The Kayak: Earth’s Beloved Vessel
The Kayak is one of the most versatile man powered water craft that has ever been around on the waters of planet Earth. The kayak can be used on a small pond, large lake, calm river, raging river, or the wide open seas. There are kayak variations for every situation, and their history and development have allowed these changes to be custom made for the type of paddling that can be done. Through the proper use of gear and technique, one can become a proficient kayaker in their desired realm.
The word kayak is said to mean “hunter’s boat”, since it was first created by the Inuit and Aleut tribes of the North American Arctic regions. They built two types of kayaks for their hunting needs, and environmental resources. One type of kayak was built using the wood that was laying around shores once tides brought in scraps of buoyant wood. The other type of kayak would be built by the use of whale bones and animal skins to make a hard frame and soft, water-tight shell around the outside.
Whale fat would be the waterproofing material for either of the vessels that the natives used. A trick that they would use in order to keep the vessels extremely buoyant even in harsh conditions would be to fill seal bladders with air, secure them shut, and then proceed to tuck them in the front and rear creases of the boat as well as the middle sides of the boat.
Most boats used by the hunters would look similar to the modern day idea of a kayak and were small and maneuverable, but some longer versions used to carry more weight and people were also used. Those boats were called umiaqs, capable of carrying an entire family and all of their supplies. Some of the boats were up to sixty feet in length.
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From the humble beginning of the kayak as a hunter’s boat in the Arctic, to the olympic stage of competition, the kayak has become a modern vessel for voyages both near and far, and has become one of the most popular modes of transportation on the water as a recreational hobby for many.
As kayaks continue to become more and more prevalent across the world as not only a tool, but a great active pastime, the industry will grow and more and more people will come to love the outdoors through water sports.
Works Cited
Bryant, Charles W. "How Kayaking Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d.
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"Canoeing and Kayaking - Health Benefits." Better Health Channel.
SmartPLay, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Whiting, Ken, Jock Bradley, and Paul Villecourt. Recreational Kayaking: The Ultimate Guide.
Beachburg, Ont.: Heliconia, 2008. Print.
Baskets are made of feathers and beads. A cool fact is, The weapons by the Pomo people included spears, stone ball clubs, knives and bows, and arrows. The sharp points of their weapons and their tools were fashioned from Obsidian. They used spears and basket traps for fishing. For large animals, they used bow and arrows. For smaller animals they used nets. Also, the spears were made out of arrowheads. The history and details of the Stone Age weapons made and used by Native Americans are included in the various articles in this section which provide an opportunity to study the differences between the tribes of Native Americans. The Pomo who lived along the coast made rafts of driftwood bound with plant fibers. The Clear Lake Pomo made raft-like boats from bundles of tule reeds bound together with grape
fish would move back to deeper waters that their canoes were not suited for and shellfish were
he could find and loaded them into a canoe. After that, he went into the
The second type of vessel bottom is a round with keel design. The keel design is a narrow V-shaped hull that extends underneath to create a centerline to keep it from rolling over in rough waters. A few problems with the rounded keel hull are that it cannot travel in shallow waters. This type of boat is also more expensive to build than a flat-bottom Jon boat.
boats to all the places so they could get more information on how to get home to
On both the old "Clinton's Ditch" and in the early years of the Enlarged Erie Canal, both passenger boats (called "packets" or "packet boats"), usually horse-drawn, and working boats (also called "line boats" or "freighters"), drawn by either horses or mules, were common. Originally intended as a more comfortable alternative to the bone-jarring stagecoach, the packet boat fell out of favor as railroad travel improved, and basically disappeared by the latter half of the 1800s. On the current Erie (Barge) Canal, there being no towpath, line boats were replaced by tugboats ("tugs" or towing boats) with their attached barges, as well as motorized freighters. Today, the most common boats are recreational boats, although commercial traffic still
Personal Watercrafts or "jet skis" are basically Personal Watercraft (PWC) are basically small inboard boats able to travel at high speeds due to large amounts of power and very light weight. Alomst all PWC's are under 600 lbs and most of todays PWC's have at least 90 hp.Not only are PWC's some of the fastest water vehicles they are also some of the most maneuverable water vehicles. This is because PWC's propultion is based on a jet that also is it's turning mechanism. When the driver turns the handlebars the jet (via cables) turns in the direction of the handlebars so the stern is pushed in the opposite direction. This allows the driver to turn at a much tighter angle than traditional boats with keels and rudders.The main drawback to this maneuverability is the fact that if there is no thrust coming from the engine the ability to turn is effictively zero meaning that anytime the driver presses the kill switch (a large red button) they lose all ability to steer. This is extremely dangerous whenever an inexperienced person may drive the PWC back to dock or into shore. PWC's have no brakes and have no ablilty to stop other than turning around. They have an extremely efficient ability to hydroplane (when most of the PWC is above water) and it takes most PWC's a few hundred feet to come to a stop after being at full throttle. This is because 600 lbs + a rider is traveling at a very high speed with only minimal friction to slow them down (since PWC's are made to travel with very little friction).
