  )

Deep Dish Carry or Portage Yoke: Is a center thwart which is contoured to comfortably fit your shoulders to best support the canoes weight when solo portaging (carrying)

Deep stopper: A stopper in which the re-circulating water is deep. Difficult and more dangerous to paddle than shallow stoppers.

Deep water rescue: The rescue of a capsized paddler while still in the water. The rescuer empties the victim's boat so the victim is able to get in without having to go ashore.

Defilade: A depression in the ground; where you foolishly pitched your tent just before it rains.

Depth: The distance from the top of the canoe at the gunwales to the bottom of the canoe when measured at the beam.  A good standard depth is about 13".

Double blade paddle: A paddle with a blade at each end, used basically with kayaks.

Down river race: A race held on white water (usually under grade 3), over a distance of 5km and above.

Downstream V: Fast flowing water being compressed between two obstacles causes a V shaped pattern to form. The point of the V is furthest downstream.

Draft:  The depth of water necessary for a craft to float; the distance between the water line and the bottom of the keel.

Drag: The resistance to forward motion.

Dragon Boat : Traditional Chinese paddle-racing boat, with more than 20 paddlers, plus sweep and drummer.

Draw or Draw stroke: This is used to move a canoe or kayak sideways.

Drive face: The drive face (front) of the blade is the side that pushes through the water and faces you during the normal forward paddling stroke. The other side is called the back of blade or non drive face.

Dry Bag: A sack or bag used to hold vital gear and keep it dry in the event of a capsize or water coming into the canoe.

Dry blade: A phrase used for that paddle blade which is out of the water and therefore not performing the stroke.

Dry Suit: A lightweight, totally waterproof suit; usually worn in cold weather over heavy clothing.

Duct Tape: Self-adhesive tape used to repair anything except ducts. The minimalist repair kit for canoeists.

Duffek Stroke: See High Brace.

Duffle: See Gear.

E

Eddy: Areas of slack or counter moving water, usually created by the shape of the shoreline or obstacles above or slightly below the water line. Found in rivers and in oceans where there is a current. An area of water that is still, slow-moving, or moving upstream behind an obstacle in a river. Often used by white water paddlers to stop and look about.

Eddy current: Is the water in the eddy that moves in the opposite direction to the main current.

Eddy hopping: Using eddies to maneuver upstream or downstream.

Eddy line: The area of water where the calmer eddy waters meet with the main flow of the river.

Eddy turn: A dynamic maneuver used to enter or leave an eddy.

Edging:  Tilting the kayak using the hips, knees and thighs. Putting the boat on edge to increase its maneuverability. (See also J Lean.)

End loop: A loop of rope of at least 6mm diameter and large enough to allow a 9mm sphere or cylinder to pass through fixed to bow or stern for use as a hand grip. See toggle.  

Entrapment: This usually occurs when the paddlers’ boat has been pinned against an obstacle. The paddler can then be trapped in the boat by the force of the water or due to the boat collapsing.

Entry Line: Shape of the bow where it cuts through the water.

EPIRB:  Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon: an electronic device for locating survivors and wreckage after an incident is over. As with all ‘safety’ devices, not a substitute for seamanship.  

Eskimo: A disparaging term, meaning ‘eater of raw meat’. See Inuit.

Eskimo roll: Returning your boat to the upright position without exiting it, after a capsize, using hands or paddle.

F

Face (drive side): The flat side of a blade that is used to push against the water

Falls: A sudden drop in which the water falls free for at least part of the way.

Fathom: A nautical measure of depth: 6 feet.

Fault: What can go wrong, will go wrong. In tandem canoeing, it's always your partner's Fault.

Feather: To turn the paddle so that the blade is parallel to the current or wind and the resistance is reduced.

Feathering: The degree to which kayak blades are set at an angle to each other. This varies from 70 to 90 degrees, depending on the discipline. Some sea paddles have no feathering at all.

Ferry: To move a canoe laterally across a current.

Ferry glide: A technique used to cross the current laterally by facing the boat upstream at an angle.

Fiberglass: Glass threads formed into a matting or fabric and used with special resins to form a covering of high strength to weight ratio. Used to build canoes, kayaks and paddles.

Fill Power: The cubic inches one ounce of down will fill. Top quality fill power ranges from 550 to 700-plus cubic inches.

