Asymmetrical: Hull shape in which the canoe widest point (the "beam") is either fore or aft of the center point of the hull.

Bang Plate: A reinforcing plate made of abrasion-resistant material that protects the stems of a canoe from scrapes and impact damage. Sometimes called Skid Plate.

Beam: The width of a canoe or kayak measured at the widest point.

Bilge: Transitional area where the hull's bottom turns up into its sides. See Chine.

Bow: Front of the boat.

Bulkhead: Sealed compartment in the bow and stern. Primarily required for flotation.

C-1: One-person canoe, usually decked over for whitewater river-running. A C-2 is a two-person canoe, also usually decked over. The paddler kneels in the boat and uses a single-bladed paddle.

Canoe: An open craft with pointed ends that is propelled with a single-bladed paddle. Also called an "open boat."

Chine: The transition area where the bottom of the canoe becomes the sides.

Cockpit: The opening in the deck of a closed canoe where the paddler sits. The curved lip around the edge of the cockpit, used to secure the spray skirt, is called the coaming.

Deck: Closed-in area over the bow and/or stern of a canoe or kayak. Sheds water and, on a canoe, adds strength to the gunwales.

Depth: Vertical measurement from the hull's lowest point to its highest, usually from the top of the gunwale amidships to the floor of the canoe.

Final Stability: Also called "secondary stability." Describes a boat's resistance to tipping once the boat has been leaned to a point beyond its "initial stability." Depends on hull design.

Flare: Term used to describe a hull cross-section that is wider at the gunwhales than at the waterline.

Freeboard: The vertical distance measured from a boat's waterline to the lowest part of its gunwale.
Grab Loop: Short rope or grab-handle threaded through bow/stern stems of a kayak or canoe. Most often used as carrying handles, but also handy for catching swimmers.

Gunwales: Stips of wood or vinyl covered aluminum that run from bow to stern along the top of the hull. Usually pronounced "gunnels." Inside strips are called "inwales," outside are called "outwales."

Hull: The body of a canoe; the area that has the greatest impact on how the boat and water interact.

Hull Configuration: Shape of the hull, or that part affected by water, wind, and waves.

Initial Stability: Term used to describe a boat's resistance to leaning ("tippiness"). See Hull Configuration.

Keel: A strip or extrusion along the bottom of a boat to prevent (theoretically) side-slipping. Also adds rigidity or structural support to the hull.

Keel Line: The longitudinal shape of the canoe's bottom looking from the side. See Hull Configuration.

Lay-up: Manner in which layers of fiberglass or Kevlar matting are placed to make a fiberglass or Kevlar canoe or kayak.

Off-Side: Side of the canoe opposite the paddle. Many paddlers develop a prefered side to paddle on. Any stroke done on the opposite side is called "off-side".

On-Side: Side of the canoe that you are paddling on.

Painter: A rope attached to bow and/or stern for tying canoes to shore or lining them downstream.

Ribs: Pieces of material, usually wood, spaced along the inside of a canoe hull to form its frame.

Rocker: Upward curvature of the keel line from the center toward the ends of a canoe. Lots of rocker means quick, easy turns. See Hull Configuration, Keel Line, Tracking.

Scouting: Walking ahead on shore to inspect a rapid, river bend, or a stretch of river.

Secondary Stability: A hull's tendency to stabilize as it's leaned to one side. See Hull Configuration, Initial Stability.

Stem: The end-piece of a canoe's hull. The Stem is usually an internal structure.

Stem Band: A strip of metal covering the Stem.

Stern: The back end of a boat.

Tandem: Two-person canoe.

Thigh Straps: In a canoe or C-1, straps that help hold a paddler's thighs in place, giving more control. Usually secured to the bottom and sides of the boat.

Thwart: A cross-brace between the sides of a canoe. The center thwart should be the balance point of the canoe.

Tracking: The ability of a boat to hold a straight course due to its hull design. See Directional Stability.

Trim: A trim boat is level, side-to-side and end-to-end. Achieved by shifting the load or position of the paddlers.

Tumblehome: Term used to describe a hull cross section that curves inward from the waterline toward the gunwales.

Volume: Used to describe overall capacity of a given hull shape.

