That’s Not A Kayak?
Published November 15, 2007 | 
Kayak (Merriam – Webster)
1 : an Eskimo canoe made of a frame covered with skins except for a small opening in the center and propelled by a double-bladed paddle
2 : a portable boat styled like an Eskimo kayak
The definition of a kayak above is pretty typical of what you’ll find in any dictionary. The “kayak” of course has it’s basis in those traditional skin boats. However since then what we come to accept as a kayak has grown to cover a whole range of closed top boats. The picture above is of Pete Bray‘s North Atlantic Cruiser. I was really bumming when I saw it. I felt like there needs to be a kayak museum somewhere and this boat needs to be there. I was told though that this was his “practice” or “test” boat. I don’t know if that’s true. Regardless it was sad to see it sitting there rotting away.
What has me thinking about kayaks and the definition of what a kayak is, is from a current post on PNET. Yeah, there is a reason I don’t look at the message boards there much anymore. Between the belittling of each other, other kayakers and the rest, it’s just not an enjoyable read much of the time. In typical Pnet style, a discussion about the “Crossing the Ditch” adventure going on now, quickly turned into a debate over what makes a kayak a “Kayak”. Implying of course that these larger ocean crossing vessels are not so much kayaks as they are recreational vehicles. (You can see above the inside of Pete Bray’s “RV”.)
When Pete first considered his crossing, it was important to him to build a boat that was up to the incredible challenge. He wanted it to be able to carry 100 days worth of supplies, be self-righting, have a place to sleep, yet still look like a kayak. His kayak was big at around 27 feet long, but few could argue it looked pretty much like an over-sized sea kayak. (see a comparative photo here). In the end no one questioned that he made the crossing in a “Kayak”.
Rob Feloy, who designed Pete Bray’s boat, was also the man behind the “Lot 41″ used for “Crossing The Ditch”. Again, they wanted it to be self-righting with a sleeping area and of course room for supplies. Obviously their’s is a two man boat and it’s much bigger. Still, it’s a kayak if it’s anything.
Going back to look at other major crossings we can find more standard kayaks doing the job of course. Franz Romer (Portugal to Puerto Rico, 1928) & Hannes Lindermann (Atlantic Crossing, 1956) Both used modified Keppler folding kayaks. Ed Gillet made his 1987 crossing from California to Hawaii in a stock Tofino double. He used pontoons to keep the boat righted while he slept under a tarp. Yeah, he had a cockpit cover type thing, but was not too fond of it. Of course he said next time he did a major crossing he’d raise the deck. We are familiar too with Andrew McAuley‘s attempt with a modified Mirage. Andrew was conscious of wanting his kayak to be as close to standard as possible. Still his boat was modified as well considering the size of the task ahead, storage, sleeping arrangements, etc.
One of the guys on Pnet (obviously Miami Dolphins fan) suggested an asterisk on Crossing the Ditch boat. Of course we should note they are only 3 days out so at least he shows confidence they will make it. I can’t imagine who wants to decide what is and what is not a kayak or be responsible for the asterisk. In racing you have stock and modified classes. Something to think about i suppose. Well, something to think about when you have nothing more pressing to think about. . . like clipping your toe nails.
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13 Responses to That’s Not A Kayak?
It’s a tricky on. I tried to liven up the NSW club forum with this question but no-one really bought into it. For expeditions this size it’s just not possible in a standard kayak. Instead of the boat having an asterix, it should be implicit in the expedition category that the boat will be modified. Whether it’s still a kayak after modding…Its like a zen koan. What is the zen of kayak design?
Derrick,
I agree with you, it’s just such silliness, we should encourage the success of our fellow paddlers. All of the nit pickiness in the paddling community is what turned me into a solo paddler and also turns potential new paddlers away. People have no idea how damaging this nonsense is to new paddlers. I say to these nit picky gear heads: You do a crossing like this and then you can talk all you want. I remember watching a couple dudes at a gathering many years back almost coming to blows over an argument about which is better, rudders or skegs. I then shyly chimed in, “Um I don’t use a rudder or a skeg”. If someone wants to do an expedition in a Perception Kiwi then I say rock on! god’s speed! go get it! There is no need for an asterix, they are simply using the right boat for the job.
Wether the Crossing the Ditch Boat Lot41 is a kayak or not is more a religious debate rather than a technical one. The difference between your average sea kayak and Lot41 is probably less than that between a sea kayak and an Olympic K1 and yet they are all kayaks.
