CASANOVA MARINE™

Original Traditional Kayak

Modern Enclosed Cockpit

Modern Open Cockpit

Saying You Want A "Kayak" Is Like Asking For A "Car"...... A Racing, Rally, Cab, Police, Family, Sport, Convertible, F1, Stock, Stretch..... Get The Idea?

Commercially Made Kayaks For Resale To The General U.S. Public Can Be Classified In Two Basic Hull Designs; The Enclosed Cockpit And The Open Cockpit.  From There, Kayaks Come In Many Different Forms, From Low-Grade Toys, To Superior High-Efficient Paddling Craft; And For All Types of Purposes And Some For Specific Applications.

Below Is A Brief Introduction Into The Confusing And Very Competitive U.S. Market Of "Kayaks".

The True Traditional Kayak

Around 5,000 Years Ago Paleo-Eskimos Came From The Bering Strait To The Arctic Coast Of Alaska, Eventually Spreading.  They Were Marine Hunters With Technology To Live In The Deadly Frozen Arctic Environment Were Food Comes From The Ocean.  About 1,000 Years Ago, The Thule People Migrated From The Bering Strait Eastward Along The Arctic Coast.  The Thule People Originated In The Coastal Area Of Alaska, Where They Developed A Sophisticated Marine Technology, Including The "Kayak", A Small, Enclosed Canoe-Shaped Vessel Designed For Hunting Seals And Other Sea Mammals.  These Developments Enabled The Thule To Hunt Sea Mammals On The Frigid Open Water of The Sea.

The Kayak's Origin Is Accredited To The Inuit People.  A True Kayak Is Completely Enclosed With Animal Skins Stretched Over A Rigid Frame, Except For An Open Cockpit In The Center, Where The Paddler sits armed with a double-bladed paddle.  The Original Kayak Is Wide At The Center And Tapers To Points At Both Bow And Stern.  Low And Slender For Quite Speed Through Rough Waves Of The Open Sea, Kayaks Were Admirably Designed For Their Primary Function: The Pursuit Of Sea Mammals, Waterfowl And Caribou. (1)

Modern Engine-Powered Watercraft Are Used In The Subsistence Economy Of Most Inuit And Other Arctic People And The Kayak Concept Has Been Adopted For Recreational, And Professional Applications Around The World. Modern 'Traditional Class' Kayak Designs Of Today Made Be Found With Centuries Old Designs; Although Typically Made With Modern Materials; Including Molded Plastics, Handmade Woods, Fiberglass, And Kevlar.

Next-Generation Modern Traditional; Enclosed Cockpit Kayaks

Modern Evolutionary Thinking, Available Materials And Manufacturing Methods Enable Boat Designs To Come Up With Boats They Call Kayaks That Are Sometimes Loosely Based On The Traditional Kayak Concept.  These Modern Designs Are Modified In Ways To Enhance Performance For A Particular Intended Purpose Or Buyer Type.  All These Designs Have The Basic Whole Where The Paddler Sits.  The Deck Of The Kayak Encloses The Paddler.  The Opening Where The Paddler Sits Is Called The "Cockpit".  A Rim Around The Top Of The Cockpit Opening May Be Formed In A Way To Create A Water Dam And A Sealing Surface For Attaching A Watertight Paddler-To-Kayak Cover.  The Generic Name For This Cover Is "Kayak Skirt".  The Enclosed Cockpit Kayak May Be Outfitted With A Bulkhead And Sealed Watertight Chambers; Designed For Stowing Camping, Hiking And Other Equipment. These Designs Are Typically Referred To As A "Touring Kayak".

Sample Of A Low-Tech Economy Nylon Kayak Skirt

Advantage

There Are Several Advantages Related To The Enclosed Cockpit Kayak Design.  First, Protection For The Paddler; Second, Superb Aerodynamics; Third, More Stowage Capacity.  The Paddler Sits Inside, Below Deck, Offering More Protection Than Sitting In The Open, Exposed To Wind And Splash.   The Paddler May Choose To Seal The Cockpit Using A Skirt, For Additional Aerodynamics And To Seal Out Water, Wind, Snow, Ice, Rain, Sand, Gravel, Mud, And Debris.  A Kayak-Skirt Is Highly Recommended For Paddling Open Water, Waves And Rough Water.