Waterline: A line reached by the water along the hull of a boat; the shape of the waterline and the handling characteristics of the boat change as the load changes.

Yoke: A padded, modified thwart used as a shoulder rest to carry a canoe overhead. See Thwart.

Atainments: Paddling from eddy to eddy back upstream.

Atomic Launch - Launching from a ledge above a river by sliding down the bank and droping into the water. Also called "Seal Launch"

Boil - Swirly or unpredictable currents pushing (boiling) to the surface. Usually caused by rocks pushing the water to the surface. On large volume rivers, boils often turn into temporary whirlpools.

Boat-Eater - A "monster hole" in a rapid, big enough to swallow a boat. Also known as a bus-stopper.

Bone (Bony): A section of river with lots of rocks exposed or just under the surface that a canoe can bump into.

Boof - Sliding your boat for a mini-launch over a shallow ledge or rock in the river.

Boulder Garden: A less difficult section of river with similar traits to a Bony section.

Brace: Technique used to stabilize a tipping canoe. The "low" brace and "high" brace are two common techniques. Low braces are done with the back (or non-paddling) side of the blade while a high brace is done with the paddling side. Low braces are used most often to correct a tip to the paddling side while a high brace is used most often to correct a tip to the off-side of the canoe.

Broach: Occurs when a canoe becomes caught in the current against an obstruction and turns sideways. Considered very dangerous. A broached canoe that tips with gunwhales upstream when it bumps against an obstacle will fill with water and become "pinned" or "wrapped" on a rock.

Carnage - Slang term for a mishap, as in a boat flipping or someone falling out.

CFS: 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.

Confluence- Junction of two rivers or forks of a river.

Control Hand- The hand holding the grip at the top of the paddle.

Chute: Area where a river's flow is suddenly constricted, compressing and amplifying the current's energy into a narrow tongue of water. See Drop, Rapids, Whitewater.

Curler - 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 steep, sudden vertical change in the riverbed. A vertical drop higher than two meters (six feet) is referred to as a "waterfall."

Eddy: Area behind or downstream of an obstruction in the main current, where water swirls in direction different from that of the main flow, usually upstream.

Eddy Line: Transitional area between main current and eddy current. See Eddy.

Eddy Out - term used to describe leaving the main current and entering an eddy.

Ender: A maneuver in which a boat flips end-over-end. Often associated with "playing" in a river.

Entrapment: An often dangerous situation in which a boat and/or paddler is held fast by current and/or an obstacle. See Broach, Pin, Wrap.

Ferry: A maneuver used to cross a current with little or no downstream travel. Utilizes the current's force to move boat laterally. Upstream Ferries are done with the bow pointed upstream, Downstream Ferries are done with the bow pointed downstream. The angle of the canoe and the tilt of the hull are critical factors in successful Ferries.

Flatwater: Lake water or slow-moving river current with no rapids.

Float Bag - Air filled bags tied into a canoe for floatation. Important to reduce damage from pins.

Gradient: Refers to the steepness of a riverbed over a specified distance.

Hair: Dangerous and difficult whitewater.

Hair boating - Paddling in dangerous and difficult whitewater.

Hay Stacks: Large waves formed when fast water meets slow water. These waves don't hide rocks. The only danger is swamping or getting tipped. Waves made by rocks are stationary, Haystacks swell and ebb and often move up and down a little in the river.

Hole: See Hydraulic.

Horizon line - Obvious visual line across a river indicating a falls or steep drop. Most obvious by looking at the trees beyond the horizon line - if they seem to start part way up the trunk it indcates a drop. Horizon Lines sometime have spay or mist splashing above the line.

Hydraulic: Water formation following a sudden drop in the riverbed or over an obstruction that creates a powerful circulating force at the base of the drop. A powerful hydraulic can hold boats and paddlers for extended lengths of time. Paddlers can use more benign hydraulics, or "holes," for play. Also called a Hole, Reversal, Souse Hole. The water at the bottom of a hole always flushes downstream. In extreme cases, paddlers have had to resort to removing their PFDs and diving for the deeper water to get out of a hole if no other form of rescue is available.