And besides, (not counting bidarkas) weren’t tradition kayaks relatively short range
hunting boats and not long range expedition boats as per modern sea kayaks?
All the real heavy lifting was done by umiyaks?
Probably time for a Palaetiologist to chime in.
Tim W
Oh purists (donkeys). Nothing you can do but shake your head – they’re in every club, scene and general gathering of people you’ll ever join. Best just to ignore the threads based on subject – unless you like the feeling of your hand coving your face in exaspiration. Additionally, what a heartbreaking tradgedy that Andrew McCauley story is – I got chills even thinking about it.
The whole debate about what is a kayak is just insane. People should spend their energy looking at the accomplishments, not the materials that were used. George Dysons Baidarkas were not “kayaks” either in the strict sense but I still enjoyed learning about them years ago, got me interested in the sport and in the mechanics behind it. I think some folks have way too much time to debate the silly things. Hey but who am I to judge. Happy Paddling.
Perhaps a ‘kayak’ is a boat designed for a purpose. Originally that purpose was a sea-going vehicle to put meat on the ‘table’. This Lot 41 ‘kayak’ is designed to get two paddlers from Australia to NZ where, once again, they’ll no doubt put meat on the table!
And if they faced the opposite way around and used oars instead of paddles? The term kayak has come to incorporate any vessel that uses two bladed paddles, there are Sit On Tops that are as wide as a bath tub and look nothing like the dictionary definition yet are marketed as “kayaks”. So instead of debating whether Lot 41 is a kayak or not, why not place it in a category. We have SOT’s, Recreational, Sea, Racing,etc and now maybe the Lot 41 type should be called an Oceanic kayak?
The Trans-Tasman is not a paddle I would like to do but I admire their guts for attempting it and hope us Kiwi’s are able to welcome them to our shores.
I like the new web design Derrick although there’s a big black space between the header and the post when you go to the comments.
As for what is a kayak or not, I don’t know but that Lot 41 boat looks pretty cool. Actually in my opinion, what makes something a kayak is the ability to be righted from a capsize under power of the paddler. That seems to be a distinguishing characteristic that seperates kayaks from other boats. I’m not saying that hte Lot 41 is no longer a kayak since it is self righting (heck there’s dozens of rec, inflatable, and SOT kayaks that would challenge even Dubside to roll) but I’m just saying that is what I always considered to be a key characteristic of kayaks.
The body text is kind of hard to read.
One thing to concider is using white instead of gray for the text.
Another trick for light text on dark backgrounds is to use a heaver font (eg, bold).
It should not be a topic of “whose right” but a topic of what to define these modifications as. Many would not come to the conclusion that a playboat is a kayak, given a lack of knowledge about the sport. Honestly, pushing the boundaries of something to the point where we must reconsider its definition is what caused advancement within technology, politics, humanity in general, etc. I dont know of anyone who complains over the fact that playboats or other WW kayaks are still considered kayaks, because they are in their own category and dont come into contact with other genres of kayaking. I believe that the same ideas could be applied to this area. Why not just classify them (as said earlier) as just “modified” boats, instead of questioning their right to be called a “kayak”
Hi Derrick,
longtime admirer of your blog. But I just don’t understand what the issue is, I read the thread on paddling.net and while people have some strong opinions, why the objection to “is this a kayak” as a discussion point?
You have at least three responses here from people who can consider the question not as an insult or a challenge of the difficulty of the expedition, but as a discussion point. So we can see it’s possible to kick this around. And I can understand people wondering how to categorize this, what to call it, how to place it’s relevance next to other expedition craft of the past. If it’s possible here, why not in a paddling forum? I think to deny this and to paint people into corners doesn’t do a lot to quiet those who do doubt the seriousness of the expedition.
Anyway, I really enjoy the blog and glad to see you discussing topics like these here.
I was VERY excited to see those photos of Pete Bray’s boat. I agree, it needs to be in a museum! Where is it?
I also agree with your comment regarding “what is a kayak”. Where we draw the line, or cut the scalpule makes me think of the book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. To define something is a very human trait – for some reason probably to do with survival, we feel this overwhelming need to slot things into bins then argue forever about what belongs and what doesn’t.
My own ocean crossing kayak ( http://www.pedaltheocean.com ) is a tandem sea kayak, but with pedals and a prop. Is it a kayak? Who cares. It’s human powered and it’s all good.
forget the “kayak” respect to the guys doing these things