Brace Roll [brais role] n. 1. another name for the c-2-c roll.

Broach [] v. 1. to become entrapped on the upstream side of one or more obstructions (rocks, trees, bridge pilings, etc).

Broach Loop [] n. 1. secure points on a kayak to attach carabiners or fasteners in order to pull the boat out of a pin or broach situation.

Bulkhead [bulk hed] n. 1. (generic) a wall inside a boat. 2. an outfitting mechanism that can move in order to provide foot support in a boat.  see also 'shock bloc'Burly ['bur lee] adj. 1. descriptive of powerful or muscular water.ButtBoater [but-boat-er] n. 1. Affectionate term that C-boaters (see 'very strange people' apply to kayakers, who paddle seated.C-1, C-2 [] n. 1. a 'C-boat' is a craft which is used canoe-style- that is, the paddler kneels in the boat, and traditionally uses a one-bladed paddle.  the number designation refers to how many paddlers occupy the boat.  A C-boat can be decked, but the precise designation for an open C-boat is 'OC-<n>'.  Another term for C-2s paddled by married partners is 'divorce boat', despite little indication that the name is deserved.C-Boater [see boa-ter] n. 1. a paddler who paddles with a one-bladed paddle, and sits in a kneeling position.  Often very fond of statements such as 'half the paddle, twice the man'. also see 'masochist, 'looney', 'high tolerance for pain'.

C-2-C [] n. 1. a type of roll in which the paddler begins underwater, set up with their torso curved up towards the surface, where the roll finishes with the paddler bent down towards the surface.  the torso curvature resembles the letter 'C', thus the name.  This roll is distinguished from the Steyr or Sweep roll by the fact that it's not reliant on a paddle sweep to work.  also referred to by some as the 'brace roll'.

Cag [kag] n. 1. Brit term for 'drytop'. see drytop

Carp [karp] v. 1. to raise one's head to the surface of the water in order to get air, as a carp (the fish) mouths the surface of the water.  this generally kills the momentum of the roll.  n. 1. the act of sucking air from beneath the surface of the water. n. 2. (slang) Raft customers.

Canoe [] n. 1. Brit term for 'kayak'.  n. 2. an open (undecked) boat paddled by incredible masochists. see C-boater.Capilene [ka-pi-leen] n. 1. a plastic-based fiber used as insulation, has excellent wicking properties but poor wind-stopping behavior.  Best used in concert with a shell or dry garment.

Carbon [] n. 1. Organic element that creates a high-tensile fiber.  Prized for it's light weight and high rigidity when woven into a cloth and impregnated with resin.  Used to make paddles, helmets, boats, etc.  Maintains rigidity up to it's failure strength, but when it fails it tends to do so catastrophically.

Carry ['ke-ri] v. 1. to walk around, rather than navigate a feature (see portage). v.2. to carry a boat. n. 1. a stretch of travel (as hiking) where carrying one's boat is required, e.g. 'the put-in to the run was at the end of an eleven-mile carry'. also see 'things I like to avoid'.Cartwheel- ['kart-weel] v. 1. to rotate one's boat end for end vertically, for two ends. n. 1. a rodeo move where the boat rotates lengthwise in the vertical plane for two ends.

Catch [katsh] n. 1. the stroke used to initiate the stern on a cartwheel.  n. 2. a braking stroke used in the hole to stay up on the pile.

C.G. [see-djee] contraction. 1. stands for 'Center of Gravity'.  CG is an imaginary point that describes the center of your weight/mass.

Charc [tshark] Squirt term, coined by Jim Snyder.  A shortening of the phrase 'Charging Arc' or 'Changing Arc', it's used to describe the physical attitude with which one enters or exits a move in the water with respect to the other forces at work in that space/time.  More philosophically, the term has been used to describe one's relation to all things in life.  Charc in equals Charc out.

Chine [tshine] n. 1. the corner of the boat where the hull meets the sidewall. the quality of a chine can be referred to in terms of it's 'sharpness' or it's 'hardness', while 'softness' and 'roundness' convey the opposite meaning.  many variants have been offered for this term, often a marketing means of defining a specific boat offering, e.g. reverse chine, anti-trip chine, double-reverse chine, etc.  See 'rail'.

Chop [tschop] v. 1. the process of reducing the volume of a glass boat by taking it apart at the lateral seams, removing material there, and then glassing the seams together.  n. 1. the result of the chopping process (e.g. that's a fairly aggressive chop for someone so heavy).  Chop Chart [] n. 1. a reference for how deeply to chop a glass boat given variables such as paddler's weight, inseam, foot size, in order to make a custom-sized squirt boat.

Chunder [tschun-der] v. 1. to viciously pummel.

Class [] n. 1. a number designation used to describe the difficulty and/or danger of a rapid or a run. For an overview, consult the Addison Scale, based on the international scale of whitewater difficulty.

Clean [kleen] v. 1. to 'ace' a move, to succeed without flaw. adj. 1. 'spin' describes a 360 spin with a single paddle stroke.  'cartwheel' -describes a cartwheel accomplished with a single paddle stroke

Coated [ko-tid] adj. 1. descriptive of a non-breathable fabric, usually nylon.  If you're buying a drytop or drysuit and it says 'coated' in the description, it's not a breathable material. ant. 'breathable'.