Hypothermia - Cold water hazard for paddlers. Prolonged exposure to cold leading to a lowering of the body core temperature.

Lilly-dipper - A weak paddler.

Maytag - Stuck in a hole and thrashed about as if in a washing machine. Usually not fun! See also Window Shade

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.

Peel Out: Term used to describe the act of leaving an eddy and entering the main current.

PFD - Personal Floating Device.

Pillow - Water that builds up around a rock in the main current. Pillows are stuffed with rock.

Pin: A boat becomes pinned when the bow slams into the riverbed and stays there. Most common on steep, shallow rivers. See Entrapment.

Pirouette - while popping vertical in an "ender", the paddler reaches a paddle blade to the water and does a vertical boat-and-paddler spin.

Playing: A general term for surfing, hole-riding, and other antics performed on a river that go beyond straight "downstream" paddling.

Portaging: Traditional term for carrying boats and gear, usually around a rapid or between lakes.

Put-In: The starting place of a paddling trip; where you put your boat in the water. See Take-Out.

Rapids: Section of a river where the current speeds up and flows turbulently over and around boulders, ledges, shallows, drop-offs, and so on; whitewater.

Ramp - point in a rapid where water constricts/pools before dropping downstream through a channel.

Reading Rapids: Planning a route while scouting rapids from shore.

River Left: Left-hand side of the river when looking downstream.

River Right: Right-hand side of the river when looking downstream.

River Morphology: The study and interpration of how a river bottom creates the various elements in a rapid.

Rock Garden: See Boulder Garden

Roll - Righting a tipped canoe with a paddle stroke and body snap.

Roostertail - spray of water that explodes off a submerged rock or obstacle.

Reversal: See Hydraulic.

Riffle: A shallow section of river characterized by numerous small waves on the surface. Often caused by gravel bars or sand banks.

River-left: On the left side of the river facing downstream.

River-Right: On the right side of the river facing downstream.

Roll: A self-rescue technique used to right an overturned kayak or canoe in the water without leaving the boat.

Roller: Large, wide curling wave that falls back on itself, usually following a big, wide rock or obstruction in the riverbed.

Shuttle: The process of leaving a vehicle at the trip's take-out to "shuttle" you back to the vehicles left at 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.

Skid Plate: A reinforcing plate made of abrasion-resistant material that protects the stems of a canoe from scrapes and impact damage.

Sneak: To take the "easy" route through a rapid.

Sneak Route: An easier or safer alternative route around a rapid.

Strainer: Obstruction in the water that allows the current to pass through but stops any object floating or submerged. Potentially a very dangerous hazard.

Standing waves - Big waves that often indicate the main channel. See Haystacks

Strainer - Tree branches or debris stuck in the river which allows water to flow through but could pin you or your boat. Very Dangerous!

Surf: Large breaking waves along a coastline or tidal area. Also a technique for riding large waves on a river or the ocean in a kayak or canoe.

Take-Out: The ending point of a paddling trip; where the boats are finally taken from the water. See Put-In.

Technical - A rapid that requires skillful maneuvering because of frequent obstructions. Also describes specific, difficult-to-master paddling techniques.

Throw bag - Rescue device made up of floating rope coiled inside a nylon bag. Usually thrown to swimmers by rescuers from shore. Remember to hold onto the end of the rope!

Tongue - Smooth downstream V indicating the route through a rapid. See Vee

Undercut - Overhanging rock or ledge with water flowing underneath it. Very dangerous!

Vee: Water formation that indicates an obstruction when the apex is on the upstream side or a channel when the apex of the V is on the downstream side. See Chute. Term is also used to describe some areas of canoe hull shapes.

Waterfall - Major drop in a riverbed, usually over six feet in height.

Wave: On a river, a wave is created by wind or an obstruction in the riverbed; the wave does not move, while the water does. In tidal or ocean waters and lakes, a wave is created mostly by wind and tidal influences; the water does not move, while the wave does.

Wave train - A series of standing waves or runout of a rapid. Also called "haystacks".

Whitewater: Turbulent, heavily aerated water caused by its flowing around or over obstacles in the current.

Wrap - to wrap your boat around a rock or obstacle. Countered by leaning into the rock. See "Pin"