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Understanding Varieties Of Kayak PDF Print E-mail
Saturday, 29 December 2007
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By Vicki Churchill

  Since the 1970s when the first rotomoulded kayaks were introduced there has been an explosion of kayak styles and designs to suit every purpose and every need imaginable.

The main categories of kayak available are white-water or river, sea kayaks, surf kayaks, racing and recreational. In some regions a kayak is also referred to as a canoe however there are three distinct areas where a canoe differs from a kayak. They are more flat bottomed, do not have a cockpit and are typically paddled with a single blade from kneeling position or from slightly elevated kayaks seats.

White-Water Kayak
Generally these types of boats are small and trade off speed for stability and are also highly manoeuvrable. They include short stubbed kayaks for weir play.
Normally designed for single paddlers and encompassing the recreational element of kayakers for sedate river journeys.

Sea Kayak
Sea kayaks are often long with a thin beam and designed to paddle on open water by one or two paddlers. They have plenty of storage facilities for any kayak accessories.

Sit on top Kayak
The sit on top kayak is gaining considerable popularity in recent years. The hull is sealed making it unsinkable. They have scupper holes around the cockpit area to allow for water to drain away. The sit on top kayak makes an ideal fishing kayak as typically the beam of the sit on top kayak is wide lending to the boats stability and allowing the fisherman or diver to exit and re-enter the kayak easily.

Surf kayak
A surf kayak is generally a smaller craft with a lot of rocker to the bow. They are made from a variety of plastics ranging from very tough to fragile. Surf kayaks are rated in two classes, high performance and international class with the later being at least three meters long. Derivatives of the surf kayak are the wave ski or the surf ski and certain sit on top kayaks. They generally have no space for any kayak accessories and are also designed for recreational surf play much similar to traditional surfboarding.

Wooden Kayak
There are two types of wooden kayak, stitch & glue and strip built. Stitch and glue kayaks are made from marine grade plywood and copper wire. Once the frame has been built the copper wire is removed and the kayak is covered with fibreglass to fortify the boat and provide a waterproof seal.

Strip built wooden kayaks are built using pine, redwood and cedar. They are considerably harder to build than their stitch & glue counterparts and as such can be expensive to buy off the shelf.

Inflatable kayak
Inflatable kayak sales have increased considerably in recent years as they make excellent entry level kayaks. An inflatable kayak can easily be transported and stored. A good inflatable kayak should not be confused with cheap blow up toys available from most department stores. An inflatable kayak is easily pumped up manually in a matter of minutes. It is best suited for river journeys and calm seas. Typically an inflatable kayak will not perform as well as a traditional plastic kayak. They are made from toughened PVC and sometimes come with a canvas or polyester jacket to protect the boat from splits and punctures. Normally designed for recreational purposes most inflatable kayaks have plenty of storage for any kayak accessories.

Fishing Kayak
The fishing kayak has also gained in popularity resulting in many kayak designs being altered and modified to suit this expanding sport. You can buy a fishing kayak with a twin hull or outrigger which increases stability allowing the fisherman to stand while fishing. A fishing kayak will quite often resemble a sit on top kayak.

Racing Kayak
Professional kayaks for racing purposes in the Olympic Games and world championships are designed for specifically for flat water racing. They are classed the K1, K2 and K4 representing the amount of paddlers respectively. They are extremely lightweight, unstable and expensive but they are, very fast.

Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Inflatable Kayak Accessories providing you with excellent resources and products including reviews on Varieties Of Kayak.

6 Criteria To Help You Choose The Most Efficient Fishing Boat Trader
By Abhishek Agarwal

  When you are planning to buy a new fishing boat, it would be best if you could locate a fishing boat trader who is trustworthy and reliable throughout your boat life. It is not a very cheap venture to purchase a new fishing boat for your self. So don't leave any stones unturned in your search for the best trader on the scene. Here are certain criteria for evaluation of dealers.

