Usually there are two kinds of kayaks to the medium:
calm water kayaking, whitewater kayaking or whitewater rafting
All use the shovel, which is a cylinder of wood, aluminum, fiberglass, carbon or kevlar (including different alloys of these materials) with a concave or flat shovel (depending on the mode) in each of its ends.
Slalom Kayak (K1 category) – It is a slender vessel, tapered, with enclosing through skirt, single seater, with a length of 3.50 meters minimum regulatory and a width of 0.60 m. The minimum allowed weight is 9 kg. Craft top-level competition are in full compliance with these measures. They are constructed with a base of synthetic resins and fibers, glass, kevlar or kevlar-carbon. They must be equipped with safety handles fore and aft. In slalom, as well as K1, canoes there are also regulations car (category C1) and tandem(category C2).
River Kayak – Short and squat, with a beam wider and shorter length, with flat bow. It is highly maneuverable and requires some skill and physical condition to master. It is quite light and can be transported to the shoulder. Its main feature is used thigh, which conform to the kayaker’s legs, this allows you to master with the vessel trunk movements. The depth is only about 10 cm. The k1, k2 andk4 are competitive use and belong to the category whose races are made ??boating on rivers and lakes in the Olympic Games there this discipline which is depending on the distance traveled in the competition.
Whitewater Kayak – The whitewater kayaks are shorter than those used for calm water due to the maneuver ability on raw speed. There are various types of construction according to the mode it was designed, whether plastic or fibers and there are even inflatable kayaks. For this sport, whitewater, the basic safety equipment, are added to the hull and theskirt, which covers the open side of the kayak preventing water to enter. There are also other security features such as cazapalas, a harness which is named for the opening which allows passing the paddle shaft, which is fastened to the vest, for rescue kayak paddle or a partner. There are also some discipline of whitewater kayak: downhill, rodeo or freestyle and extreme kayaking.
Kayak-polo – Boats are used just three feet long, made ??of plastic or fiber. They have rounded tips and the foam shield to avoid damage to other paddlers in a match in case of impact. They generally have low volume, especially in the stern, allowing the paddler sink when turning on its axis, necessary changes in direction the game itself.
Quiet Water Kayak – Behold the sea kayaking and lake kayaking. These kayaks are of great length and can reach 6 m (up to 8 m boats if two people), his sleeve is rather small and can be as low as 0.5 m, the depth does not exceed 30 cm, and is usually only about 10 cm.
Are less maneuverable than river kayaks. Usually weigh between 8 and 45 kg,depending on the nature of the construction material.
There are different brands of kayaks such as the Vanquish, roman, zedtech, nelo andelio.
Sea Kayak – It piragstica discipline that uses the kayak to travel by sea, a few hours to several weeks with autonomy. Normally the boat is longer (to make it quick, directional and sail safely over the waves) and usually has some compartments (or lockers) to store the camping gear, food, clothing, … inside. Typically found in 1, 2 and 3 seats to the coasts around the world. Some models have a rudder and others, the latter are the more respect the original model, as are boats designed to be rotated through a technique known as paleo sweep stroke, addressing the latter with the type of stroke and hip . The rear blocks are optional in this type of boat, but recommended for better control of the hip. Some kayaks for cold areas are lined with Polyurethane or fiberglass insulation.
Canadian Kayaks – Are used for lakes and ponds, are vessels from 4 to 5 m, hydrodynamic spindle-shaped.Require some training to use them, because they are relatively unstable. In general, all are compartmentalized in the stern and bow, and are watertight compartments that allow you to store camping items, also come with an elastic network on the deck, to carry those items of greater volume. Usually have a compartment for carrying personal items, called “locker” and a small keel on the bottom for stability, and in some cases, you can attach a keel to sail in windy conditions without it We vary the course. These may be some variations among themselves, but are not very important because they can be exchanged between the two above aquatic environments.
Besides rowing, it is important to take a sponge and a vessel for baling, some withmanual bilge pump. It is advisable to use a piece of polyurethane rigid, square, 40 x 40cm, as rescue buoy or claims. This buoy is essential for self rescue, unless you have apaddle float or paddle float. As optional equipment we recommend the use of a whistleor air horn warning, especially for crowded areas with jet skis or surfboards. Some havesmall mirrors that are used as marker light.
Related articles: http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolbox4/hospitality/tools/store/equip/e_types.html