C.O.B [see-oh-bee] contraction. 1. stands for 'Center of Buoyancy'.  Describes the center of water displaced by an object displacing it.

Combing [kom-ing] n. 1. the rim of a decked boat, where the spraydeck attaches to it.  aka 'cockpit rim'.Comp

Composite [kem-'pahs-it] adj. 1. describing the heterogeneous make-up of a compound. 2. a category of helmets or boats manufactured with composite compounds, e.g. kevlar, carbon, glass, etc.

Counter-clockwheel

Counting Fish [] v. 1. polite way of describing what one does when upside down.

Creek [kreek] n. 1. a steep river, typically one with high gradient and relatively low volume. v. 1. to navigate a steep or technical waterway, e.g. to 'go creeking' is to paddle on creeks.CreekBoat [kreek boat] n. 1. a boat specifically designed to run creeks.  Typically has more volume and more rocker than kayaks of similar size.Cross-Bow ['kros-'bouw] adj. 1. describing a stroke or maneuver that uses a paddle-blade on the opposite side of the boat that it would be if the paddler were relaxed.

Crosslink [] n. 1. Cross-linked Polyethylene, a plastic used for making kayaks.  Expensive to make and recycle, and the manufacturing process makes some unpleasant by-products.  Currently no one manufactures crosslink boats.

Crown [] n. 1. the top of an upwelling of water that bulges the surface upward.

Current [] n. 1.  a body of water in motion.

Deck [dek] n. 1. the top surface of a kayak.

Difficulty [] n. see ratings

Dihedral [di-'hee-drul] n. 1. A feature of some paddles designed to eliminate flutter by directing water spillage toward the side of the blade by means of crowning or adding facets to the blade.  The result is a paddle blade with more than one angled surface on a single face.  More properly, dihedral is the difference in angle between one facet of a blade and the flat direction of the blade. For more information, consult Werner's explanation.

Displacement [] v. 1. the act of occupying the place where something else, usually water, would otherwise be.  adj. 1. describes an operational mode of a hull, where it derives its float by occupying the space where water would otherwise be. distinct from planing  adj. 2. describes the sort of hull that is engineered to float by this means alone, as opposed to one that is engineered to take advantage of planing forces.

Downriver [] adj. 1. of or proceeding in a direction equal to that of the river.  adj. 2. distinct from park-and-play type activity.  n. 3. shorthand term for 'Downriver Race'

Downtime [] n. 1. Time spent underwater.  see mystery move

Draw [dra] n. 1. a control stroke that pulls the blade of the paddle towards the boat. Variants: Open-faced, (where the power face of the blade faces oncoming water, a braking stroke) Closed- faced (where the power face of the blade does not face oncoming water, an accelerating stroke), stationary (where the blade is held in one position relative to the boat, as opposed to moving fore/aft) traveling (where the blade is moved relative to the position of the boat. closed-faced draws tend to be traveling), and sideslip (where the draw pulls directly in, the blade is feathered and slipped straight back out, then drawn back in again). ant. "pry"

Drop [drop] n. 1. a distinct river feature, e.g. a ledge or pourover, that involves loss of altitude. n. 2. (common) A distinct rapid.Drybag [dri-bag] n. 1. a bag with a foldover closure, notorious for allowing everything in it to become slightly wet.

Drysuit [dri-soot] n. 1. a full-body suit with closures around the feet, wrists, and head.  Some come with feet-enclosing socks of latex or gore-tex.  the term 'dry' may be taken with a grain of salt.

Drytop [dri-top] n. 1. a jacket with gasket closures around the wrists and neck, and a tunnel at the waist to mate up with the tunnel of your sprayskirt.  Will keep you relatively dry so long as your skirt stays on the boat.

Duckie, duck [] n. 1. kayaker parlance for inflatable kayak.  see IK

Duckist [] n. 1. one who paddles an IK.

Duffek ['doo-fek] n. an open-faced, braking draw stroke done at the bow.  A very powerful turning stroke, most commonly used to turn boats in a hurry. credited to Milo Duffek. see draw

Eddy ['ed-i] v. 1. to exit downstream current into stationary or upstream current, to enter an eddy  n. 1. a region of water distinct from downstream current, where water may be still, moving slowly downstream, or moving upstream.  Eddies can exist behind obstructions, on the inside of river bends, etc.

Eddy Fence [] n. 1. another term for eddyline, usually descriptive of an eddyline that is difficult to cross or features an elevation difference between eddy water and main current.

Eddy Flower ['ed-i fla-wur] n. 1. paddler who habitually stays in the eddy when everyone else is playing.

Eddyline ['ed-i-lain] n. 1. the interface between water moving in current and water in an eddy.  see 'funny water'.

Eddy Wall [] n. 1. another term for eddyline, usually descriptive of an eddyline that is difficult to cross or which is unusually powerful.