1. Prices - Prices of boats do vary from one dealer to another, and you must be certain that you are charged a fair price. Apart from the price of the boat itself, check on the service options that the dealer provides. Does he charge fairly for repairs? Chances are you will need to deal with the same guy for the maintenance of the boat as well, so it is good to have a good rapport with the guy.

2. Certification - Check if the dealer is officially certified by boat manufacturers to perform services and repairs or else the service and repair would be in violation of the warranty criteria. If that happens, then the boat will no longer be under warranty even if you take it later to a certified service man. So do not hesitate to ask for the person's certification proof.

3. Stability - Check how reliable your fishing boat dealer is. Not only will you trust him with a large sum of money when you pay for your boat, but because you will have to go to him for service time and again over the years. Fishing boat traders with ten or more years of experience in the business under their belts, have loyal customers and repeat business. They are generally very reliable, so do look for a trusted name in the business. It wouldn't do any harm to contact some of their old clients for feedback as well. That is not being sneaky, it is being smart. After all you will be spending a lot of good money on a new boat, and you should take all precautions to evaluate the efficiency of the dealer.

4. Payment for the boat service when under warranty - At times, repairs covered under warranty will still need to be partly paid for, so you will have to check such payments along with regular engine service charges, as these are not covered under warranty. Double check on that, so as not to have any nasty surprises when you go to pick up your boat after a service.

5. Convenience - It just wouldn't do if the dealer's service timings were not in line with your free time. So check on that as it could be a long term problem every time you need to get some service or paperwork done.

6. Availability - Never deal with a person who seems too busy to handle all your questions. It is the duty of a sales person to follow up on every question or query you may have. If that is the case right at the first step, imagine what they may behave like when you need service later.

Abhishek has a passion for Boating since the last 30 years! Visit his website http://www.Boating-Guru.com and download his FREE Boating Report and learn some amazing Boating tips and tricks for FREE! Also discover some excellent ways to finance your Boat. But hurry, only limited Free copies available!
http://www.Boating-Guru.com

Why More Fishing Enthusiasts Are Practicing Catch and Release Fishing
By Gregg Hall

  Since many people catch and keep their fish many anglers are starting to do catch and release fishing to save the fish and let them expand more and more. Most people will fish out a spot and there will be no more fish, if you just release a fish every few trips you are saving a fish or two every time you go out fishing. The catch and release is a good method of fishing and should be done by other anglers around so you can grow more fish to catch. The more fish there are the more bites you will get.

When you are fishing you want to try and hook the fish when you set the hook in their mouth so you don't hurt them badly like hooking them in their gills or gut will cause death and more and more death will lead to extinction. So when you are fishing wait for the fish to take the bait then set the hook and tries to set it in the mouth of the fish even though you will not be able to see through the water.

Fish are things that live in the water so when you hold them out of the water when releasing them you are just risking their lives since they can only breathe in water. You will want to avoid holding the fish out of the water for too long since they will need to breathe in the water. They also have a protective film on their bodies so when you catch them avoid touching the bodies of the fish as that is their defense mechanism. You will want to either grab them through the gills or in the mouth for a safe release.

When you are fishing the fish is fighting you so when it is fighting it is building up lactic acid which can be harmful to the fish days later. So when you are fighting a fish you will want to give them as less of a struggle as possible so they wont build up that nasty acid and so it will not harm them in the later days. You just need to remember when you are releasing a fish do not hold them out of the water for too long because that is how they breathe and you just want to gander at them for a second and not hold them out of the water too long. Every second that you hold them out of the water is another second that is close to them suffocating. So be careful when fishing and releasing your fish that you catch. You will also need to take care when releasing them just give them a few swishes in the water before you let them go let them get some breathes in before you drop them in the water as they still may be in shock that they are out of the water being hooked by something really sharp.

Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about fishing as well as fishing gear at http://www.nsearch.com

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Last Updated ( Monday, 31 December 2007 )
 
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