Enclosed Deck Kayaks Now Come In Many Difference Designs

There are many types and styles of kayaks on the market today; from low-quality toys to serious application-specific high-end performance investments.  First, There Is The Specific Intended Application Purpose Or Intended Buyer That Determines A Kayak's Class.  Then There Are Different Styles Available For One Type Of Kayak, Just Like There Are Many Vehicle Types And Styles.

The West, Most Advanced, Unique And Innovative Futuristic Types And Styles Are Now Aailable In The Casanova Collection.  Look at the new BIC SPORT Folding Portable Kayak, Easy To Store For People Living In Apartments and Dorms.   Also from BIC Sport, the new Convertible Kayak concept; SCAPA, pictured below.  And check out the New Technology Trylon Kayaks From Hurricane; High-End personal boats with superior UV and abrasion resistance, the look and feel of high shine of fiberglass boats, without the Kevlar and fiberglass high prices and low abrasion resistance!

Leading Technology, High-Quality Kayaks Are Actually Affordable

Casanova's Basic Rule Is To Avoid Kayaks Built Poorly.  In the world kayak marketplace, the price of a kayak is no gauge to measure the quality of design or construction.  We search the world markets constantly for midrange to high-end products that are backed by technology, quality, value and good customer and dealer support from the manufacturer.   We have discovered the best built kayaks are actually cheaper than most other well built kayaks with major design flaws.  For example, when purchasing a kayak, reach inside and feel for the desk fittings. If you can feel the bolt, then move on to the next model or marker.   Yes those fittings may be or may not be fasten at the factory to be watertight. However, in the real world of on water environments, those fittings will be vibrated, which causes leaks; plain simple fact of physics.  Avoid kayaks with drilled through holes in the deck with exposed fittings inside.  these are simply poorly built kayaks.

Open-Cockpit

Incorrectly Referred To In The U.S. Kayaking Industry As "Sit-Atop" Or "Sit-On-Top" Kayaks, Open-Cockpit Kayak Designs Are Emerging From Many U.S. And Asian Manufacturers Targeting Their Goods Towards The U.S. "Recreational", "Toy", And Simple Occasional "Weekend" Paddler Buyer's Markets.  Open Cockpit Designs Have No Deck Formed Over The Paddler; Leaving The Paddler Exposed.

Depending The On The kayak Design, This Can Be Dangerous Of Very Safe And Comfortable.  Some Designs Offer A Great Open Non-Restricting Feeling Of Being On The Water; Such Is The Case With The Internationally Award-Winning And World's Foremost Open-Cockpit Hull Designs Of BIC Sport Kayaks.  These Are In A Class By Themselves; Setting Precedence For Open Cockpit Sea Kayaking, Surfing, Fishing, Swimming, Snorkeling, SCUBA Diving, Fitness Rowing, And Touring Kayaks.

There Are Many Types Of Open-Cockpit Kayaks On The Market With Specific Intended Targeted Buyers, And Some Developed For Serious Applications And Purpose.  New Designs Offer Buyer Appeal But Poor Performance-And-User Comfort.  Come Offer Cargo Carrying Capacity And A Platform For Swimming, Snorkeling, SCUBA Diving, Fishing And Hunting. In 2008, BIC Sport Kayaks Introduced The World's First Sport Utility Kayak ---- A Superior Stable Shallow Floating Platform For Multiple Sports And Utility.

Quality Built Open-Cockpit Kayaks Are Engineered For A Specific Application, And Will Therefore Yield The Best Performance And Paddler Handling, Energy Endurance, Satisfaction And Service Life. We Try To Identify The Higher Grade And Quality Engineered Crafts That Meet The Highest Standards We Set Ourselves, Which Must Include Engineered Designed Backed By Real Research And Development.  Kayaks engineered for user comfort and efficient hull designs, are built to maximize stability while improving paddling speed.

Best Suited For Amphibious Sports

Some of the Sit-Atop Kayaks Are Actually Designed For A Wide Range OF Users By Offering A Stable Platform On The Water For Exit And Entry From Water.   A great example is the BIC Sport SCAPA shown above, which offers a very stable platform with a extra large cargo compartment to hold a SCUBA tank and BC rig. And, Casanova's can make this yours at an unbelievable outstanding price!   The design is optimum for Snorkeling, Skin Diving, SCUBA Diving, Sea Kayaking, Great Lakes Kayaking, Cursing, Fitness Kayaking, and exploring.  The most unique design offers the only convertible kayak on the world market, with a enclosed cockpit and skirt as optional equipment!

Click for more details about the BIC SPORT SCAPA ....