Flare: 1. The progressive widening of a hull towards the gunwale, typically seen at bow and stern of open canoes, and also in bow and stern of some sea kayaks. Flare gives lift in rough water. 2. Pyrotechnic device often required by boating regulations (not in South Australia) but generally regarded as useless by sea kayakers.

Flat Water: Lakes, rivers, streams, etc. With almost no wind, current, waves, or chop.

Floorboards: Slats placed in the bilge of a wooden canoe to protect the ribs.

Flotation: A flotation compartment or foam block may be located under the deck which prevents the canoe from sinking if capsized or swamped. Polystyrene, closed cell foam or air bags placed in a canoe or kayak to help keep the craft afloat in the event of a capsize.

Foldboat: Ingeniously designed kayaks or canoes made of a rubberized fabric with a collapsible wooden frame; can be packed into carry bags for transportation.

Foot-brace: A wood or metal bar against which a paddler braces his or her feet. Foot-braces help secure the paddler in the canoe and so add to the efficiency of his or her strokes.

Foot rest: Fitted to the inside of a boat to give the paddlers’ feet something to push against. This improves steering, balance and power.

Forward Ferry: Paddling with the canoe at a downstream angle to the current and crossing laterally.

Forward power stroke: A stroke which propels the kayak forward.

Freeboard: The portion of the hull between the waterline and the top of the gunwale. The part of the canoe which lies above the water line.

Freestyle:  A competition on white water, where paddlers perform tricks and are scored.

Freighter: Canoe with large carrying capacity; often used in wilderness regions as a work craft.

Fullness: Shape of canoe determined by how quickly the hull widens. A full canoe widens sooner and stays wide longer.

G

Gauging Station: A permanent device measuring the level of water at a given point.

Gear: Everything you carry in your canoe, from food to foolish items; something you always wish you had more of in camp and less of on a portage.

Girth: The circumference of the hull at its widest section.

Grab loop: A loop of rope on the bow or stern of a canoe or kayak, which is useful for grabbing onto in an emergency situation.

Gradient: The degree of inclination of a riverbed, usually described as the number of meters the river drops per kilometer.

Grip: The top of a paddle. The two most popular shapes are the pear grip and the T grip. The former is used for general canoeing; the latter is favored by whitewater canoeists.

GRP (glass reinforced plastic): See fiberglass.

Goon stroke (stern pry): The most basic of the forward paddling steering strokes for canoes. It is a pry stroke executed at the back of the boat to push the stern sideways, and away from the paddle.

Gunnels or Gunwales :  (pronounced gunnel) - the top edge of the hull which runs from stern to bow.. Refers to the upper edges of the canoes sides. Wood Gunwales consist of two pieces inner & outer gunnels that sandwich the boats upper edges and are usually attached by Phillips screws. Aluminum or vinyl gunnels consist of a one-piece extrusion that is set onto the canoes upper edges and is attached by rivets  ( French: Gunwale: Plat-bord   Inwale Gunwale:Plat-bord intérieur   Outwale Gunwale: Plat-bord extérieur )

H

H rescue: A deep water rescue performed by two rescuers. Each paddler lifts up one end of the victim's boat to empty it.

Hatch: An opening through the deck into a compartment, and closed by a hatch cover. Normally seen on sea kayaks.

Hand roll:  An Eskimo roll performed using only the hands.

Haystack: A standing wave with a tumbling crest.

Heavy Water: A huge flow of water through rapids marked by extreme velocity difference in currents and violent turbulence.

Helmet: Plastic head protection worn by skiers, cyclists, roller bladers and whitewater canoeists.

H I rescue: (Ipswich Rescue) A deep water rescue performed by two rescuers who empty the victim's boat by see sawing it across a paddle bridge formed between the two boats.

High Brace: A powerful, dynamic kayak or canoe stroke for entering or leaving an eddy. Also called the "Duffek stroke" because it was developed by Milovan Duffek of Czechoslovakia.

High brace support stroke: A paddle stroke used to counteract instability. The paddle is held higher than the wrists and elbow, and the face of the paddle blade is used to give support.

High cross: A maneuver in which you cross a fast jet of water as high up as possible, from one side the river to the other. The upstream face of a standing wave is often used to surf across.

Hip flick (hip roll): The action of flicking a kayak back into the upright position (using knee lift) during an Eskimo roll or support stroke. 

