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Atomic Launch - launching from a ledge above a river by sliding
down the bank and droping into the water.
Beatdown - What sometimes happens
to a boater caught in a hole.
Boat-Eater - A "monster hole" in a rapid, big enough to
swallow a boat. Also known as a bus-stopper.
Boil - swirly or unpredictable currents
pushing (boiling) to the surface. Usually caused by rocks pushing the water
to the surface.
Bony - run or rapid requiring lots of maneuvering because of the
abundance of obstacles, mostly rocks.
Boof - driving your boat for a mini-launch over a shallow ledge or
rock.
Brace - paddling technique using downward and sweeping strokes to
stabilize a tipping canoe or kayak.
Broach - occurs when a canoe or kayak becomes caught in the current
against an obstruction and turned sideways. Can result in severe damage as
the current's force warps the boat around the obstruction.
Bulkheads - Walls forming sealed compartments
fore and aft in a kayak.
C.F.S. - Cubic Feet per Second. Measurement of velocity of water flow
at a given point in a river. Will vary according to water level and gradient
of riverbed.
Carnage - general term for a mishap, as in a boat flipping or someone falling out.
Carp - A failed roll in which the boater
manages to get his lips above water to take a hasty breath.
Chicken Line - Straps on the sides of a raft for clients to hold on to
if they get scared. Use caution as it can entrap arms and legs in a flip.
Chine - Transition area between
the bottom and the side of the boat. Hard chines are angular; soft chines are
rounded.
Class I-VI - international scale of river difficulty classification
system for negotiating the difficulty of fast-moving water. Class I is the
easiest and Class VI the most difficult.
Confluence- the junction of two rivers or forks of a river.
Control Hand- "fixed" hand, left or right, depending on the
offset of the blades on a kayak paddle. Left hand paddles are more difficult
to obtain.
Curler - a large wave, usually at the bottom of a drop, with a crest
that spills upon its upstream slope. May be a surfing wave.
Drop - a short, well-defined rapid or section of a rapid. Named for
the abrupt drop in elevation between the top and bottom of the rapid.
Eddy - area of usually calm water behind or downstream of an
obstruction in the main current, where water flows counter to that of the
main current.
Eddy Out - term used to describe leaving the main current and entering
an eddy.
Eddy Line - a current differential between the upstream current of the
eddy and the downstream current of the main flow of the river.
Ender - a play maneuver enacted by nosing the boat's bow down and deep
and the stern up, which results in the boat popping vertically upward. Good
fun!!
Ferry - a maneuver used to cross a current with little or no down
stream travel. Utilizes the current's force to move the boat sideways.
Float Bag - the most common form of floatation in canoes and kayaks.
Gauge Height - for measuring water levels at one or more locations.
Reference point used with CFS (or in lieu of).
Grab Loop - grab-handle threaded
through bow/stern stems of a kayak or canoe. Useful as carry-handles and for
catching swimmers.
Gradient - refers to the steepness of a riverbed over a specified
distance, usually per mile. Along with CFS and water level information, this
helps paddlers draw a conclusion of a river's difficulty. See CFS and Class I-VI.
Groover - The latrine on a
multi-day river trip. Name derives from the time when such devices were
re-purposed ammunition cans that left a distinctive groove on one’s posterior.
Gunwales - Structural supports
that run end to end along the top of a canoe hull.
Hair - dangerous and difficult water.
Hair boating - paddling in dangerous and difficult whitewater.
Haystacks - big standing waves in a wave "train" following a
drop.
Headwall - steep cliff where the main channel of the river drives
against it at a 90-degree angle.
Highside - when you broach on a rock with a
raft everyone moves to the highside to push it back
down so it won't wrap around the rock.
Hole (also, hydraulic, keeper)
- a hole is created when the river current drops over a rock or ledge and
circulates instead of continues its downstream flow. A
significant feature because it either offers play opportunities or
danger of trapping, depending on the power of the hole.
Horizon line - usually indicative of a falls or steep drop. There is a
line, but the route, if there is one, is not apparent. Time to exit and
scout.
Huck - The act of running a
waterfall. “Way to huck carcass brah.
That was sick.”
Hydraulic - water formation following a sudden drop in the riverbed or
drop over an obstruction that creates a powerful circulating force at the
base of a drop. The circulating pressure of a powerful hydraulic can hold
boats and paddlers for indeterminate lengths of time.