ELF [] contraction. 1. stands for 'extremely low flow', in reference to the volume of the streamflow one is negotiating.  ELF boating is popular among creekers using inflatable kayaks, and those who wish to slow things down and don't mind a bit of boat bashing.

Ender [] n. 1. playmove performed by engaging your bow or stern into oncoming water powerful enough to bury that end and bring the boat toward vertical.  The resulting vertical bounce is called an 'ender'.  This move is most impressive when done in longer, higher-volume boats.

Entrapment [] n. 1. condition in which a person is held in place by the force of moving water.

Exploding Wave [ix-'plo-ding weiv] n. 1. a wave that builds and collapses unpredictably... or rather, builds when it's too late to avoid it, and collapses predictably on you.  see 'funny water'.Faceplant

Farting [] n. 1. the practice of raising an edge (of one's boat) in order to get that edge around or over an oncoming obstacle. a popular method among duckists and ELF boaters.

Feather (article) ['feth-ur] v. 1. to adjust the angle of a control surface in order to provide a desired result.  n. 1. the difference in angle between one blade and the other on a kayak paddle.

Ferry [] n. 1. a maneuver where the paddler crosses a river by paddling at an angle pointed both upstream and slightly cross-current. v. 1. To cross current while minimizing downstream movement by paddling diagonally upstream.  v. 2. to convey someone or something across water using one or more trips.

First Descent

Flat spin (article) [] n. 1. a maneuver performed while surfing a wave, where the paddler switches direction from a front surf to a backsurf, or vice-versa. see spin

Flatwheel  [] n. 1. shortened term for 'flatwater cartwheel', a maneuver in which the paddler swaps ends vertically in their boat.  v. 1. the act of swapping ends vertically on flat water.

Flatwater [] n. 1. water that isn't really doing anything.

Flatwater Star [flat-wa-tur star] n. 1. one whose flatwater playboating abilities far exceeds the rest of their skill set.

Fleece [] n. 1. Hypo-allergenic polyethylene fabric noted for it's loft and warmth when wet.  Also noted for it's ability to gather interesting smells if not washed regularly.  n. 2. generic term for a garment made of said material.

Float Test [] n. 1. an evaluation of how much you sink a boat.  Commonly used to check whether a squirt boat (which is designed to be sinkable on purpose) has too much or not enough volume before the seams are glassed.

Flood Stage [] n. 1. the stage level at which a river is declared to be 'in flood', usually an arbitrary designation based on overrunning it's banks. see stage

Flush [] v. 1. to evict something, as from a hydraulic.  n. 1. a river or section of river where the stage is too high to render features is said to be 'flushed out'.  adj. Flushy 1. having a tendency to evict or release objects from it's grasp, opposite of retentive.

Flush drowning [] n. 1. drowning where the victim is not held in place, but is rather denied air by rough water or being held underwater by the force of water itself.

Foam Pile [] n. 1. the part of a hydraulic that feeds back into the trough or pit. see boil line

Foot Entrapment [] n. 1. a condition in which one's foot or lower leg is caught and held in place by the force of moving water.  A very serious danger when the force of water is powerful enough to hold the victim underwater.

Footbumps [] n. pl. 1. feature on the deck of a kayak to accommodate one's feet.  n. 2. bone growth or spur on the foot caused by excessive irritation at a specific point, often a function of pressure points against the boat.

Freestyle [] n. 1. a competition format wherein competitors perform non-compulsory tricks with no particular order imposed on their execution.  n. 2. any rodeo format.

Freewheel [] n. 1. a maneuver in which the paddler swaps ends vertically in mid-air, done over the edge of a drop.

F.T.R. [eff-tee-arr] contraction. 1. short for 'fucking the river', see also 'pogo'.  A maneuver wherein the paddler balances the boat on one end while bouncing the boat up and down. n. 2. Freestyle Through Rapid, a competition format distinct from hole-riding where competitors use an entire rapid, rather than a single set of features, to score points.

Funny ['fu-ni] adj. 1. What paddlers call water when they're not amused by it's behavior.  2. descriptive of chaotic, pushy, swirly, or oddly-behaving water.

Fuzzy Rubber [] n. 1. a stretchy plastic-based material with 'fuzz' on the inside, designed as a flexible alternative to neoprene.  Warmer than neoprene in air due to it's excellent air-trapping capabilities, but less effective at keeping one warm in case of immersion, due to it's poor water-trapping capabilities and general thinness.  n. 2. generic term for a garment made out of said material.

Get-out [] n. 1. the location of the end of a run. v. 1. to leave the run.  see 'take-out'.

Glassy wave [] n. 1. a wave that is not breaking, and whose surface is smooth and regular.

Gore-tex [] n. 1. Trademarked name (owned by Gore Industries) for 'the original breathable laminate fabric'.  Gore-tex is made of a micro-porous membrane that is laminated against a variety of non-waterproof backing materials.  It works by having the pores too small for liquid water to make it through the pores, while allowing gaseous exchange to take place- thus, it performs best where the thermal gradient across the membrane (that is, between your skin and the outside environment) is greatest- if you're warm and the water is cold, your body heat will drive vapor out through the micropores.  If the outside environment is very warm, however, the 'breathability' factor of Gore-tex will be reduced.

