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Kayaks A kayak is a
long and narrow boat. Smaller kayaks are made to hold one The original kayaks were built by the Inuit (Eskimos) thousands of years ago. The word kayak means man’s boat. Kayaks were originally used for hunting and fishing. Because there were no trees in the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland, the people there used the bones from animals for the kayak's frame and covered it with the skin from seals and caribou. Now kayaks are used for recreational boating, white water kayaking, and for racing. Modern kayaks can be made from plastic, fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber, canvas, or wood. Citations Online References “Kayak.” Wikipedia the fee encyclopedia. 9 February 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayak>. ”The Kayak: An Eskimo Boat.” Searchasaurus. 23 February 2005 <http://web18.epnet.com/print/asp?tv=0&_ug=sid+FBA720B0%2Da49F%2D4650%2D802E>. Image Permission to use photograph of kayaks on river is granted under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>. |History of Ships and Boats| |Steamboats| |Submarines| |Sailboats| |Ketches| |Cruise Ships and Ocean Liners| |Kayaks| |Rafts| |Hovercrafts| |Hydrofoils| |Amphibious Vehicles| |
person and larger kayaks have a capacity of up to four people. Kayaks are
very similar to canoes except canoes have open cockpits and kayaks are
covered. The covered surface of the kayak has openings where the kayakers
sit. The opening is sealed off with a spray skirt or spraydeck. The
kayakers sit with the spraydeck around their waists. That way if the kayak
were to tip over no water would get inside. This allows the
kayaker to flip the kayak back up. The kayaker uses a double-ended paddle
to propel the kayak forwards, backwards, and to the side.