Hypothermia - the cold water hazard for paddlers. Prolonged exposure
can lead to incapacitation and eventually death as body core temperature
drops below 80 degrees.
Keel - A strip or extrusion along
the bottom of a boat to prevent side-slipping.
Lilly-dipper - a weak paddler.
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Maytag - stuck in a hole and thrashed about as if in a
washing machine. Usually not fun!
Mystery move - usually a squirt boat move that is a lengthy
disappearance under water then reappearance to the surface downstream in an
entirely different location. Fun, especially when intentional!
New Yorker - a client who whines and complains.
Peel out - term used to describe leaving an eddy and entering the main
current; bow catches the main current and quickly swings the boat downstream.
A downstream lean is needed to counter act the current.
PFD - Personal Floating Device. The proper name for a Life Jacket per
Coast Guard definition. It is required by law for every passenger of all
water craft and your most important life-saving tool.
Pillow - water that builds up around a rock in the main current.
Pillows are stuffed with rock.
Pin - being stuck between the current and the river bed or an
obstruction such as a rock or log and unable to dislodge. Not fun; possibly
deadly!
Pirouette - while popping vertical in a kayak during an
"ender", the paddler reaches a paddle blade to the water then effects a vertical boat-and-paddler spin with it.
Portage
- term for carrying boats and gear around a difficult rapid or from lake to
lake.
Put-in - starting place of a river trip; where you put your boat on
the river to begin a run or trip.
Ramp - point in a rapid where water constricts/pools before dropping
downstream through a channel.
Riffles - Light, shallow rapids
found in Class I whitewater.
River left - the left-hand side of the river when looking downstream.
When downstream looking upstream it is on your right.
River right - the right-hand side of the river when looking
downstream. When downstream looking upstream it is on your left.
Rocker - Curvature of the keel
line from the center toward the ends of a boat. Lots of rocker means quick,
easy turns; less rocker means better tracking.
Roll - a move requiring a paddle stroke and body snap to right oneself
from a tip over while staying in the boat. Common techniques are the Sweep
and the Eskimo rolls.
Roostertail - spray of water that explodes
off a submerged rock or obstacle.
Shuttle - the most dangerous part of the trip. Driving between the
put-in and take-out. One-vehicle shuttles require logistical foresight using
options such as biking, walking, hitchhiking, etc., to return to the put-in.
Side surf - a play move in a hole in which a paddler uses counter
balancing forces of downstream current and upstream hydraulic.
Skeg - An adjustable fin used to
keep some sea kayaks tracking straight.
Spray skirt - or spray deck. A neoprene or nylon accessory that fits
around the waist of the paddler and the cockpit lip of a canoe or kayak for a
watertight closure.
Squirt boat - extremely low-volume (small, flat) kayak that uses the
underwater river currents for playing.
Standing waves - big waves that often indicate the main channel.
Strainer - current clogged with tree branches or debris that allows
the water to flow through but could pin you or your boat. Very Dangerous!
Sweep Stroke - Used to turn the
boat by reaching out and ahead, then “sweeping” in a wide arc fore to aft.
Swim - Exiting your craft into the
water after a capsize.
Swim beer - The beverage a rescued
swimmer customarily purchases for his rescuer, to show his gratitude and
ensure future rescues.
Take-out - ending point of a paddling trip; where the boats are
finally taken from the water.
Technical - describes the character of a rapid that requires skillful
maneuvering because of frequent obstructions. Also describes specific,
difficult-to-master paddling techniques.
Throw bag - rescue device incorporating a 60 ft. floating rope coiled
inside a nylon bag, to be thrown while holding one rope end.
Tongue - a smooth downstream V indicating the route through a rapid.
Thwart - A cross-brace between the
sides of a canoe.
Tricky-woo - Freestyle kayaking
move that’s too complicated to describe here.
Undercut - an overhanging rock or ledge with water flowing underneath
it. A serious hazard!
Waterfall - major drop in a riverbed, usually over six feet in height.
Wave train - A series of standing waves or runout
of a rapid. Also called "haystacks".
Wrap - to wrap your boat around a rock or obstacle. Countered by
leaning into the rock or highsiding a raft.
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