Grab Loop [] n. 1. handles on the decks of most kayaks, there for the purpose of moving the boat or for swimmer rescues.

Grain [] n. 1. a property of any feature that describes it's natural rotation or tendency to rotate objects that come within the scope of that feature.  For example, the grain of an eddyline on the river right bank (with water flowing by it on the right as you face upstream) would be described as 'clockwise'.  Likewise, the shoulder of a wave tends to support 'flat' spins toward the outside more easily than it does to the inside.

Green

Green Wave

Green Water

Gunwale, gunnel [gun-nel] n. 1. the upper edge of a boat's side.  For canoes, the gunwale is the top of the side-wall, for decked craft it is the point all around the boat's sides where the deck begins sloping up toward the center of the boat.

Hair [] n. 1. extreme or dangerous whitewater.

Hairboater [] n. 1. one who paddles extreme or dangerous whitewater.

Hand paddle [] n. 1. a device one attaches to one's hands or forearms to increase their surface area.  v. 1. To negotiate a boat without a paddle or with hand-paddles only.

Hand roll

Hand wheel

Head dink

Helix [] n. 1. a spectacular play-move that involves an inverted spin and a complete barrel roll while surfing.  Developed by Steve Fischer, outlined and demonstrated on his page.

Helmet

'Hero line' [] n. 1. the most challenging (or challenging-looking) route through a given rapid or feature.  opposite of 'sneak'.

HDPE [] n. 1. 'High Density PolyEthylene', a plastic.

Hip snap [] n. 1. Arguably the most important component of a successful roll.

Hole [] n. 1. a hydraulic see hydraulic

Horizon Line [] n. 1. the edge of a hydraulic, as viewed from upstream, beyond/below which you cannot see.

HTP

Hydraulic (article) [] n. 1.

Hydrotopology [] n. 1. a term popularized by the late William Nealy, Hydrotopology is the art/science of understanding the shape of the underlying structure (the riverbed, etc) based on observation of the way in which moving water reacts to it.

I-K [] n. 1. inflatable kayak. also referred to as a 'duckie'. very stable, often used to allow beginners to paddle more difficult water, also popular for ELF boating.

Index [] n. 1. any means by which the grip of a paddle is ovalized, marked, or otherwise referencable with regard to where your 'home' position on the grip is, relative to the width of the shaft and relative to your grip's relation to the direction of the paddle blade.  Many paddles have ovalized indexes that allow you to know which way the paddle blade is facing.  Many people index their paddles using tape, popsicle sticks, etc. in order to make using their paddle easier.

Interface [] n. 1. place or feature where two forces or systems meet.  often used to describe eddylines

K-1, K-2 [] n. 1. a 'K-boat' refers to a craft where the paddler uses a seated position, and traditionally uses a two-bladed paddle.  the numerical designation refers to the number of paddlers in the craft.

Kayak [] n. 1. an oblong banana shaped boat with a hole in the bottom from which the occupant dangles.  Can be propelled the wrong way up by experts. (definition courtesy of Pete Knowles)

Kayaking [ka-yak-ing] n. 1. see 'obsession'.

Kayak Support Craft [] n. 1. any craft (rafts, pontoon boats) employed to carry kayaker's supplies, such as food and beer, on long trips.

Keeper [ki-per] n. 1. a hydraulic that is excessively retentive, in the sense that it'll keep you in it.  2. a very dangerous hydraulic. see hydraulic

Kevlar [] 

Kick [] n. 1. the directional force a feature will apply to you.  For example, a breaking lateral wave will push you in the direction it is breaking.  A breaking wave that faces due upstream will push you upstream.

Kickflip

Kit [kit] n. 1. British term for 'gear', referring to one's entire array of personal gear. n. 2. container for specific gear, e.g. medical kit, rescue kit

Kleimheist [klime-hyst] n. 1. a directional 'friction knot' that travels on the base line when not under load, but does not travel when under load.  similar to the prussik.

Kodak Courage [] n. 1. the unfortunate tendency for a paddler to run a drop 'for the camera'.  see 'inadvisable behavior'

Lateral Wave [] n. 1. a wave whose face is sloping cross-current.  A paddler who encounters a 'lateral' wave will be pushed to the side, i.e. 'laterally'.

Lid [lid] n. 1. a helmet. see helmet

Light loop

Linear

Loop

Loose [] adj. 1. the tendency of a kayak hull not to track while planing.  2. the ease with which a spin can be initiated while surfing.

Maytag [] n. 1. an event that occurs when a surfer catches their upstream edge and is power-flipped upstream one or more times. also known as a window-shade

Mechanical Advantage System [] n. 1. a reduction mechanism that allows a person or persons to apply more force to a localized spot than they would be able to directly.  examples: an offset drag, a z-drag, or a lever.

Melt [] v. 1. the act of running a drop with the result of becoming one with the downward-moving slab of water, whether intentional or not.  As water falls, it's possible (if your course intersects with it) to literally 'melt' into it, as falling water will not float you.  This technique is used to go under a nasty hydraulic, with the intent of surfacing downstream.

