The Versatile Sea Kayak

Today’s kayak comes in many forms, all colors, and is made of a wide variety of materials. The history of the kayak goes far back to a time when native Alaskans built sea-going, one-man boats of drift wood and animal skins. Drift wood was used because there were few if any trees available for wood. The animal skins were water proof and sewed over the wooden form. Each kayak was made specifically to fit its owner who would have a coat made of the same animal skins which was sewn to the kayak before setting off in the freezing waters. The modern kayak no longer has to protect its user from freezing waters. Kayaks are used in all kinds of water in every climate. All kayaks are made for the user to sit low in the craft; some carry little more than a person while others can carry several people, all paddlers, plus gear. The sea kayak comes in many shapes, sizes and materials, for instance.

Open Waters

The sea kayak is designed for use in open water, as in lakes, bays and the ocean. While other types of kayak are designed for maneuverability, the sea kayak is built for long trips and concentrates on ease of straight-line paddling, comfort and room for cargo. A sea kayak can be built for one paddler, two and in rare cases, three paddlers. Usually, a sea kayak can be between 12 feet and 24 feet long. The width can range from 18 inches to 28. The longer kayaks are usually built for several passengers but also make the vessel easier to paddle straight. On the other hand, shorter kayaks are easier to turn.

A sea kayak can be of rigid or one-piece construction, folding or skin-on-frame construction or inflatable. A small kayak with a wide beam and large cockpit is called a recreational kayak while a surf ski is a kayak that is long and narrow for use in breaking waves. A rigid sea kayak may be made from fiberglass, rotomolded polyethylene or Kevlar. A skin kayak may have a frame of wood or aluminum and be covered with canvas, Dacron or other types of fabric. A sea kayak may have some type of steering paraphernalia like rudders. If rudders are present, they are most often operated by foot peddles. Kayak paddles are held in the center and paddled with both ends. A sea kayak may have a spoon shaped blade at each side, set at an angle to each other in the European fashion or be a narrow flat plank with a cylindrical shape in the center as a handle in the Greenland style. The versatile sea kayak comes with so many choices of style and size that today’s kayaker can have a vessel as fitted as the historic kayakers did.