Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 2: The Basics of Operation
upper hand (the left, for those paddling on the right) 90 degrees. Now, the blade is
running sideways through the water like a rudder.
2. Bring the shaft of the paddle against the side of the canoe, pull in slightly on the
handle, and lever the blade out a bit. (If you want to keep things quieter, use your
blade hand as the fulcrum to push the blade outward.) This causes the stern of the
boat to move to the left, which brings the bow back to the right and in line with
your direction of travel.
It’s a matter of adjusting the force applied on the “J” part of the stroke to keep the hull
traveling straight. It’s easy with a bit of practice.
Keen on Kayaks
Kayaks were the invention of the Inuit peoples (formerly called “Eskimos”) of the Arctic.
They were hunting boats; frames made of wood or bone with animal skins stretched over
them. They were light and tough—but not so light and tough as modern composite plastic
and Kevlar versions.
Kayaks differ from canoes primarily in that the top is closed over in most, helping to keep
water out. Consequently, bow and stern do not have to be upswept as in a canoe, and wind
resistance is lessened as a result. Most kayaks are designed for one person only, although a
few, such as the Pamlico series from Wilderness Systems, can handle two people.
Kayaks are narrower than
canoes, usually designed for
only one person, and feature
a closed deck rather than an
open hull. They’re designed
to be paddled with a twobladed
paddle.
(Photo credit: Wilderness
Systems)
Kayaks tend to be narrower in the beam than canoes and are designed for double-bladed
paddles that dip on both sides, rather than the single-blade used on one side as in the
canoe. Kayaks have less load capacity than canoes, typically half as much at a given length.