Mighty Move [] n. 1. a squirt maneuver that begins as an inverted (facing the rock) bowsplat against the pillow upstream of a rock or other feature that creates said pillow.  the paddler then releases their paddle, performs a 360-degree pirouette, picks up their paddle, and continues on.

Mobile Strainer [] n. 1. Floating debris moving downstream.  see 'flood stage'

Mush Move [] n. 1. a squirt maneuver where the paddler enters an eddy with speed, and glides the boat entirely underwater by winging their boat down into it.  Mush moves can go down quickly, but are difficult to sustain.  see also 'mystery move'.

Mystery Move ['mis-ter-i moov] n. 1. a squirt move that involves 'flying' your boat downwards, under water, using the interface at the top of an eddy called the 'squeeze'.

Neoprene [nee-o-preen] n. 1. a plastic-based material commonly used to make wetsuits.

Newbie [noo-bee] n. 1. person 'new' to the sport.

Non-boater [] n. 1. a strange breed with incomprehensible values.  Alas, a bridge too far.

Oar [or] n. 1. a device used to propel/navigate a craft that uses fulcrums on the side of the boat.  Essentially, it's a paddle that attaches at some point to the boat.  distinct from a paddle in that an oar is generally held by the end, rather than at the middle.

Obsession [ob-'sesh-en] n. 1. see 'kayaking'.

O-C1 [] n. 1. precise designation for an undecked, single occupant craft whose saddle is made for kneeling in. 

Offset [awf-set] n. 1.  The difference, described in degrees, of rotation on the paddle shaft from one paddle blade to another.  see also 'feather'.

Oil-canning [] n. 1. term used to describe the tendency of unsupported plastic hulls to pop concave over time.  The deformation is not permanent, but rather resembles the action of an old-style oil can (the sort you squeeze oil out of by inverting the can, pointing the nozzle at what you want oiled, and popping the bottom in and out.  the action is very similar to those bottle caps that 'pop' out when you break the seal on the container.)

Open Boater

Outfitting [owt-fit-ting] n. 1. padding and gear in a boat used to secure the paddler in it.  see also 'bondage gear'.

Over-the-bars

Paddle ['pad-l] v. 1. to propel a boat by means of a paddle or oar. n. 1. a navigational instrument used to propel a boat.  A kayak paddle has two blades, a Canoe paddle has one blade.

Paddle-float

Paddle Jacket ['pad-l jack-it] n. 1. a garment worn while paddling, typically without wrist or neck gaskets.

Pearl [perl] v. 1. from the expression 'pearl diving', to engage an end into oncoming water such that that end dives.  The term comes to kayaking by the way of board surfing.

Peel out [] n. 1. the process of exiting an eddy and allowing the oncoming water to turn you to face downstream in the process.

Pencil [pen sil] v. 1. to enter the water vertically from a drop, going deep.  If the water is shallow and you hit bottom, you've 'pitoned'.

P.F.D. [pee eff dee] contraction. 1. short for 'Personal Floatation Device', a.k.a. 'lifejacket' or 'life vest'.  see also 'rescue vest'.

Pile [pyle] n. 1. the mass of water in a hydraulic on the upstream side of the boil line, falling into the trough. n. 2. generic term for fleece clothing.

Pin [] v. 1. to lodge in place under the pressure of water.  n. 1. a situation in which one is stuck in place.

Pit [pit] n. the trough of a breaking wave. see 'mosh'.

Pitch [] n. measure or description of the boat's rotation in the fore-aft vertical plane- i.e. where the bow goes up or down relative to the paddler- as distinct from 'roll' or 'yaw'.

Piton [pee-tahn] v. 1. to ram with one's boat into an immovable object.  see 'pencil'.  n. 1. a climbing anchor that works by being driven into rock.

Playboat [plei boat] n. 1. a boat designed for playing.  Modern playboats feature planing hulls, carving edges, tend to be short.

Playspot

Plane [plain] v. 1. to convert oncoming water into lift in lieu of displacement.  a mode of hull operation for boats meant to surf.  present tense: planing.

Pogo [po-go] n. 1. a playboating move where the paddler balances the boat on one end while bouncing up and down.  v. 1. to bounce up and down while in a bow stall.

Point [] n. 1. lead position in a group of kayakers.

Polo [po-lo] n. 1. an evil game where people try to kill each other with kayaks.  Looks a lot like water polo in kayaks, except that it's even more violent. see 'criminal behavior'.

Polyethylene [po-li-e-thl-een] n. 1. Plastic used to make some boats.

Polypropylene [po-li-pro-puh-leen] n. 1. a wicking fabric used for insulation.  Famous for retaining odor while it wicks away moisture.  a.k.a. 'polystinkaline'.

Portage ['por-tedj, alt por-'tahdj] v. 1. to walk around a feature with your boat rather than navigating it. 2. to carry a boat. see also 'carry' and 'chicken out'.  From the french term port (to carry) age (because I'm a wuss). (okay, so I'm joking).