Hip movement: A dynamic rotation of the pelvis which causes the kayak to return to the upright position after a roll or brace.

Hogged: A canoe with a bent-in keel or keel-line.

Hole (stopper): The hollow area on the downstream side of a boulder or ledge and upstream side of a stopper wave.

Hull: The underside of the boat. Is the body of the canoe which sits in and displaces water and provides the canoes buoyancy  ( French: Coque )

Hull Profile – There are many terms, shallow arch, shallow "V", tumble home, straight side, flared (from the water up), tapered (from the water line up), all reflecting the curve at the bottom, and what the sides are shaped like.  A flat bottom that is wide is more stable, so look at the width dimension and bottom shape.  Straight sides, flared, or tapered sides do not make a huge difference, other than paddle clearance, and a little different feel when the boat is leaned.  All are adaptable.  Most profiles will be matched to fit the rocker, and use.  Boats designed for rivers with rocker usually have deeper sides, adversely a boat with little rocker will have a shallower or lower sides.  Still water boats are typically wider too.   Primary or initial stability is how the boat feels with smaller movements.  If it has a pitchy feel, it has less initial stability.  If it feels very stable with smaller movements, it has good initial stability.  Secondary stability comes in when the boat is leaned, as many steering and maneuvering practices employ. Secondary stability is good when the boat is leaned a bit, and it feels good there.  Where there is secondary stability, there is a buoyancy of the side profile, that will allow you to run on one "edge" of the boat.  Flat bottom boat profiles are not made to be leaned, rather recreational care free feel.  Shallow V can have pretty good initial stability, but still be leaned over a bit to take advantage of the steering results desired by running one side of the boat.  There, the secondary stability of many shallow v designs are felt.  A round bottom is a slippery feel, sometimes found on highly rockered river models.  These you can "sit and spin", and rightfully so when going down a class 3 rapid, with rocks or boulders to avoid, eddies to jump in to, and a changing water line to maintain.  Planing hulls can sometimes be found, a highly rockered boat, with a bit of a flat plane on the bottom.

Hung Up: When a craft is caught on a rock.

Hydraulic: A general term for the confused and disturbed currents immediately below or around obstructions; eg surges, standing waves, stoppers.

Hypothermia : The loss of core body temperature through exposure to cold and wet, and especially wind. Potentially fatal. Prevention is much better than cure: dress warmly and eat well. Lowering of the body core temperature as a result of immersion in cold water, or exposure to cold conditions.

I

ICF: International Canoe Federation: the governing body for canoeing and kayaking worldwide.

Initial Stability: The amount of stability a canoe has when standing still.

International Rating: How violent the rapids really are; range from Class I, marred by light ripples, to Class VI, say your prayers.

Inuit : Literally, ‘the people’ — the name given by the Arctic people to themselves.

Inwale: The inside of the gunwale.

J

J Lean : A way of leaning the boat while keeping the torso vertical. In sea kayaks, lifts bow and stern, increasing the effective rocker and making the boat easier to turn.

J stroke: The steering phase of the forward paddling stroke which is used to keep the canoe maintained in a straight direction.

Jet: A term used to describe a tongue of fast water usually between two eddies.

K

K1: Single kayak. Usually refers to sprint kayaks, at right in diagram below. K2 and K4 are also used in competition.

K1, K2, K4 etc: Kayaks designed for one, two and four paddlers.

Kayak:  A small boat propelled with (usually) a double blade paddle, from a seated position. Most kayaks are decked. Kayaks are derived from the frame and sealskin hunting boats of the Arctic.

Kayak volume (high, low, medium): The amount of air enclosed by the empty boat's shell.

Keel: A narrow strip which runs along the center of the bottom of the hull from bow to stern. Keels provide better tracking, act as a bang plate, which takes most of the bangs and wear. Some canoes will have an actual keel molded or attached. A projection below the hull running from stern to bow, which helps the craft maintain straight movement. It also adds strength to the hull, and protects it from damage. ( French: Quille  )

Keel Line: Centerline of the canoe running from bow to stern along the belly of the canoe.

Kevlar Du Pont’s trade name for poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide, a strong, tough, stiff, high melting point fiber, used in composite construction. Lighter, stiffer, more expensive than glass fiber.

Keyhole cockpit: A kayak cockpit built to improve the paddlers’ safety by allowing for ease of exit but still allows effective bracing of the paddlers’ knees.

