Sprint kayak

Silke Hörmann in a typically narrow-beamed racing kayak

Sprint kayak is a sport held on calm water. The paddler is seated, facing forward, and uses a double-bladed paddle pulling the blade through the water on alternate sides to propel the boat forward. Kayak sprint has been in every summer olympics since it debuted at the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1] Racing is governed by the International Canoe Federation.

History and design

Boats may have one rudder which must be under the hull of the boat. The rudder is controlled by the feet of the paddler (the foremost paddler in multi–person designs). The boat to be designed as to be a sit-in, as opposed to a sit-on surf ski.[2]

Boats K1 K2 K4
Max. length in cm 520 650 1100
Min. weight in kg 12 18 30

Crews or individuals race over 200m, 500m, 1000m or 5000m with the winning boat being the first to cross the finish line.

In competition the number of paddlers within a boat is indicated by a figure besides the type of boat; K1 signifies an individual kayak race, K2 pairs, and K4 four-person crews.

A K-3 kayak has been developed in South Africa for use in the Fish River Canoe Marathon.[3]

Kayaks are generally made out of extremely lightweight composites such as Kevlar, carbon fiber, or fiberglass, but older boats were made out of wood. They are not intended for anything other than flat water. They are narrow, extremely unstable, and expensive. The beam of a flatwater boat is typically barely wider than the hips of its paddlers and require the paddler to bend their legs in the boat, allowing for a long and narrow shape to reduce drag.

Canoe sprint kayaks are similar to sprint canoes, with both styles of boat usually at the same club or with the same team.

Paddles used for sprint boats are made out of carbon fiber and/or fiberglass. At the discretion of the paddler, the paddle may be angled to fit with the paddler's stroke. In addition, wing tip paddles, with the upper cusp of the paddle angled to form a cup (like cupping one's hand to paddle water) are often used to assist with speed increases and control in turns and drag while maintaining balance.

References

  1. ↑ "Canoe Sprint". International Canoe Federation. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Rules for Canoe Sprint" (PDF). ICF. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "K3 world record for Fish Canoe Marathon". Retrieved 18 July 2014.
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