Pourover [] n. 1. a feature that involves water dropping down or off the backside of an obstacle, generally forming a hydraulic at the bottom.  Distinct from a waterfall in that generally a pour-over is smaller vertically.  see 'ledge'.

Probe [] n. 1. the first person to go into a rapid or feature, to 'see if it's okay'.  v. 1. to evaluate a hydraulic or feature, whether by paddling it or by throwing objects into it, in order to see if/when/where they come out.

Pry [pri] n. 1. a control stroke where the paddle travels away from the boat.  v. 1. the act of pushing the paddle away from the boat while the paddle is engaged in the water.

Prussik ['pruh-sik] n. 1. a 'friction knot' that cinches when under load, but travels when not under load.  a 'prussik loop' is a loop of thin rope carried for the purpose of  deploying a prussik quickly.

Pushy [] adj. 1. descriptive of chaotic water that forcibly moves one around, typical of higher-volume or constricted, turbulent flows.  see 'funny water'.

Put-in [] n. 1. the location of the beginning of a run. 

Rail slide

Rails [railz] n. pl. 1. the edge of a boat where the hull meets the sidewall.  see also 'chine'

Rand [] n. 1. the elastic edge of a spraydeck.

Rapid

Rapid Floss

Ratings

Reaction wave

Reverse-wheel

Rescue Vest ['res-ku vest] n. 1. a PFD with a built-in quick-release harness, suitable for use either in towing or rescue scenarios.  Also known as a 'guide vest'.

Retendo [ri-ten-do] n. 1. a rodeo move that results in the paddler falling back into the hole.  Derived from the word 'retentive'.

Retentive [ri-ten-tiv] adj. 1. describes the tendency of a hydraulic to keep a floating object.  see 'keeper', 'sticky'.

Right of Way [] n. 1. a legal doctrine derived from practical experience used to determine whose fault a collision was.  Not a binding legal doctrine on rivers, although it's been codified among surfers.  for more, read articles on river etiquette and surf etiquette.

River

Rocker [] n. 1. a measure of hull curvature along the bow-stern dimension of a kayak- as the boat sits flat, rocker defines how much the ends sit 'above' the low point in the hull.  Rocker serves the purpose of helping the boat to deflect 'upwards' when coming in contact with water.  Boats with high rocker are typically excellent for technical water, but suffer challenges in terms of tracking and speed when compared to less-rockered boats.

Rocket Move

Rodeo

Rodeo Roll

Roll [role] v. 1. To right oneself in one's boat after capsizing, to become upright. v. 2. to rotate around the long axis of the boat, e.g. in flight. n. 1. a measure of rotation around the long axis of the boat, as distinct from pitch or yaw.

Rotomold

Rudder

Safety [saif-tee] n. 1. a doctrine around preserving one's well-being.  n. 2. an arrangement by which paddlers array themselves in order to affect an immediate rescue for other paddlers as they run a drop.

Safety Meeting [] euphemism. 1. generally a meeting in which attendees smoke.

Scout [] v. 1. to visually survey a stretch of water for runnability.  Can be done from within one's boat, where it's referred to as 'boat scouting'.  n. 1. the process of surveying a stretch of water.

Self-Rescue [] n. 1. the practice of recovering from an accident (typically a swim) without external aid.

Self-Support [] n. 1. the practice of carrying all of one's supplies for a multiday trip in one's own boat.

Semi Bait [] n. 1. a boat or other gear poorly or negligently attached to one's roof rack.

Separation Layer

Screw [] v. 1. to rotate the boat along it's long axis, especially when the boat is not flat to the water.  n. 1. the process of rotating the boat on it's long axis.

Screw-roll

Seal-Launch [] n. 1. to enter the water in one's boat after having gotten into the boat on land.

Shaft [] n. 1. The part of the paddle you grip.  Constructed of a variety of materials including hardwoods, metals, fibre reinforced plastics, and combinations of the above. 2. what happens when your paddling partners oversleep.

Shoc-bloc [shok blok] n. 1. a bulkhead contrived by filling the end of a boat with compressible foam.  2. Foot support in a kayak made out of foam for the purpose of 'padding' impacts.

Shorty [shor-ti] n. 1. a short-sleeved garment worn while paddling.  Can be 'dry' (sealed at arms and neck) or not.

shoulder [shol der] n. 1. the corner of a wave.

Shred [shred] v. 1. to perform aggressively and well, i.e. to 'tear it up'.  n. 1. a 'cut' style of squirt boat. n. 2. a specific squirt boat model designed by Jim Snyder.

Shudder rudder [] n. 1. a steering stroke performed while surfing by laying on the back deck and extending one's paddle above and behind the head.  not as easy as it looks.

Shuttle [shu-tl] v. 1. to travel between the put-in and the take-out, i.e. to 'run shuttle'.  n. 1. the route between the put-in and the take-out, e.g. 'the run was short, but the shuttle was 30 miles'.