Knee brace: Supports attached to the canoe or kayak which the canoeist uses for bracing with the knees.

Knee lift: The action which is needed to assist with an Eskimo roll and also used to maintain balance, or right a boat during support strokes.

Kneeling Thwart: Replaces the normal thwart (about 6 inches aft) and is fitted on an angle to better enable kneeled solo paddling as it takes weight / stress off both the paddler's knees and ankles while still providing canoe structure & rigidity

L

Lapstrake: Construction of a wooden canoe so that each longitudinal board overlaps the one below, like a clapboard house; also, clinker built.

Lash: To make gear secure, usually with a rope.

Launch: To slide a craft into the water.

Lean: A deliberate tipping of the canoe as a maneuver in ferrying or to regain stability.

Leaning : An action used by paddlers to tilt the boat this assists with turning and steering. The paddler leans from the upright position rather like a cyclist turning a corner.

Ledge: A rock shelf which extends across the river at right angles to the current and acts as a natural barrier over which the water flows.

Lee, leeward: Away from the wind; downwind.

Left Bank: The left side of the river when facing downstream.

Life jacket: A personal flotation device with buoyancy designed to maintain flotation with the face out of the water.

Line: See Painter.

Lining: The use of ropes to maneuver a canoe downstream. The use of ropes, one fore and one aft, to maneuver an empty canoe downstream.

Lining Rope: Rope used to tie up a canoe or pull it around obstacles in the water. Also refers to working a canoe downstream around obstacles in the water with the aid of ropes (lines) attached to the bow and stern.

Linking strokes: The process of combining different paddle strokes.

Livery: Where you rent canoes and equipment.

Lob Tree: A tall tree with some or all of the top branches removed to make it a distinct landmark.

Long-Distance Racing: A term usually used for downriver races of at least 10 miles for senior canoeists and 5 miles for junior canoeists.

Low support (brace) stroke: A support stroke using the back of the paddle blade to keep the boat upright. The paddle is held so that the blade is lower than the wrist and elbow.

Low brace turn: A paddle stroke which is used as a bracing stroke to enable the boat to turn in a long wide curve.

Loop: A nose stand or ender where the kayak goes beyond the vertical position into a somersault.

M

Marathon: Racing over long distances, the longest race in Australia being the Red Cross Murray Marathon, 400km over five days. Often described as a fit way to see a river.

Meaty stopper: A powerful, holding stopper that is likely to give a paddler trouble.

Mold: A form used to make a canoe. A female mold is said to produce a male canoe; a male mold to produce a female structure.

Mouth: Where a river empties into another body of water.

Munched: When a paddler descends into a stopper or hole and is swallowed up, given a rough time or capsizes.

N

Neutral break in/break out: Breaking into or out of the current by allowing the current to provide all of the turning effect.

Neoprene: A synthetic rubber used to make booties, wet suits and spray decks.

Nose: The part of the dog that sniffs, and leaves wet patches on whatever it touches. Also front end of canoe or kayak.

Nose cone: A specially molded guard fitted to the nose of the canoe or kayak to protect it from damage.

Nose and tail stand (ender and back ender): Standing the kayak vertically using the sloping face of a wave or the downward suction of a stopper.

O

Off side: The side opposite to the side where the canoeist is paddling.

Open canoe: A canoe that is open (it is not decked). Also called a Canadian canoe. 

Open water: A term used for the unsheltered lakes, estuaries, the sea or a very wide river.

Outfit: To equip a canoe for a particular purpose.

Outfitter: Commercial companies that supply all necessary equipment for wilderness travel.

Outrigger: A form of paddle racing, usually at sea, derived from Pacific island outrigger canoes.

Outside Bank: The outside of a bend.

Outwale: The outside gunwale.

Overboard: "Man overboard."

P

Paddle: n. A canoe paddle has a single blade, with a T or similar grip at the top; a kayak paddle has two blades, usually set at or a little less than 90°. There are specific designs of paddle for particular purposes. v. To propel a canoe or kayak with a paddle.

Painter: A line attached to the bow and/or stern of the canoe

Painter’s ring: Brass ring anchored to the stem or deck of a canoe to attach a rope.

Pawlata:   Hans Eduard Pawlata, the Austrian who adapted a Greenland roll for use with the feathered European paddle and introduced it to Europe in 1927. A particular type of Eskimo roll which uses the full length of the paddle, giving extra leverage. Mainly used by novices.

