A
Air bags
In an open canoe, airbags like in a kayak become very handy indeed. Because the canoe can cope with a variety of conditions having air bags in the boat allow it to be easier to empty when full of water. It also helps in whitewater as it keeps the boat afloat and prevents the boat from getting pined and wrapped.

B
Barrels
Canoe barrels are a common use of storage whilst journeying in your canoe. They’re very durable and very dry. A great way for transporting your essentials down the river.

C
Centre Tharwt
The centre thwart is a piece of wood shaped to the canoe that sits under the inwhale of the canoe and is normally found in the centre of the canoe at it’s widest parts. The centre thwart is designed to hold the shape of the canoe, without it the boat can flex and is slightly weaker in a whitewater situation. The centre tharwt can also be removed for solo paddling.

D
D-rings
D-rings are D shaped rings that are very useful for clipping your gear onto. The D-ring normally comes with a fabric patch allowing you to glue the patch to the hull of the boat. This is very useful for clipping in airbags and other items.

E
End Grabs
End grabs are usually fitted to the canoe when fresh out of the wrapper. However paddles sometimes like to fit extra ones at the very end of the bow and stern. This helps paddles grab the boat quickly in case of a swim.

F
Freeboard
The freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the gunwales.

G
Gunwales (pronounced gunnels)
The Gunwales lie along the length of the top of the canoe from bow to stern.

I
Inwhale
The trim that usually caps the top of the canoe. The Inwhale lies on the inner side of the canoe. These can be made from wood, vinyl or aluminium.

J
J-stroke
The most common and one of the foundation skills for manovering a canoe. The J-stroke is a fundamental strokes. That’s normally the first stroke you’ll learn when taking up open canoeing. It’s called a J-stroke because it forms a shape of a J.

K
Keel line
A line running the length of the canoe from the bow to stern along the centreline on the underside of the hull.

L
Lining
When running a river it’s common (in the UK) that the river will be too shallow or have to many obstructions to run down the river safely. So you can attach a line to the boat and walk alongside it like a dog on a lead. This saves time portaging and is quick and affective.

P
Painter
The painter is a length of rope, usually two sections of floatation rope. One is tied to the bow and the other stern of the canoe. As a guideline the rope is usually a third of the boats length. The painter is one of the most useful pieces of equipment on your open canoe. It can be used for lashing rafts together rigging up your tarp or hanging a food bag to ward off the bears.

R
Rudder
A rudder can also be added to the stern of the boat if required. For

S
Sail
A sail can easily be improvised for open water paddling when the wind picks up. From a tarp to an umbrella free energy is a great way to travel.

T
Trim
Trim is essential to creating a stress free, canoe journey. Open canoes can be caught by the wind very quickly and can leave you in spinning around a lake. By constantly altering your trim to the conditions, allows you to work with the wind or river and not against it.

W
Waterline
The water line is a mark where the water comes up to on the boat, or where the boat sits in the water.