Shuttle Bunny [shu-tl bu-ni] n. 1. a person who agrees to run shuttle without paddling that day (saving paddlers the necessity of bringing two vehicles, or of setting shuttle in the case where multiple vehicles are available).  Status of the shuttle bunny seems to range between that of demigod(dess) and chump.  Often the S/O of a paddler.  Be kind to the shuttle bunny, they have the keys.

Shuvit [] n. 1. a rodeo move performed while surfing, defined as a half-turn in one direction, followed by a half-turn facing the opposite direction.

Sidesurf [] v. 1. to surf sideways against the foam pile in a hydraulic.  n. 1. the state of surfing sideways.

Sieve  [] n. 1. a feature that allows water to flow through it, but which will entrap or stop solid objects (like boats or boaters).

SIK [] contraction, short for 'Sluts In Kayaks'.  homonym 'sick', meaning intense, insane, crazy.

Sink the Stink [] n. 1. brand name for a detergent that specializes in killing the signature odors associated with wet neoprene and fleece.

Skirt [] n. 1. item of kayaking gear used to seal the cockpit, see also 'spraydeck'.  The skirt has one or several tunnels (the part that goes around your waist), a deck (the part that spans the opening of the cockpit) and a rand, which fixes the skirt to the combing of the boat.

Slalom [] n. 1. a paddling discipline based on racing through gates hung at inopportune locations on the river against the clock.

Slicy [] adj.

Smack-down

Smash [smash] v. 1. to reduce the volume of a boat at the ends by literally smashing it.  This was done before boats with low-volume ends were commercially available.  v. 2. to apply a paddle stroke down to the surface of the water with the back face of the blade, as with a punching motion. n. 1. The stroke used to initiate the bow on a cartwheel.

Sneak [] n. 1. the easiest available line on a given feature or rapid. opposite of 'hero line'.  n. 2. a covert portage.  v. 1. to take the easiest available line on a feature or rapid. v. 2. to walk around the drop when nobody is looking. 

Space Godzilla [spais god-'zil-luh] n. 1. an aerial loop performed in the hole or on the wave in which the paddler reaches down to the water and adds an extra end while in flight.  see also 'incredible show-off move'.

Spin  [spin] v. 1. to switch ends while surfing on a wave, e.g. when front-surfing, to switch to a backsurf.  see flat spin

Splat [splat] n. 1. a maneuver in which the paddler uses oncoming water to press their boat onto the upstream face of a feature like a rock. 

SplatWheel [splat-weel] n. 1. a maneuver in which the paddler begins with a splat, and then performs a cartwheel while splatting the feature.  see splat, cartwheel

Spraydeck [] n. 1. piece of equipment worn around the waist that purports to keep water out of your boat by being stretched taut around the combing, or rim, of the cockpit of a decked boat.  The rand is the elastomerized part around the rim that meets the combing, while the tunnel is the part that fixes to your torso.  Some models come with implosion bars, pieces of plastic or aluminum that bridge the cockpit rim to offer the deck added support.

Sprayskirt [] n. 1. see spraydeck.

Spud Boat [spud boat] n. 1. A boat designed to be short and blunt.  The term 'spud' was coined to compare a shorter boat's shape to that of a potato, when long boats were the norm.

Squeeze [] n. 1. location at the top of an eddy where upstream flowing eddy water is fed back against the interface between the eddy and downstream water.  n. 2. experience a squirt boat undergoes at depth, as pressure deforms the boat slightly.

Squirt [skwert] n. 1. a paddling discipline centered around paddling and exploiting the qualities of extremely low-volume, slicy 'wing-shaped' boats. The creation (or, at least, the description) of this discipline is generally credited to Jim Snyder and his brother Jeff.   v. 1. to slice the end of a boat into a mass of oncoming water such that the resulting acceleration moves the boat.  n. 2. a move wherein the paddler slices the boat into a differential mass of water.  The resulting acceleration is said to 'squirt' the boat forward 'like a watermelon seed'.

Squirtartist [skwert-art-ist] n. 1. a boater who paddles a squirt boat and engages in the practice of squirting.  The term was coined perhaps to distinguish the differences between squirt boating and 'the rest' of paddling.

Squirt Boat [skwert boat] n. 1. a kayak specifically designed to engage the water more as a wing *in* the medium than as a floating body on top of it. 

Stage [] n. 1. arbitrary measure of the height of water in a stream at a fixed location.  a streamflow gauge often gives two data: the volume and the stage.  Volume is calculated via various formulae, usually derived from a survey of the gauge site, measurements of streamflow velocity at various points, and likely a bit of guesswork.

Stall [stal] n. 1. a rodeo move where the paddler balances the boat vertically.  n. 2. (generic) a condition where drag overcomes lift.

Stern [sturn] n. 1. the back end of a boat.

Stern Squirt

Steyr Roll [steer role] n. 1. a paddle roll performed by kayakers and canoeists that begins upside down, against the back deck and finishes in an aggressive forward position.  see 'rodeo roll' and article.

Stick [stik] v. 1. to accomplish a move (esp. a landing) flawlessly  n. 1. Another term for 'paddle'.

Stick Wax [stik waks] n. 1. sticky wax applied to paddle shafts in order to improve their grip.