Perception:  The faculty of perceiving — the ability of the mind to refer to sensory information of external objects as their causes. Also, the name of a US kayak manufacturer.

PFD: Personal Flotation Device. A general term used to describe life jackets, buoyancy aids, buoyancy garments, etc. Canoeing PFDs are Type 2 or Type 3, and designed specifically for canoeing to allow the freedom of body movement needed.

Pick Pole: A pole used to propel a canoe. Also called a "canoe pole."

Pike: The iron point on a canoe pole.

Pillow: A build up of water on the upstream side of a boulder or underwater obstruction. Often called a cushion.

Pitch: A sudden drop in, or a steeper section of, a set of rapids.

Pinned: Entrapment of the boat/paddler on an immoveable object by the force of the water. Bow of the boat held vertically in a steep rapid or waterfall with the nose of the boat trapped. 

Pivot: To turn sharply, or to turn the craft around a point.

Pivot turn: A fast turn created by standing the kayak on end and rotating it in this vertical position (usually the stern).

Placid water (calm water): Any area of water that is sheltered and still and not effected by the tide, wind or current.

Planking: Lightweight boards nailed to the ribs on wood-canvas canoes. Its main purpose is to support the canvas.

Plant (catch): The point at which the paddle blade enters the water at the start of the forward stroke.

Plastic: Usually refers to boats made of polyethylene (linear, cross linked or high density).

Playboating See Freestyle

Playing: Enjoying running a particular set of rapids several times.

Plunge pool: A deep pool found at the bottom of most drops, natural waterfalls and weirs.

Pogies: A paddle mitten which is fitted to the paddle shaft enabling the paddler to hold the paddle and have warm hands.

Pole: See Pick Pole.

Polyethylene: Plastic material from which recreational white water canoes and kayaks are often constructed.

Polypropylene: Commonly used to make excellent non absorbent underwear (thermal wear). Also used in helmet construction.

Polo:  A ball game played in polo boats in swimming pools, the object being to score goals. Rules are similar to those of basketball. See our section on Canoe Polo.

Pool: A stretch of river with little current.

Port: The left side of the canoe when facing the bow.

Port Side: Is the left side of the canoe, looking from the stern towards the bow

Portage: To carry a canoe on your back. To do this the canoe will need a carrying thwart. From the French `To carry'.

Power face: The face of the blade which pushes against the water. The front of the paddle blade.

Prusik:  A knot for attaching a loop to a rope. The loop can be slid along the rope, but holds when under tension. In canoeing, used in whitewater rescue situations. Named after Dr Karl Prusik, a German climber of the 1930s.

Pry: The paddle is used like a lever against the side of the boat to push the boat sideways. Mainly used in canoes.

Pry Stroke: A paddle stroke used to move the craft sideways, away from the paddle.

Pulling draw: A draw stroke that makes the boat move sideways towards the paddle. The positioning of the paddle before it is pulled will determine whether the nose, tail or entire boat moves.

Purchase: The application of power on a paddle to get leverage.

Put-In: Where a canoe is placed in the water; a launching site; the start of a trip.

Q

Quartering: Running at an angle to wind and waves; a technique for riding over waves at a slight angle to avoid burying the bow in a wave.

R

Rails: The gunwales (gunnels) of a canoe.

Ramp: A sloping platform of water.

Rapids: A fast and turbulent stretch of water which could include waves, haystacks, stoppers and drops. Rapids are graded 1 to 6 on the international scale.

Reading The Water: Determining water conditions by the appearance of water formations; used in determining the appropriate route through rapids.

Recovery stroke: A term used for returning the paddle and getting ready for the next stroke.

Rescue cover: When members of the group, who have throw lines and rescue equipment at the ready are positioned along the rapid as rescuers (on the bank and in a boat).

Rescue Pack: A special pack in which is kept all rescue equipment.

Retractable Skeg: (fin) A control surface fitted to a sea kayak to control its directional stability — making the boat easy to control downwind. The skeg resides in a case, and extends through an opening in the hull towards the stern.

Reversal:  Where the current curls back on itself; usually treacherous. May be caused by large obstructions, either on the surface or underwater. Reversals also may be known as souse holes, hydraulics, curlers, or back rollers.

Reverse paddling: Paddling backwards.

