mad river canoes: canoeing Terms

Mad River Update Year 2000 - Click Here

Hull Diagram for Mad River canoes

Glossary Of Canoeing Terms:

Beam - widest part of the canoe
Bow - front section of the canoe Depth - distance from the gunwale to fhe boftom of the boat, measured at the canoe's deepest point
Flare - progressive widening of the hull from the waterline to the gunwales; serves to deflect water and increase stability
Freeboard - distance between waterline and fhe gunwales; essentially, how much of the canoe sits above the water
Gunwales - rails along the top edges of the hull running fhe length of the boat Hull - the main body of the canoe minus any additional parts
Keel - strip running the length of the canoe's underside for the purpose of stiffening the hull and improving tracking
Keel line - shape of the hull bottom running from bow to stern; varies from straight to having extreme curvature or "rocker"
Portage - to carry a canoe between bodies of water during the course of a trip
Rocker - degree to which a hull curves up at the ends; increasing rocker results in enhanced turning ability but decreased tracking ability
Stern - rear section of the canoe
Thwart - crossbrace between the gunwales to keep the canoe rigid
Tumblehome - inward curve of the hull from its widest point to the gunwales
Waterline - the highest point that water reaches on the hull when the canoe is in the water
Yoke - A thwart that is shaped so as to allow the canoe to be carried on the shoulders during a portage