KAYAKING AND

CANOEING
Prepared By: Antonio Q. Rabara, TII
DIFFERENCES
- A kayak has a covered deck, while canoe is a wide
open.
- Kayakers extend legs and are seated low or
sometimes on the deck. A Canoer, on one hand, sits
on a raised seat or kneels on the bottom of the boat.
- Kayakers use double-bladed paddle while Canoers
use single-bladed paddle.
KAYAKING

CANOEING
Historically, there are some similarities and
differences in terms of the kayak and canoes’
function and in how they are built.
In the early days, the materials used in the original
boats had the same source, that it. Their most
immediate environment.
The word “canoe” originated from the Carib word
“kenu” which meant dugout. Canoes were originally
made from large trunks.
The more well-known version of the canoe was
introduced by the North American Indians where
the frame was built from wooden ribs. The frame
was covered with the lightweight bark of birch tress
and sometimes elm or cedar trees.
The oldest known canoe, Pesse Canoe, believed to
be constructed between 8200 and 7600 B.C. was
found in the Netherlands.
Kayaks or “qajak” meaning “man’s boat” or “hunter’s
boat” originated from the Inuit tribes of Arctic North
America. In the early years, building the kayak was a joint
effort of the man and his wife. The man builds the frame
from wood or from whalebone skeleton and it was the
wife’s job to stitch the seal skin used to cover the frame.
Whale fats were used to waterproof of the boat.
The oldest existing kayaks are exhibited in North
America Department of the State Museum of
Ethnology in Munich.
Basic Parts of Kayak
HATCH

DECK

FOOTBRACE

COCKPIT

HULL
Basic Parts of Canoe
1. Deck – Top half of the kayak
2. Footbrace – found inside where feet rest.
3. Hatch – covering on the deck where food and
gears can be stored.
4. Hull – bottom half of the kayak.
5. Cockpit – opening in the kayak’s deck where
the paddler sits.
Basic Parts of Canoe
YOKE
STERN

THWART

GUNWALE

BOW SEAT
Basic Parts of Canoe
1. Stern – rear end.
2. Yoke – a beam in the center of a canoe that
allows the canoe to rest on a person’s shoulder
when portaging.
3. Thwart – crossbars reinforcing the canoe and
prevents sides from pulling apart under load.
4. Seat – for paddler at the bow part (if in
tandem)
5. Bow – front part.
6. Gunwale – acts as structural support and it
defines shape of boat.
CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIPTIONS
Length Longer boats are faster and move on a straight
The distance from the line. They also can carry more people. However
tip of the stern to the these are not easy to maneuver.
tip of the bow.
Shorter boats are easier to maneuver and
comparatively lighter and easier to handle.

Longer boats are best when touring and cruising

the open water. A shorter kayak would be a
better for smaller lakes and rivers.
CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIPTIONS
Beam Generally, the wider the boat, the more stable it
The width of the boat is. However, a narrower kayak
and is measured at the
widest part of the
canoe or kayak.
 GRACIAS
for
listening 