hunted with bows and arrows and as the years went on and how they trade with other tribes and
The Beothuk were not alone on Newfoundland wither. The Dorset Eskimos, who came from Cape Dorset regions of the north around 500 BC also shared the island. They presumably had contact with the Beothuk, exchanging tools or engaging in battle. In any case the Dorset Indians died out leaving Newfoundland empty to the control of the Beothuk people who now had no enemies and a wide vast territory. The Beothuk, although part of the Algonkian family developed their own language and culture. The 400 words that are still known from their language prove their Algonkian heritage. The development of their culture was a great success. The success of the Beothuk people as a whole was in part because of their skills in fishing, hunting and travel. They were the "only amerindian group to navigate on the high seas."(Grabowski lecture Oct 4,`96.) This was because of the construction of their canoes. Normally paddling on the high seas is dangerous, but Beothuk canoes were so designed to with stand high waves and stay accurately on course. The canoes "were made of a frame work of spruce and then covered with birch bark."(Red Ochre, 9) They curved high at the sides and a sharp bottom acted as a keel. The high sides protected as a barrier from wave swamping the boat. Because of hunting expeditions on the Funk islands, 60 kilometres from shore, ocean travel was evident and sea worthiness was essential.
The water is deep yet dense with seaweed. Tree stumps lay patiently at the bottom of the clear water waiting for kids, who think they’re Jacques Cousteau, to discover with a mask and snorkel. Canoeing is the most exercise you’ll get off Kosoag Lake. To canoe across the entire lake would only take thirty minutes or so. Or one can paddle for a good 10 minutes and reach the only bar within miles of the winding, motor home populated, dead deer ridden roads: Kosoag Lake Inn. And this where it all began, or where it all ended.
They used things modern hunters don’t even know about to insure a successful hunt. One example of this is of a boat called a sinkbox. This boat was level with the water and if one was compromised by one wave, it would go over the side of the boat and sink it. The construction of the boat has the look of a coffin. Wooden wings surround the box that's called the platform. The top of the box was made to have natural looking appearance with flat-bottom wing decoys. The decoys that they put on the platform, were metal and weighed 25 pounds. In these boats, to set up the normal 300 decoys, it took nearly an hour. Today, the boats hunters use are expensive. The racing duck boats cost about 16,000 dollars for a new one. Used modern day duck boats cost about 12,000 dollars. The most popular boats are the Excel and Havoc duck boats. These are specially designed for racing through timber to get to a duck hole.
The Inuit hunted and fished whale, seal, and walrus by way of a kayak or by waiting patiently near holes in the ice. They made great use of animal skins for warm and beautiful clothing as one may observe on display in the Polar World exhibit at the museum. They primarily made a living by hunting, trapping, and buying and selling handicrafts. They also traded whale blubber which was used for fuel. They traded the blubber with missionaries, whalers, and other foreigners.
Flatboats and keelboats were the foundation of new forms of inland water transportation. A flatboat was a basic and affordable early boat that was usually eight to twenty feet wide and a hundred feet long. Flatboats had large cargo spaces, but could not travel against a current. Since flatboats could not travel up stream, they were usually dismantled to build homes. Some businessmen resold the wood of their flatboats. Next, came the keelboat which was an improved version of the flatboat. Keelboats were unpowered and typically moved by oars. Keelboats were capable of traveling against a current, but the process of moving a keelboat up river was extremely difficult. Flatboats and keelboats were basic, unpowered, and hard to use boats.
Try to be balanced on the board and paddle at almost the speed of the incoming wave. Raise your head when you paddle with arms bent at the elbow approximately ninety degrees. Reach out with one arm at a time, cupping your hands to make a scoop, stroking your way through the water. You don’t have to dig your arms too deep. Keep the movement of your arms nice and smooth, pulling the board through the water and finish your paddle by flicking your wrist as your arms moves past your hip.
The canoeing was a fun event that met my expectations. It was a great experience since I never been canoeing before. Although canoeing is not extreme, there still exists a high physical component to this activity. In addition, I did not realize the numerous benefits that can be gained from canoeing. One benefit that can be gained is health by improving cardiovascular fitness. Paddling the canoe provides a great form of exercise that will increase muscle strength and reduces the risk of wear and tear on joints since it is a low impact activity. Moreover, canoeing is a full body experience, where the upper body and lower body are moving simultaneously. The challenge to maneuver the canoe was difficult at first since me and my partner were not in sync initially. The ability to communicate effectively and adjust enabled us to complete our journey without any complications.