Inflatable Kayak Blog

In my last blog I mentioned some river kayaking terms. I thought I would add a few more that might be of interest to other beginning kayakers. Though you will find these river terms on faster moving rivers, it is good to know what to look for if that is the type water you will be paddling in.
Of course you know what a kitchen strainer does in your sink? It collects “stuff”. A “Strainer” on the river does the same thing. This is a part of a river where wood, usually downed trees have collected. Strainers catch floating objects and even boats. You wouldn’t want to find yourself mixed up in that mess, so be aware of strainer locations and avoid them.
A “Roostertail” is a part of a river where a spray of water launches off a slightly submerged rock. This creates the roostertail. Much like a roostertail off of a high-powered speedboat. As you may realize these should also be avoided because they indicate the presence of a shallow rock, and you wouldn’t want to bang your inflatable kayak into that. Though inflatables are durable, there is no reason to put it to the test if you can avoid that in the first place.
Personally, I don’t know that I am ready for swift moving water like this and think the slower paced rivers and streams are more my liking at this point of my paddling experience.