kayak
Sign in to savethumb|Kayak paddlers in Pakistan snow training at [[Hanna Lake]] thumb|right|Inuit|Inuk [[seal hunter in a kayak, armed with a harpoon|alt=Man sitting with legs covered in a boat that tapers to a point at each end holding long, pointed, wooden pole]] thumb|Interior 360 degree photosphere of a kayak at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Click for an immersive 360 degree view.thumb|Kayaking in the Upsala Glacier in [[Los Glaciares National Park]] Kayaks are often used to get closer to marine animals, such as sea otters.|thumb|alt=Photo of a person sitting in a boat holding a
AI overview
A kayak is a small, narrow boat with a pointed design at both ends that a person sits in while paddling, traditionally used by Inuit seal hunters and now employed for recreational paddling and wildlife observation. Kayaks matter because they enable people to navigate waterways and approach marine environments in ways that larger boats cannot, making them valuable for both historical hunting practices and modern activities like exploring glaciers and observing wildlife.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
40 sectionsContents
- History
- 20th century & contemporary kayaks
- Design principles
- Displacement
- Length
- Rocker
- Beam profile
- Types of stability
- Stability from body shape and skill level
- Hull surface profile
- Seating position and contact points
- Materials and construction
- Modern design
- Types
- Recreational
- Sea
- Sit-on-top
- Surf
- Waveskis
- Whitewater
- Playboat
- Creekboats and river-running kayaks
- Squirt boats
- Racing
- Whitewater
- Flatwater sprint
- Slalom
- Surfskis
- Marathon
- Specialty and hybrids
- Inflatable
- Folding
- Pedal
- Twin hull and outrigger
- Fishing
- Military
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|Kayak paddlers in Pakistan snow training at [[Hanna Lake]] thumb|right|Inuit|Inuk [[seal hunter in a kayak, armed with a harpoon|alt=Man sitting with legs covered in a boat that tapers to a point at each end holding long, pointed, wooden pole]] thumb|Interior 360 degree photosphere of a kayak at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Click for an immersive 360 degree view.thumb|Kayaking in the Upsala Glacier in [[Los Glaciares National Park]] Kayaks are often used to get closer to marine animals, such as sea otters.|thumb|alt=Photo of a person sitting in a boat holding a paddle with otters swimming in the foreground. The boat is approximately 12 feet long and only slightly wider than the paddler.
A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Inuktitut word qajaq (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be a kind of canoe.