Anatomy of a Kayak: Understanding Your Boat
A basic understanding of your kayak and the various types of kayak is basic but necessary knowledge. This will help you pick the right type of boat for the right situations and conditions. There are many different types of kayaks. Below we show you the 2 main styles of kayaks you will encounter on your various adventures in the kayaking world.
Orientation In Your Kayak
1. Bow: the "fore" or front of your kayak - points where you are headed
2. Stern: the "aft" or back of your kayak
3. Port: the left side of your kayak
4. Starboard: the right side of your kayak
Anatomy of a Sea Kayak
1. Deck: the topside of your kayak.
2. Hull: the bottom of your kayak.
3. Keel: the bow-to-stern ridge on the hull of your kayak.
4. Cockpit: where your body fits inside the kayak.
5. Seat: where you sit within your cockpit.
6. Coaming: the edge "ring" of the cockpit.
7. Deck line: This can be stretchy like a bungee chord or non-stretchy like para-chord.
8. Hatch: the inner water tight cargo area of your kayak.
9. Carry handles: an easy place to hold on to for moving your kayak on land or over obstacles.
10. Rudder or skeg: A skeg is a static drop-down fin and a rudder is an adjustable flip-down fin. Either of these help keep you on track.
11. Bulkhead: a wall inside your kayak separating compartments that keeps water from swamping your cargo space and keeps your boat bouyant.
12. Foot braces: adjustable rests inside the cockpit; if your kayak has a rudder, you control it with the foot braces.
13. Thigh braces: the pads that hug your thighs in the cockpit for a nice tight fit.
Anatomy of a Sit On Top Kayak
1. Deck: the topside of your kayak.
2. Hull: the bottom of your kayak.
3. Keel: the bow-to-stern ridge on the hull of your kayak.
4. Seat: where you are seated on the kayak.
5. Foot braces or footwells: foot braces are adjustable while footwells are built into the boat at intervals.
6. Deck line: This can be stretchy like a bungee chord or non-stretchy like para-chord
7. Hatch: the portal to an inner water-tight cargo area of your kayak.
8. Carry handles: an easy place to get a grip; many sit-on-tops have them in multiple locations.
9. Scupper holes: these are the drain holes for water that sloshes into your kayak.
10. Rudder or skeg: A skeg is a static drop-down fin and a rudder is an adjustable flip-down fin. Either of these help keep your kayak on track.
Want to learn more about basic paddle strokes?
Check out this article for an overview of paddling