Sticky [sti kee] adj. 1. describes a hydraulic with a strong tendency to hold a floating object like a boat.  see 'retentive'.

Strainer ['stray-ner] n. 1. A feature that allows water to pass but blocks solids, e.g. wood or logs.  A sieve is a type of strainer.

Stride [stried] v. 1. the practice of paddling while standing up.  Developed by Jeff Snyder (?).

Stroke

Sub Out

Super-clean

Super-depressed

Super-elevated

Super-linear

Surf

Surf-shoe

Sympatex ['sim-pe-tex] n. 1. Brand name for a breathable waterproof material.  Name is owned by Patagonia, but generics of the material exist under different names.

Sweep [] v. 1. to run at the rear of your kayaking group, i.e. 'running sweep' involves making sure everyone else is in front of you. n. 1. a turning stroke.

Sweep-roll

Swim [swim] v. 1. to exit your boat into the water.  n. 1. the endless duration of time between when you exit your boat into the water and when you reach safety.  n. 2. An opportunity for your friends to laugh at your expense, once it's been determined that you're okay, or at the very worst, not badly injured.

Swiftwater Rescue

Swirlies

Takeout [] n. 1. the location at the end of a river run. v. 1. to exit the river.  a.k.a. the 'get-out'.

Throwbag ['thro-bag] n. 1. a cloth or mesh bag into which floating rope is stuffed, to be deployed as a rescue rope.

Throw down [thro down] v. 1. to throw [kayak ends] down, i.e. to play vertically. (homonym 'throw down', means to issue a challenge- literally, from the practice of throwing down a gauge or gauntlet)

Tongue

Tow tether

Tupperware [] n. 1. slang. term used to describe kayaks made out of plastic, as opposed to composite materials.

Undercut [un-der-kut] n. 1. a feature where the base of a rock or wall is cut

Unintendo [un-in-ten-doh] n. 1. an accidental rodeo move.  Very popular.

Variety Multiplier [] n. 1. a score based on the variety of moves a paddler performs, which is multiplied against the paddler's total.  Each move (say, a spin or a blunt or a cartwheel) is worth a pre-defined value, and the sum of these values is multiplied by the paddler's regular score (i.e. the number of moves times the value of those moves).

Vee wave

Veer [vir] n. 1. the tendency of all whitewater boats to turn by themselves for no apparent reason whatsoever whenever you do not have an active paddle blade in the water.

Vertical pin [] n. 1. a condition in which a boat becomes entrapped while standing upright.  This is a difficult situation from which to escape.

Volume [] n. 1. a measure of how much water passes a given point in a river, usually expressed in cubic feet per second (cfs) or cubic meters per second (cms). see stage n. 2. a description of how much water a boat will displace, often expressed in gallons or liters, depending on country of origin.  Displacement indicates how much float an object will have (minus it's own weight) when displacing water.

Wake [wayk] n. 1. the wave created by an object moving in water.

War Club [war klub] n. slang. 1. old paddle, useful for absorbing abuse on shallow/rocky runs.  2. heavy paddle.

Waterfall (article) [wa-ter-fal] n. 1. the spot where water falls, traditionally for more than 10 feet. 2. the greatest thing to run in your kayak. see 'obsession'.

Wathunk [wah-'thunk] n. 1. a little joke.  The same thing as windowshading or maytagging, only 'on purpose'.  The derivation of the term comes from Ken Whiting's instructional video 'Play Daze', where they introduced a 'new move' that looked suspiciously like they just made mistakes and wanted us all to think it was on purpose.  When I asked Ken about it, he had a difficult time keeping a straight face. :-)

Wave [wayv] n. 1. impulse energy traveling through a medium.

Wavewheel

Wax

Weight Range [] n. 1. a wild guess with regard to the range of paddler weights is suitable for a given boat. see also 'wild prognostication' and 'vague suggestion'.

Windowshade [] n. 1. see maytag

Whirlpool [] n. 1. a vortex of water formed either by a powerful static downdraft or by the interface between two masses of water moving in different directions.  Whirlies can be very fun, but they can also be confusing and difficult to play in.

Wrap [rap] v. 1. to collapse under pressure.  a broached kayak is said to be 'wrapped' when the force of the water has literally wrapped it around the obstruction.  see 'taco'.  Variant: 'shrink wrap'... "an old Will Gadd term for what happens when you wrap your boat before your legs get out.

Xytec [zai-tek] n. 1. Trademark name for Riot's proprietary plastic. n. 2. a mysterious form of plastic available only to a select few.  Virtually indestructible and endows the boat (and the paddler of said boat) with god-like ability.  Similar in chemical composition to Unobtainium.

Yardsale [] n. 1. a situation in which multiple pieces of gear are strewn about the river, often the result of a swim or other calamity.

Yaw [] n. 1. a measure of the boat's rotation side-to-side, especially when the boat is airborne.  (if the boat is not airborne, often yaw is called veer.  See also pitch and roll

Z-drag [] n. 1. a gear-reduction system based on ropes and pulleys to allow users to apply (n) times the mechanical force, while pulling (1/n) of the distance. see mechanical advantage system