Ribs of a Canoe:  Shallow "U" shaped pieces that push outwards on the inside of the canoes hull to add strength & and rigidity in some canoes. Note: some quality fiberglass and Kevlar canoes do NOT have ribs as the manufacturers have chosen to add a core stiffening material to the canoes hull instead

Riffles: Light rapids where water flows across a shallow section of river.

Right Bank: The right side of the river when facing downstream.

River mouth: Where a river empties into the sea or another body of water.

River Rating Scale: A nationally recognized scale used by whitewater canoeists to rate the difficulty of rapids. Rankings from Class I to Class VI. See Water Class and Characteristics.

Rock garden: A section of river filled with rocks which requires constant maneuvering by the canoeist.

Rockagator: A sullen rock hiding in the rapids which the bow paddler failed to detect until after it reached up and smacked the canoe, sometimes hard enough to cause a capsize or hangup.

Rocker: The amount of upward curve at the bow and stern of the canoe. The amount of curve in the keel line of the boat. A lot of rocker has a "rocking chair curve" from front to back, and no rocker has "no rocking chair curve".  The more rocker the easier to steer, but can make the boat wander.  The less rocker the harder it is to bring the boat around, wider turning radius per effort, but tracks straighter with the long contact in the water from front to back.  This is important in selection for control. 

Rockopotamus: A huge, sleepy rock over which water flows in a gentle pillow so unobtrusively that no one recognizes it until the canoe slides to a stop atop it.

Rod: A way of measuring distance when portaging a canoe.  Most people accept that a rod is 16 feet, or one canoe length.

Rodeo: See Freestyle

Roll: The self rescue method devised by the Arctic people (who would have rapidly died had they tried to swim in their freezing waters). The roll relies on body movement for success, not the sweep of the paddle. There are many variations.

Rooster tail: Formed when a wave explodes over a semi submerged rock or boulder. It can be identified by a pronounced water spray with a pocket of air underneath it.

Roto-Mold Material -   Roto mold (made with rotating mold) As an example, Old Town's Superlink or Polylink is a plastic (polyethylene) powder that is thrown into a hot mold shaped like the boat.  The mold rotates, and the plastic pellets melt to the surface of the mold, creating the outside layer of the boat.  In multi layer construction, the second layer is thrown in after the first layer is complete, and has a foam texture in the material.  Lastly, the third layer is added with it's powder, and as the boat mold spins, it allows all cavities to be filled and boat to become uniform in shape and thickness.  Cool down the mold, and a boat has been born!  Superlink uses the best in materials available, in a mold that rotates in more than one axis.  Linear lay up (Polylink or Super linear) is a single axis rotation of the mold.

Rowing:  A backward way of travelling.

Royalex / Oltinar - This is an ABS substrate material which is a harder plastic than polylink or superlink, with an additional difference in how it is made.  Royalex is made in large boat size sheets at the Royalex factory.  The sheets are manufactured with tight control processes in place, and using an 8 layer lay up, three thin layers on the inside and outside surfaces, and a foam core in the middle.  The thickness is tightly controlled, so the weight is typically 18 pounds less.  Then the sheets are sent to the boat plant to be heated in a large oven, then formed with a vacuum mold to give the sheet a canoe shape. The sheet is then put in an oven at the boat manufacturer, and then pulled out of the oven over a cold vacuum mold.  The vacuum sucks the sheet into place draped over this mold, then the top comes down and wa-la, a canoe stamped out of a sheet.  Cut off the "sprew" and there ya go! The average cost is $400 more than the polylink or superlink canoes. 

Rudder: A movable surface at or near the stern to control the directional stability of a kayak. That on a sea kayak will be retractable, that on a sprint kayak will be fixed. A complicated device to cure what is better treated by trimming the boat appropriately or using a simpler device, the retractable skeg. Rudders are not for steering.

Running: To sail with the wind; in canoeing, to hoist a jury sail and let the wind sweep the craft along.

S

S turn: A combination of break in and break out maneuvers used to cross the current. Also used when practicing on flat water slalom gates.

Scouting: Checking a stretch of water before paddling it.

Screw roll: A commonly used Eskimo roll.

Sculling draw: A complicated paddle stroke that moves the kayak sideways by sculling the blade at a slight angle to and fro (figure eight motion) parallel to the boat.

Sculling for support: A support stroke which requires the paddle blade to be swept to and fro across the surface of the water.

