| Kayaking is like canoeing, only better. They were | | | | kayaking trip, the chances are that this is the kind of |
| originally invented by the Inuit in Alaska and used for | | | | kayak you will be riding in. |
| hunting (the word means "hunter's boat"). The | | | | Racing kayaks, on the other hand, are neither slow |
| defining characteristic of a kayak is the way the | | | | nor stable. They are expensive, lightweight boats, |
| boater sits centrally in a long, thin boat and gets | | | | built for speed and nothing else, and barely even |
| along using a paddle. Today they are used for sport. | | | | wide enough to hold a person. It is these kind of |
| Kayaks are made differently to handle different | | | | kayaks that you will see in the Olympics and other |
| boating environments, such as calm seas and | | | | kayaking competitons, as what they lack can be |
| whitewater. There are also special racing kayaks, | | | | made up for by highly-skilled boaters. |
| designed for speed. | | | | When considering kayaks, a general rule is that the |
| Sea kayaks are long, stable boats with steering | | | | longer the kayak is, the faster yet less manoeuvrable |
| mechanisms that can keep a straight path through | | | | it will be, and vice versa. However, this is not the |
| the water. They are larger and more dependable | | | | only factor, as the overall shape of the kayak will |
| than other kayaks, but this comes at the cost of | | | | also have some effect. |
| manoeuvrability. They are also often big enough to | | | | There are also some unusual kinds of kayaks. The |
| hold more than one kayaker, unlike whitewater | | | | inflatable kayak, for example, is often used by casual |
| kayaks. | | | | hobbyists, as it can be transported so easily. They |
| Whitewater kayaks are smaller, sportier boats. They | | | | used to be only suitable for calm waters, but design |
| are very easy to steer precisely and quickly, but | | | | advances have made them suitable for some |
| they are not very fast. What speed they do have | | | | reasonably fast-flowing environments such as the |
| comes from the way they are designed to harness | | | | sea. |
| the energy of fast-flowing rivers. If you go on a | | | | |