CANOEING
Anatomy of a canoe By Jason Yarrington WE’RE CONFIDENT YOU, as a passionate paddler, know all the parts of the canoe. Really we are. But just in case you can’t remember all the definitions, we thought we’d compile a diagram to remind you of the correct terminology. If you and your canoeing partner can commit it to memory you’ll communicate better when you’re out on your next excursion. 1 – The Bow is the front end of the canoe. You can usually spot the bow by looking at 2 the seat 3 arrange10 ment. 4 The front seat is 8 further 9 from the 16 end of the 7 canoe to provide leg room for the bow paddler.
9 – The Yoke is a shaped thwart, designed to fit the shoulders, which supports the canoe's weight when carrying.
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10 – The Decks are triangles of wood that sit between the gunwales at either end of the canoe. They provide a grip for carrying the canoe and a 1
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3 – Port is the left side of the canoe. 4 – Starboard is the right side of the canoe. 5 – Beam is the width of the canoe. 6 – The Hull is the body of the canoe which displaces the water and provides the canoe's buoyancy. 7 – The Gunwale (gunnels or rails) are the upper edges that frame the upper part of the hull. The gunwale can be one piece or can consist of two pieces–an inwale along the inside of the hull and an outwale along the outer edge. This supports and adds rigidity to the hull. 8 – The Thwarts are one or more cross-pieces attached at gunwale level to provide support to the gunwales and sides of the hull.
Ottawa Outdoors Fall
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place to attach a painter (rope).
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11 – The Seats are set in wide cross pieces which are usually attached to the underside of the gunwales. 12 – The Keel is a narrow strip running along the bottom of the hull from bow to stern which provides greater tracking capability and gets most of the wear and tear when launching and beaching a canoe. 13 – The Ribs are the flat cross pieces that follow the shape of the hull, pushing it outward into its shape and giving added strength to the bottom of the hull. In fibreglass, kevlar and ABS canoes, there may be only one (or none) since the material itself gives the shape.
Photos–Langford Canoe.
2 – The Stern is the back end of the canoe where most of the steering is done.
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