Editing Kayak (section)

==20th century & contemporary kayaks==
[[File:Speck-map.png|thumb|A map showing [[Oskar Speck]]'s kayaking route from Germany to Australia]]
Contemporary traditional-style kayaks trace their origins primarily to the native boats of Alaska, northern [[Canada]], and Southwest [[Greenland]]. The use of fabric kayaks on wooden frames called a foldboat or [[folding kayak]] (German Faltboot or Hardernkahn) became widely popular in Europe beginning in 1907 when they were mass-produced by Johannes Klepper and others. This type of kayak was introduced to England and Europe by [[John MacGregor (sportsman)]] in 1860, but Klepper was the first person to mass-produce these boats made of collapsible wooden frames covered by waterproof rubberized canvas. By 1929, Klepper and Company were making 90 foldboats a day. Joined by other European manufacturers, by the mid-1930s there were an estimated half-million foldboat kayaks in use throughout Europe. First Nation masters of the roll taught this technique to Europeans during this time period.<ref>Altenhofer, Der Hadernkahn, Pollner Verlag, 1997, p. 143, {{ISBN|3925660097}}</ref><ref>Dyson, Baidarka, Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, 1986, pp. 80–81, {{ISBN|978-0882403151}}</ref>

These boats were tough and intrepid individuals were soon doing amazing things in them. In June 1928, a 29-year-old German kayaker named Franz Romer rigged his {{cvt|20|ft|m|order=flip}} foldboat with a sail and departed from [[Las Palmas]] in the [[Canary Islands]] carrying {{cvt|590|lbs|kg|order=flip}} of [[tinned food]] and {{cvt|55|gal|liter|order=flip}} of [[fresh water]], reaching [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands]] after {{cvt|2730|nmi|km|order=flip}} and 58 days, becoming the first recorded person to traverse the [[Atlantic Ocean]] on a [[sea kayak]].<ref name="SJHS"/> Romer continued west to [[Puerto Rico]] after resting for six weeks, planning to eventually arrive at [[New York City]], but unfortunately perished at sea after leaving [[Port of San Juan]] on September 11 (missing the [[tropical cyclone warnings and watches|hurricane warning]] by merely a hour) and running into the devastating [[Okeechobee hurricane]] some two days later at the southwestern edge of the [[Bermuda Triangle]] (likely near the northeastern shores of the [[Dominican Republic]]) during his journey towards [[Florida]].<ref name="SJHS">{{citeweb|url=https://stjohnhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/The-Last-Kyack-Adventure-2013_Vol-14-No-1.pdf|title=The Last Kayaking Adventure 1928|last=Sims|first=Valerie C.|publisher=St. John Historical Society|accessdate=2025-04-02}}</ref> Four years later in May 1932, another German named [[Oskar Speck]] left [[Ulm]] and paddled his foldboat kayak southeast down the [[Danube]], eventually reaching the [[Torres Strait Islands]] on the [[Australia]]n north coast seven years later in September 1939, after having traveled roughly {{convert|14000|mi}} along the shores of the [[Eastern Mediterranean]], [[Persian Gulf]], [[Indian Ocean]], [[Java Sea]] and [[Coral Sea]].<ref>"Renew Attempt To Row Boat Across Atlantic," Messenger Inquirer, April 23, 1928; "In A Rubber Boat Over The Sea," Baltimore Sun, September 30, 1928; "Rowing Around World In A Canvas Boat," Bradford Evening Star, November 13, 1935</ref>

These watercraft were brought to the United States and used competitively in 1940 at the first National Whitewater Championship held in America near Middledam, Maine, on the [[Rapid River (Maine)]]. One "winner," Royal Little, crossed the finish line clinging to his overturned foldboat. Upstream, the river was "strewn with many badly buffeted and some wrecked boats." Two women were in the competition, Amy Lang and Marjory Hurd. With her partner Ken Hutchinson, Hurd won the double canoe race. Lang won the doubles foldboat event with her partner, Alexander "Zee" Grant.<ref>"Only Three Shoot Rapids," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7, 1940</ref>

[[File:Alexander "Zee" Grant and his folding kayak at Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, July 19, 1941.jpg|right|thumb|Alexander Grant in his foldboat, July 19, 1941, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon]]

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Alexander "Zee" Grant was most likely America's best foldboat pilot. Grant kayaked the [[Gates of Lodore]] on the [[Green River (Colorado River tributary)]] in [[Dinosaur National Monument]] in 1939 and the [[Middle Fork Salmon River]] in 1940. In 1941, Grant paddled a foldboat through [[Grand Canyon National Park]]. He outfitted his foldboat, named Escalante, with a [[sponson]] on each side of his boat and filled the boat with beach balls. As with nearly all American foldboat enthusiasts of the day, he did not know how to roll his boat.<ref>Cockleshell on the Colorado, ''American Whitewater'', Vol 4, No 2, pp. 6–13, P2P p. 426</ref><ref>"How It Feels To Run Treacherous Rapids Of Colorado River Related By Altadenan", ''Pasadena Post'', July 28, 1941</ref><ref>Marston, ''From Powell to Power'', Vishnutemple Press, 2014, p. 424, {{ISBN|9780990527022}}</ref>

[[Fiberglass]] mixed with resin composites, invented in the 1930s and 1940s, were soon used to make kayaks and this type of watercraft saw increased use during the 1950s, including in the US. Kayak Slalom World Champion [[Walter Kirschbaum]] built a fiberglass kayak and paddled it through Grand Canyon in June 1960. He knew how to roll and only swam once, in Hance Rapid (see [[List of Colorado River rapids and features]]). Like Grant's foldboat, Kirschbaum's fiberglass kayak had no seat and no thigh braces.<ref>Martin, Big Water Little Boats, Vishnu Temple Press, 2012, p. 190, {{ISBN|9780979505560}}</ref> In June 1987, Ed Gillet, using a stock off the shelf ''traditional design'' 20 foot long by 31 inch wide fiberglass tandem kayak paddled over 2,000 miles non-stop from  [[Monterey]], California to [[Hawaii]], landing his vessel there on August 27, 1987, after 64 days of paddling.<ref>Shively, Dave. (P. 30) " ''The Pacific Alone'', The Untold Story of Kayaking's Boldest Voyage." Falcon; The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste.200, Lanham, MD 20706. 2018.</ref> Gillet had navigated his kayak by using a traditional [[sextant]] and [[compass]], along with approximately 600 pounds of food and water, including a device to convert sea water to fresh water. Within six days of reaching Hawaii, both he and his yellow kayak were featured on ''The Tonight Show'', hosted by [[Johnny Carson]].<ref>Shively p. 13, 14, 100, 106-109, 150</ref>

Inflatable rubberized fabric boats were first introduced in Europe and [[rotomolding|rotomolded]] [[plastic]] kayaks first appeared in 1973. Most kayaks today are made from roto-molded polyethylene resins. The development of plastic and rubberized inflatable kayaks arguably initiated the development of freestyle kayaking as we see it today since these boats could be made smaller, stronger, and more resilient than fiberglass boats.