CANOEING/KAYAKING GLOSSARY

Boat stuck on an obstacle in its centre and pushed by the current. When the kayak is stuck at the ends, we talk about a dual broach.

A paddle movement that lets you catch different currents to stop or recover. The side movement is called sculling.

Action of getting into your canoe (or kayak) to cruise along the water.

A buoyancy aid decreases the risk of drowning; it does not guarantee lifesaving. It is designed for strong swimmers who are close to a bank or shore, or who have assistance and help close by. It is less useful in choppy water, it cannot protect the user if they fall unconscious into the water (only a life jacket can flip you the right way up if you are face first in the water).
These buoyancy aids are mainly used for kayaking, dinghy sailing and stand-up paddling, but must not be used by children under 30 kg or adults who cannot swim (a life jacket is compulsory in these cases).

This is the flat, wide part of the paddle that enters the water to propel you.

The boat’s air reserve (also called reserve).

Main current area, central river.

Turn over. Colloquially speaking, we also say to go for a dip (roll).

Movement of downstream water travelling upstream which is found behind a rock or obstacle. 

Movement of upstream water travelling downstream.

A boat of Indian origin, propelled with a single paddle.

Manoeuvre with the paddle in a semi-circle to steer the boat. Right-hand circular movement steers the craft to the left and vice versa, left-hand circular movement steers the boat to the right.

Describes the difficulty of the river from 1 to 6. From class 3, the river is considered difficult and is restricted to experienced paddlers only; 5 then 6 are categories at the limit of seaworthiness (extreme sport). Helmets are required from class 3 and up.

Manoeuvre which involves crossing a river from one shore to the other while staying at the same level of the river. You then keep the front of the boat facing the current.

Sharp curve of the river. In a sharp curve the current carries the boat towards the outside of the curve.

Rim around a canoe/kayak to which a skirt is attached.

This is the adjustment system for the variable part of adjustable paddles. This system can either use a "push pin" (where a pin enters a hole and locks the paddle shaft at the desired length), which is sturdy but not very easy to use, or a clip, which is easier to use.

This is a bit of slippage on the water and pushing the front tip of your boat with every paddle stroke. This is due to bad paddle movement and/or bad positioning in the boat.

It’s the bottom of the river (between the point where you are and the mouth of the river or confluence).

This is a material sometimes used on inflatable kayaks and canoes. Two layers of PVC are connected by thousands of nylon threads. As it is inflated to high pressure, these threads are stretched and prevent the top (deck) and bottom (hull) of the canoe/kayak from deforming. This material makes inflatable crafts extremely rigid but easy to store in a large backpack once deflated.

Action of getting out of the boat.

This is the top part of a boat’s hull.

In the event of capsizing, this action involves getting back into position with synchronised movement from the hips along with the support of your paddle in the water, without getting out of the boat.

Volume of water in cubic metres passing through a river in 1 second.

French Federation for Canoe and Kayak.

Used in canoeing, it helps to rest the buttocks. As for the knees, you sit on your knees.

Position of the paddle with the shovel flat on the surface of the water to stabilise the boat.

This is a movement of the wrist to rotate the paddle about 90 degrees and allow side thrust to correct the trajectory. With this technique you can go right by paddling only on one side.

Tilting the craft on its side. We use heeling to steer the boat. When we heel over to the left, we turn to the right and vice versa, when we heel over to the right, we turn to the left. We also use heeling to make a crossing and recover from the current (in this case, we heel on the opposite side to the direction of the current). It is also used to avoid capsizing and remain stable in the current.
On a flat bottom kayak heeling is not useful; a paddle must be used to steer.

Cylindrical part of the paddle linking the moulding to the shovel for the single canoe paddle or the two blades for a double kayak paddle.

A boat’s air reserve. We sometimes talk about bladders. Also called buoyancy reserve.

"ITIWIT" is a contraction of "ITInerary" and "InuIT" the inhabitants of the Arctic and Greenland, who invented kayaking thousands of years ago! The name ITIWIT is the name of the first inflatable TRIBORD kayak marketed in 2014. ITIWIT wants to make stand-up paddling and kayaking accessible to everyone by making the equipment more compact. The brand's headquarters where all of the kayak & paddle products are developed is located in Hendaye (France) at the Decathlon Watersports Center.

This is a type of fixed wooden raft connected to the bank by one or more bridges which allow people to get on and off vessels.

A boat originally developed by the Eskimos, propelled with a double paddle.

These are neoprene salopettes with long legs. This type of wetsuit is perfectly suited to the practice of canoeing/kayaking because it leaves the shoulders completely free to move as you paddle. It is usually strengthened around the buttocks.

Action of moving around on the water with your boat.

Term which refers to the side of the canoe where we paddle (right onside = right side; left onside = left side).

This is wind that blows inland from the sea. It is ideal for surfing because it creates hollow waves but it can be dangerous because it pushes you out to sea.

This is wind that blows inland from the sea. A surfer's nemesis because it creates a lot of chop if it is strong; it is however reassuring when paddling at sea because it brings you back to shore.

This is a canoeing term for a shape of handle at the top of a single-blade paddle. The ergonomics of this handle are very important because it must be comfortable but also allow a firm grip when the paddle is in the water.

Instrument which is used to move and propel the canoe or kayak.

Literally "pound-force per square inch," psi is the measurement of pressure when inflating the kayak. Generally, crafts are inflated between 1.5 psi (0.1 bar).

All the adjustments of your boat. E.g., the distance between the footrests and the seat.

Turn over, capsize. Colloquially speaking, we also say to go for a dip.

Submerged part of a river.

One of the most dangerous water movements (with siphons). It is found at the outlets of dams and base of falls. This type of water movement traps kayakers and forces them underwater, pushes them back up, and repeats (washing machine).

Observation of the river, carried out on foot on the banks, to analyse the characteristics of the current, counter-current, obstacles, waves, etc.

Rodeo or freestyle is a discipline in canoeing/kayaking which involves performing acrobatics in whitewater, with a kayak or canoe. The aim in competitions is to perform as many manoeuvres as possible in 45 seconds in a wave or a roll.

Action which involves engaging in the main river flow by passing from the counter-current to the current, in other words, from the rise to the descent of the river.

Lower part of the boat, a part of which is immersed in the water and which ensures buoyancy.

A sit-on-top kayak always has an outlet at the back that uses the speed of the kayak to create suction to automatically drain water that gets into the kayak.

Removing the skirt on the craft.

Equipment positioned on the coaming which makes the boat completely watertight.

A sort of neoprene or fabric muffle, fixed on the paddle to protect hands from the cold, whilst ensuring good grip on the paddle.

This standard applies to all inflatable crafts. It stipulates that in the event of a puncture in one of the 3 kayak bladders (2 on the side and 1 on the floor), the kayak must continue to float to enable its users to return to shore by paddling.