Origin Of Kayaking

John MacGregor invented kayaking. In 1845, heentering the kayak and moving the kayak upright
designed Rob Roy (a canoe) and in 1866, he formed apreventing the water from filling and ejecting the
canoe club with others interested in kayaking. In 1936,paddler.
kayaking became part of the Olympics followed byEarlier people made different kayaks for different
white water race.purposes, but now the term kayak is being used
Kayaks Historybroadly for boat.
People of Arctic, like the Inuit, first developed kayaksBaidarka- this is a double or triple kayak developed in
many years ago. Centuries passed away to designAlaska as a means for transportation of goods or
and redesign kayaks having supreme design forpassengers and for hunting.
people of particular region. The term kayak meansUmiak- this is a larger open deck boat. The Umiak
"hunter's boat" or "man's boat." The kayak is a boat(women's boat) ranges from 17 to60 feet and is made
powered by human. The deck of the boat is covered.of wood and sealskin. Single-bladed paddles were
The kayak has a cockpit covered with a spray skirt.used in it and had more than one paddler.
The first kayak was made of wood with a small holeMaterial Used
in middle craft for the person to sit. Inuit and AleutEarlier kayaks were made of wooden frames
developed kayaks as a means for hunting. The designcovered with skinseal. They were made by people
of kayaks varies considerably from one region towho would use it with skin jacket sewn into it to act
another. The design of canoes and kayaks differsas waterproof seal. With time, the material used to
distinctly as double blade paddles propel kayaks andmake the kayak has changed. Whalebone or
canoes have flat bottoms and are propelled by singledriftwood were used to make kayaks. During those
bladed paddle. In some countries like Ireland and Greattimes, sea lion skin was used as covering with whale
Britain, kayaks are known as canoes.fat as sealant. Now kayaks are made from fiberglass,
One, two, or even more paddlers can beplastic, and carbon fiber materials. Nowadays, kayaks
accommodated in a kayak. The paddlers sit in cockpitsare light, durable, versatile, and sturdy.
below the deck, facing forward. The spray skirt or anyNowadays, kayaking is accessible by all skill levels and
other waterproof material is attached to the edges ofis a form of exercise, exploration and travel.
the cockpit in a secure manner to avoid water from