Canoeing Vocabulary: N - Z
Much of the vocabulary used for canoeing is identical to that of other forms of water sport, but the activity also has a specialised language some of which is detailed below:
Paddle – The tool used for propelling a canoe. A canoe paddle is two-sided with a blade at each end of the shaft.
PFD - Personal Flotation Device (formerly known as a life vest). Must be worn at all times when on the water.
Port - A directional term meaning to the left of the canoe or the left side of any boat. Opposite of starboard.
Put-in – The point where the canoes are launched at the beginning of a trip.
Rapids – Area of a river where the current becomes very fast and the water moves quickly around obstacles in the river such as rocks.
Rudder - The vertical blade in the rear of the canoe, used to steer the boat.
Seam - The one-inch wide line around the middle of the canoe where the deck and hull are joined together, usually a different colour than the deck or hull.
Shaft – The long straight or curved piece between the blades of a paddle.
Spray Skirt - A fitted, waterproof piece of fabric that creates a seal between the canoeist and the coaming, keeping water from entering the cockpit.
Stability - How easy or difficult it is to tip a boat over. Canoes like those Northern Lights use are designed to be very stable.
Starboard - A directional term meaning to the right of the canoe. Opposite of port.
Stern - The back end of the canoe.
Take-out – Where the canoes are taken out of the water at the end of a trip.
White-water – The type of water created by rapids.
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