Am new to kayaking and keep hearing the term “oil canning” when describing what could happen when you put the kayak on car carrier racks. Can someone explain this? Thanks for your input!
welcome to this site.
– Last Updated: Jun-20-04 8:20 AM EST –
Oil canning refers to the dents in the hull or deck of a kayak or canoe from too much stress or pressure on the surface. Most are in plastic hulls and may be heat related too. This is why ratchet straps are not recommmended for boat hold downs. Too easy to over tighten. Enjoy paddling.
Oil canning
is also when a section of the boat, most often the bottom, sort of folds inward due to the pressure of the water. This is undesirable because it makes the boat a less efficient shape for gliding through the water. It may indicate poor construction or design. I think it is probably more likely with canoes than kayaks.
No Expert, Mike.
Oil Canning vs. Dents
Yes, “oil canning” is the wavering in and out of the hull due to to water pressure or movement or any other force that might cause the hull to flip flop in and out. The term comes, obviously, from the action that occurs on the bottom of an old fashioned oil can.
The dents that are created from improper storage or roof rack carrying, whether temporary or not, are called “dents”.
Let us vow from this day forward to refrain from referring to “dents” as “oil canning”.
Thank you.
I stand corrected.
– Last Updated: Jun-20-04 4:56 PM EST –
but the info I posted is still correct.
Sorry, Dave… Language is what people
make of it, and “oil canning” is routinely used to describe dents under the middle of the boat, whether caused by bad design and water pressure, or by too many occasions of seal-launching off the edges of docks, or from multiple boofing when running creeks.
Even back in the 70s, no one was using your restricted definition of oil canning.
WOW’s is the correct term for big…
dents in the bottom of the boat…
“oil canning” is the in/out motion of the hull…
BTW, an oil can can also have dents… 
whats “boofing”?
? Must be a “conch” term…
don’t know bubba grayhawk,
me and my cousies haven’t heard that one.Just got back from fishin marquesas and get home and the chickenlovers are having some festival for chickens.so some resturuant comes over and buys all my triggerfish to enter it in the “taste like chicken ,but it isn’t” contest. what are things coming to.?you can’t fight ,eat, or chase chickens here anymore.
taking a powerstroke
before going off of a ledge on a WW river. It keeps your nose up and keeps one from penciling in.
Holy Chicken!!!
Sorry, greyhawk, we use words the way
– Last Updated: Jun-20-04 5:23 PM EST –
we want to. And "oil canning" would be a lousy term for temporary deformation. Those of us who remember oil cans knew that when they dented, they stayed dented.
While I have heard the term "WOW" for deformation in other contexts, it is seldom used in the whitewater community.
“Boofing” is now used mostly for boofing
off rocks, which is why it tends to permanently deform hulls under the cockpit. You charge up to a rock on the edge of a big drop and deliberately skip off the surface of the rock so as to achieve a desirable angle on the descent. It also helps to throw one’s body back at just the right time, whether boofing off a rock or just off the lip of the drop.
Oil canning IS temporary deformation
it comes from when people used mechanics oil cans. You squeeze the can an oil comes out and then the can pops back into place with a pop. Hence oil canning.
Remember the little oil cans…
not the cans oil came in but the ones that had a spout. You unscrewed the spout put oil in and pushed on the round bottom that would go “gaboink gaboink” as you pushed the bottom in and out to get the oil to shoot out the top?..
Maybe this “oil canning” is now Old English…
This is what happens when you live too long…
now I know
I thought they hired a “hit man”…
…to get rid of those chickens in KW…
yes, the local barber got
a contract to catch and relocate the offending fowl, but the chicken lovers are crying foul and messing with his chicken friendly traps so they won’t catch.The city manager considers this to be a serious offense as you’re vandalizing city property and wants the maximum penalty for the chicken terrorists.We’ve always had chickens here but people kept them penned up so they weren’t a problem. now they run free everywhere and suddenly have “rights” since this a bird sanctuary. one would argue that the law is not for domesticated imported non=indigenous fowl.chickens are amusing until they roost on your car and crap all over it. it eats the paint off if left on long.street lights cause them to crow every 45mins so they aren’t as popular with the locals as you would imagine.