According to the Kayaking Journal, the first wood-frame, skin-covered kayaks were constructed and used as hunting boats by indigenous people in Arctic regions. Nowadays a wide variety of kayaks are available for adventures from kayak surfing on breaking waves to paddling around local lakes, or making long journeys up and down wild coastlines.
Function
There are four primary types of kayaks. Ocean or sea kayaks are long, fast, stable vessels designed to be seaworthy over open-water crossings. Whitewater kayaks are shorter than sea kayaks, designed for easy maneuverability among strong river currents and obstacles. Recreational kayaks may share characteristics of both sea and whitewater models, making them well-suited to casual recreational use like short-term paddling or fishing. WickedWaters.com defines specialty kayaks as traditional skin-covered kayaks, wooden, inflatable or folding kayaks.
Anatomy
As with any other water vessel, the front end of a kayak is called the bow and the rear is called the stern. The opening you sit in is called a cockpit, and the raised rim around the cockpit is called the coaming. A spray skirt fits closely around your waist, then attaches around the coaming to help keep water out. Nonflexible deck lines run around some or most of the kayak's deck perimeter, giving you something to hold onto if you end up in the water. Flexible bungee cords crisscross the deck in front of the cockpit and can be used to hold emergency supplies like paddle floats and paddle pumps.
Flotation
A well-built kayak will have either water-tight bulkhead compartments in both ends to help keep it buoyant, even when swamped, or flotation bags that serve the same purpose but must be inflated before use. Bulkhead compartments, accessed by hatches in the kayak deck, can also be used to store supplies.
Capacity
You may on rare occasions encounter a three-cockpit recreational kayak, but most sea and recreational kayaks are designed to carry two people at most. Whitewater kayaks are designed for solo use only.
Materials
Once made from sinew-stitched seal skins, modern kayaks are usually made from either plastic or fiberglass. Plastic kayaks are vulnerable to permanent distortion by heat or temporary distortion from water pressure. Fuzzing, when the kayak's surface scratches and shreds, slowing your passage through the water, is another potential problem for plastic kayaks. The main vulnerability for fiberglass kayaks is chipping and cracking.
Considerations
Lake, sea and river conditions can quickly become violent and unpredictable. While almost anyone can paddle a kayak across calm, flat water, you should be prepared for the worst possible conditions before you venture onto the water, lest you find yourself suddenly in over your head.
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