Kayaking Terminology
Some of the terminology of kayaking is based on general boating that is the same on a ship, yacht or battleship. Common examples include:
- Deck
- The top surface of the vessel
- Hull
- The bottom surface of the vessel
- Bow (front)
- The front or forwards part of the vessel
- Stern (back)
- The rare or aft part of the vessel
- Port†
- The left side of the vessel when in a forwards position.
- Starboard†
- The right side of the vessel when in a forwards position.
- Forward
- Towards the front or bow of the vessel
- Aft†
- Towards the back or stern of the vessel
† Aft, port and starboards are not commonly used nowadays.
But there are a number of kayaking specific terminologies too. It isn't an over expansive list so you should pick most of these up quickly. These can be grouped into features of the kayak and gear, the features of the river or lake and finally the techniques or manoeuvres to move the kayak.
