Bailer: Device used to remove water from the canoe. Can be as simple as a milk jug cut to make a scoop.
Beam: [top] The widest part of the canoe, not necessarily at the gunwales.
Bent Shaft Paddle: [top] Canoe paddle with the blade angled anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees for better touring performance.
Bow: [top] The very front end of the canoe.
Buoyancy Chamber: [top] An enclosed section of the canoe, typically located at the bow and the stern filled with foam or other buoyant material
Capacity: [top] The amount of weight a canoe can carry and still be safely operated.
Carrying Thwart: [top] A brace that runs from gunwale to gunwale, typically with a cut out for the neck, sometimes padded, and located just forward of the beam of the canoe. Used to portage the canoe on your back.
Class I, II-, II+, III-, III+, IV-, IV+, V, VI: [top] Rating system for the level of difficult experienced on a body of water. Ranging from Class I for flat water or little current, to Class VI, which is extreme danger, no possible rescue.
Depth: [top] The distance from the top of the canoe at the gunwales to the bottom of the canoe when measured at the beam. A good standard depth is about 13".
Dry Bag: [top] A sack or bag used to hold vital gear and keep it dry in the event of a capsize or water coming into the boat.
Flat Water: [top] Lakes, rivers, streams, etc. with almost no current, waves, or chop.
Gunwales: [top] The upper rails that run along the outside edges of the canoe.
Initial Stability: [top] The amount of stability a canoe has when standing still.
Keel: [top] Center line of the canoe down the length, some canoes will have an actual keel molded or attached.
Painter: [top] A line attached to the bow and/or stern of the canoe.
PFD: [top] Personal Floatation Device, or life jacket. Works best when worn.
Portage: [top] To carry your canoe on your back. To do this your canoe will need a carrying thwart.
Rocker: [top] The amount of upward curve at the bow and stern of the canoe.
Rod: [top] A way of measuring distance when portaging a canoe. Most people accept that a rod is 16 feet, or one canoe length.
Secondary Stability: [top] The amount of stability a canoe has while being paddled.
Solo Canoe: [top] A canoe typically paddled by one person.
Stem: [top] The shape of the bow of a canoe, rounded for better maneuverability, squared for better tracking.
Stern: [top] The very back end of the canoe.
Straight Shaft Paddle: [top] Paddle where the blade is straight in reference to the shaft of the paddle, no angle to the blade.
Tandem Canoe: [top] A canoe typically paddled by two people.
Throwable PFD: [top] An emergency life saving device that can be thrown to a person in the water. Typically has a length of rope attached to it so the person can be pulled to safety.
Throw Bag: [top] Emergency equipment used to throw to some one in the water to pull them in. Typically used in whitewater conditions.
Thwart: [top] A brace that runs from gunwale to gunwale.
Touring Canoe: [top] A canoe typically used for backcountry camping and cross country travel or long distances or long durations.
Tracking: [top] Moving forward in a straight line while being paddled.
Tumblehome: [top] The curvature of the sides of the canoe.
War Canoe: [top] Special canoe, usually 20 or more feet in length paddled by several people, sometimes equipped with a rudder.
Whitewater: [top] Moving water, typically associated with rivers.
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Policy
