Modern kayaks may be categorized into sea kayak, white water kayak, racing kayak, and surf kayak. These kayaks are made from wood, rotomolded plastic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar, or fiber over aluminum or wooden frame. They are available in single, double, and sometimes even in three- or four-person models. Let us discuss about the modern kayak in detail.
Modern kayak types:
1. Sea kayak: these are designed to accommodate one or two paddlers. These are more maneuverable and have extreme stability and cargo capacity. Sea kayak has further subtypes that include:
- Strip-built- that is more close to rigid fiberglass boat but very light in comparison to it.
- Sit-on-top- these are used for fishing, diving and can usually accommodate 1-2 but also come have models that can accommodate 3-4 people. Normally, the seat of this kayak is above the water level, so the center of gravity is higher. In order to compensate, the width is increased for the same length of a traditional kayak.
2. Skin-on-frame- the design, technique, material and construction of these kayaks is more similar to traditional kayaks. These are the lightest among all and are being used in Greenland by Inuit people for hunting.
3. Recreational- these are built for paddlers interested in photography, a peaceful paddle in a lake, or fishing. These have larger cockpit and wider beam for stability reasons. The capacity of cargo is limited, and the length is less than 12 feet.
4. Whitewater kayak: are highly maneuverable and are made of rigid material like polyethylene. The length of these kayaks is small (6-10 feet) in comparison to others. Small boats are maneuverable but slow. Whitewater kayaks do not require inherent speed, as they move down with the current. In kayak rodeo competition, whitewater paddlers use rapids features to do tricks while they are in one place on the river.
5. Surf kayak: also known as surf skis, are narrow and long kayaks for surf zone rescue and surf breaking waves. Surf kayaking uses kayaks similar to whitewater kayak design. The only difference is that they have a planing hull. Surf kayaks can be 12 feet long to increase the planing speed on wave and to have good paddling speed for catching waves. A variation to closed cockpit surf kayak design is open cockpit (Waveski) design.
6. Racing kayak: these are designed for speed. To achieve stability, the paddler requires subsatntial skill, as the hull is extremely narrow. These kayaks have subtypes of flat water and slalom kayak.
7. Multi type kayaks: these include inflatable and pedal kayaks.
- Inflatable kayak-these can be easily stored and transported. They are made of polyurethane, PVC, or hypalon. You can inflate them with hand, foot, or electric pump. They are highly portable, stable, easy to master, and are slower than traditional boats.
- Pedal kayak- is a special type of boat using pedals allowing the paddler to propel the vessel with underwater flippers instead of a paddle.
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