White Water Kayaks

White Water Kayaks- Redefines What Kayak Can Do

White water kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water typically river. White water kayaks range from a fun, carefree, splashy- splash boat to a challenging, adrenaline filled sport craft.

White water kayaks differ from sea kayaks and recreational kayaks in that they are specialized to deal with moving water better. They are shorter and more maneuverable than sea kayaks. Most of these crafts are made of plastic these days, although are made of fiberglass composites. They are stable in turbulent water. This sport is not meant for beginners as you require a proper skill and no-how to roll back upright, if flipped upside down. This essential skill is called the “the Eskimo roll” or “Roll”. Kayaks are paddled in low sitting position with two bladed paddles.

The range of white water kayaks on the market today is huge and can be confusing whether you are an novice or an expert. As white water kayaking offers many tyoes of kayaking like river running, creeking, slalon, play boating and squirt boating. It is important to ask some questions: What type of white water paddling you intend to do more?

1. Freestyle/ play boating: This involves riding a wave or hole, spinning, surfing, blunts, are all moves performed on water feature. These crafts perform tricks on water features. They tend to be short and low in volume and allow quick maneuverability in all dimensions. Your size and weight is important factor in choosing a play kayak. They are available in different sizes for different paddlers to get best performance.

2. Comfort and performance: The shorter kayaks perform better aerial moves, while slightly longer ones are better with aerial moves such as cart wheeling bow stalling. Performances of kayaks also differ on a wave depending on hull length. These crafts are suitable for river running. They lack speed and volume. Most of these kayaks do all the moves, but it is highly recommended to try them if possible.

3. All round river kayaks: They are the most popular type of white water kayak as they are versatile. They have some of the performance and fun of play boat with more stability and predictable nature of a river runner. They cannot perform all radical moves of play boats but are typically safe and generally a lot of fun. They can be use by people with right experience on all grades of water. There is two to three sizes of these designs to fit all size of paddlers. They are slightly longer than play crafts which gives them extra speed and more volume to ride down the river. They are perfect all rounder.

4. Creek Kayaks: this involves some serious, tough kayaking with tight technical lines and big drops, to fit this requirement you need the right craft. These kayaks are high volume, short- medium in length and equipped full of good safety design features to facilitate paddlers to explore runs that are more difficult. They will not perform moves or be an all rounder as they are to get down the river on the line and catch the eddies.

Most of these categories of kayaks coincide and cannot be clearly distinguished. Paddler’s ability locations to be paddled, budget all have bearing on your choice. Always discuss with others, get information from internet or try them or at least sit in them and you will soon be happy to make a wise decision. After all it takes a combination of paddler skill and innovative design to get best results.