Sculling Stroke: A figure-eight stroke with the paddle in the water at all times; used for fine adjustments, or when necessary to keep the paddle in a ready position when running a tricky set of rapids.

Sculpted Yokes - Lightweight, attractive, yet very functional. Used to carry the canoe while resting the yoke on your shoulders. Available in ash, cherry, or mahogany wood.

Scuppers or Scalloped Canoe Gunnels:  Elongated slots (2 to 3 inches long) cut into the inner & outer gunnels. These slots (normally 4 each side of the carry yoke) help relieve water from the canoe when cleaning, act as fasten points and are an ascetically pleasing finishing touch to a wood trimmed canoe. Some manufactures also offer scalloped deck plates as well

Secondary Stability: The amount of stability a canoe has while being paddled.

Seconds: What you didn't get when your hungry partners got there first.

Seal launch: Launching off a bank or rocks after first getting into the kayak and putting on the spray cover.

Seat: (Whitewater canoes may have a foam 'saddle' in place of a seat)

Shaft: The straight part of a canoe or kayak paddle.

Sheer: The fore and aft curving sides of a hull.

Shoal: Shallows caused by a sand bar or sand bank, especially those which may be exposed at low water. Swift current shoals are also known as riffles.

Shoe Keel: A wide, flat keel used on river canoes.

Shuttle: The art of maneuvering cars and canoes from put-in to take-out points.

Sideslip: The sideways movement of a canoe or kayak across the water.

Side surfing: Riding side ways in the slot of a stopper or wave.

Skeg: A fin attached to the stern of the kayak that helps the paddler to travel in a straight line. Useful for novices in slalom/general purpose boats and sea canoeists.

Skid plate: A piece of thick Kevlar that is glued to the bottom ends of a canoe. Prevents abrasion of the skin of the canoe.

Skin: The covering of a craft; may be fiberglass, canvas, or a sheath placed over a fiberglass or wooden canoe to protect the craft from chafing.

Slack water: Non moving or very slightly moving water, often associated with adjacent moving water.

Slalom: Competition held on white water in which paddlers travel a course marked out by ‘gates’, poles suspended over the water. The object is to make the fastest time without missing or striking the gates.

Slalom gate: Used in slalom racing. A gate is formed by two poles hanging from an overhead wire through which competitors must paddle in a downstream or upstream direction. A slalom course consists of some twenty to thirty such gates.

Slicing: The blade is cut through the water like a knife to take it quickly back to its starting position.

Sling: Continuous tape loop used for making quick attachments to anchor points, eg rocks or trees, for rescue purposes.

Slot: The deep trough of a stopper at the point at which the downstream flow meets the upstream moving back tow.

Smoker: A single violent set of rapids.

SOT Sit On Top: a form of kayak in which there is no real deck, and the paddler sits in a sort of well. Also known as ‘wash deck’ boat.

Solo Canoe: A canoe typically paddled by one person.

Souse hole: An American name for a stopper or `play hole'.

Splash skirt/cover: A fitted cover designed to keep water out of a canoe. Splash covers are useful in rough rapids and big waves.

Split paddles: A paddle that can be taken apart at a joint in the middle usually used as an emergency paddle.

Spoon: The curved shape of some types of kayak paddle blades.

Spray cover/deck/skirt: A nylon or neoprene cover worn around the paddlers’ waist that closes off the cockpit opening.

Sprint:  Racing on flat water over marked straight courses over distances of 500m, 1000m, etc. Sprint kayaks and canoes must meet strict size and weight rules, and are designed for speed, not comfort and stability. Sprint is an Olympic sport.

Squall: A quick, driving gust of wind or rain.

Square Stern: A canoe with the stern cut off to provide a "transom" for attaching a motor.

Squirt boat:  A whitewater kayak of low volume, one so lacking in buoyancy that it may be deliberately submerged to perform tricks, as in Freestyle. A specialized kayak with exceptionally low bow and stern that submerges easily allowing the experienced paddler to perform complicated and intricate maneuvers and stand on its nose or tail.

Stability:  What beginners wish there was more of. Stability in canoes and kayaks is dynamic, relying on body movement, with the paddle.

Standing wave: Continual waves which remain in one place; usually caused by the dissipation of energy when a fast flowing current reaches a slower pool of water or by obstructions.

Starboard: The right side of the canoe when facing the bow.