ASTERN. Toward the rear, behind, or in back of your canoe.
BACKPADDLE. Paddling backward to slow or reverse the forward motion of a canoe.
BAIL. To empty water from a craft by scooping it out with anything from a sponge to a tin can.
BEAM. Width of a canoe when measured at its widest point.
BLADE. The wide, flat end of the paddle.
BOW. The front or extreme forward end of the canoe.
BOWMAN. The person who paddles in the bow.
BULL COOK. An ancient and honorable north woods term for the person whose job it is washing pots and pans and cleaning up the kitchen.
CAPSIZE. What happens when you are gobbled up in whitewater, or flipped by a combination of wind and waves, or-well, it shouldn't happen
CAT HOLE. What you dig at least 200 feet from camp and water when there are no outhouses. Bury the toilet paper, too.
CHANNEL. A stretch of passable water through shallows or among obstructions.
CHUTE. A fast current where part of a stream is compressed and flows between two obstructions.
CREST. The summit of a standing wave.
EDDY. A current at variance with the main current, and where the main current either stops or reverses its flow upstream; caused by rocks, obstructions, or the bends in a river or stream.
FAULT. What can go wrong, will go wrong. In tandem canoeing, it's always your partner's FAULT.
FEATHER. To turn the paddle so that the blade is parallel to the current or wind and the resistance is reduced.
FREEBOARD. The part of the canoe that rides above the waterline.
GRIP. The top of a paddle. The two most popular shapes are the pear grip and the T grip. The former is used for general canoeing; the latter is favored by whitewater canoeists.
GUNNEL. The section along the top of the canoe from stern to bow where the sides meet; a strip along the top of the canoe's sides.
HULL. The lower half of a kayak or closed canoe, or the main structure of an open canoe.
HUNG UP. When a craft is caught on a rock.
HYDRAULIC. An area of major current changes which in turn create problems normally associated with rocks.
LAUNCH. To slide a craft into the water.
PADDLE. The instrument used to propel a canoe through the water; it is not an "oar."
PILLOW. A gentle bulge on the surface of the water caused by an underwater obstruction. All such pillows have hard centers.
PIVOT. To turn sharply, or to pivot the craft around a point.
PORTAGE. How you get your gear and canoe across a stretch of land between two bodies of water.
PUT-IN. Where a canoe is placed in the water; a launching site; the start of a trip. QUARTERING. Running at an angle to the wind or waves; a technique for riding over waves at a slight angle to avoid burying the bow in a standing wave.
RAPIDS. Waves, whitewater, haystacks, and similar contortions of water in a fast and turbulent stretch of river.
READING THE WATER. Determining water conditions by the appearance of water formations; used in determining the appropriate route through rapids.
ROCKOPOTAMUS. A huge, sleepy rock over which water flows in a gentle pillow so unobtrusively that no one recognizes it until the canoe slides to a stop atop it.
SCOUTING. To inspect an unknown stretch of water on foot before attempting it.
SHAFT. The handle of the canoe paddle between the grip and the blade.
SMOKER. A single violent set of rapids.
STANDING WAVE. Perpetual waves which remain in one place; may be caused by decelerating current when fast water meets slower-moving water, or by obstructions.
STARBOARD. The right side of the canoe when facing the bow.
STERN. The rear of the canoe.
STERN PADDLER. The person who paddles from the rear of a two-man canoe or C-2.
SWAMP. When a canoe is accidentally filled with water.
THROAT. Where the paddle shaft flares into the blade.
THROW LINE. An emergency rope used to throw out to a canoe in trouble.
TIP. The end of the paddle blade opposite the shaft.
TONGUE. The V of smooth water which indicates a safe passage between two obstructions.
WRAPPED UP or WRAPPED AROUND. Said of a canoe or kayak which has slammed sideways into an obstruction with sufficient force to physically bend it in a horseshoe shape around the rock.
YAW. When a canoe swerves from its course.
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Canoeing rivers is
an exciting adventure but can be dangerous if proper training and respect
for the river is not taken. This guide is only a suppliment to the training
already required to start this trip. Earning the Canoeing Merit Badge
( http://www.meritbadge.com/bsa/mb/033.htm ) is a needed to insure proper
safety for you and the guides down the river. It does not matter if you
are a Boy Scout or not. The requirements for this merit badge will aid
in your knowlegde of paddling techniques.
Below are various paddling techniques that you will need to use while on the river to properly navigate the rivers challenging rapids and obstacles.
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BACK Reverse direction of the paddle
from front to back to back to front.
BRACE A stroke used somewhat like an outrigger to stabilize a canoe. The brace may be a high or low brace. The usual reference is to "throw" or "hang" a brace.
DRAW or DRAW STROKE. A stroke in which the blade is placed well out from the canoe and pulled directly toward the side of the canoe; designed to move the craft sideways.
FORWARD. Bowsman (front) paddles on one side of the canoe while the sternsman (back) paddles on the other side. This creates balance and a straight line moving forward. This is the most basic stroke.
J-STROKE. Sternsman (back) will make a shape of the letter J while paddling in a forward direction. Paddle normal but at the end of the stoke instead of picking up the paddle, keep it in the water and curl it around towards the canoe. This corrects the boat from skewing from one side or other.
PRY STROKE. A paddle stroke used to move the craft sideways, away from the paddle.
SCULLING STROKE. A figure-eight stroke with the paddle in the water at all times; used for fine adjustments, or when necessary to keep the paddle in a ready position when running a tricky set of rapids.
More Paddling Techniques
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