Racing kayak

Kayaks for racing are generally fairly specialized.

• Whitewater racing uses two kinds of kayaks. There are slalom kayaks are short, wide and low. They are designed to negotiate gates place around the river. Downriver kayaks are not so short, but tend to be narrow and high volume. They are designed to get down white water rivers as fast as possible.

• Flatwater racing kayaks tend to be long, very narrow and low volume. Olympic style flatwater kayaks have large cockpits that let the paddler move his legs. They are often used without a spray skirt.

There are also open water racing kayaks. Surfskis are sit on top boats designed for surfing large open water swells. Other open water racing kayaks have closed cockpits that allow the use of a spray skirt and the boats may be rolled.