A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak used for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and oceans. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the manoeuvrability of whitewater kayaks for higher cruising speed, cargo capacity, ease of straight-line paddling (tracking), and comfort for long journeys.
Sea kayaks are used around the world for marine (sea) journeys from a few hours to many weeks, and can accommodate one to three paddlers along with their camping gear, food, water, and other supplies. Solo sea kayaks are 3.0–5.5 m (10–18 ft) long, while tandem craft can be up to 8 m (26 ft) long; beam widths range from 53 cm (21 in) to 91 cm (36 in).
The term "sea kayaking" may have been popularised by the 1981 book Sea Kayaking by John Dowd, who said, "It wasn't called sea kayaking until my book came out; it was called kayak touring or sea canoeing or canoe touring, blue-water paddling, coastal paddling, all those things".[1]
- ^ Tim Shuff (2020-10-21). "The History of Sea Kayaking: Popularizing the Sport". Paddling Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-02-12. Retrieved 10 February 2021.