Port and starboard
Port is left in the direction of travel, starboard is right. On rivers people usually just say river left and river right.
Boat design and hull shapes
Bow, stern, rocker, freeboard, TwinTail or long tail: how a packraft is built and how its shape affects handling.
36 terms in this topic
All terms
Floor
The floor is the area between the tubes that you sit on. It is often made of thicker, more abrasion-resistant fabric than the tubes.
Bow
The bow is the front end of a boat. On packrafts it is usually raised so the boat rides over waves instead of diving in.
Cockpit
The cockpit is the seating area of the boat. On packrafts with a spray deck it is the opening you get in and out through.
DeckReady (Anfibio)
DeckReady is the name of versions of the Anfibio Delta MX and Sigma TX to which the removable UniDeck spray deck can be attached.
Manoeuvrability
A boat that turns easily can be spun around with a few strokes. That's an advantage in whitewater, but rather tiring on long distances.
Dropped floor
A dropped floor is a lowered floor: it hangs below the bottom edge of the tubes.
E-Deck and D-Deck (MRS)
The MRS Nomad comes with two deck options: the removable E-Deck with hook-and-loop strip and the D-Deck for occasional whitewater.
Fin (skeg)
A fin is a blade under the stern. It noticeably improves a packraft's tracking.
Fin mount (FinMount)
The fin mount is a glued-on or welded patch at the stern into which a fin is slid.
Freeboard
Freeboard is the distance between the waterline and the top edge of the boat. More freeboard means waves splash in less often.
Luggage on the bow
The packrafting classic: strap a backpack or dry bag across the bow. It even slightly improves tracking.
Grab loop
A grab loop is a sturdy loop on the boat for holding, carrying or attaching things.
Attachment points and tie-downs
Attachment points are loops glued or welded onto the boat. You use them to attach luggage, thigh straps, lines or spray decks.
Stern
The stern is the rear end of a boat. Packrafts come with round, extended (long tail) and notched sterns (TwinTail).
Interior length and width
The interior dimensions show how much room you really have in the boat. What matters most for fit is the interior length compared to your leg length.
Rocker
Rocker describes how much the floor rises towards bow and stern. Lots of rocker makes a boat agile, little rocker makes it track better.
Stability
Stability describes how reliably a boat stays upright. Thanks to their wide tubes, packrafts are very stable.
Late rise bow
Late rise bow is Alpacka's term for a bow that rises late, i.e. far forward.
Bailing
Bailing means getting water out of the boat. In packrafts without self-bailing you tip the boat out on land or soak it up with a sponge.
Drain holes
Drain holes are openings in the floor of a self-bailer through which water drains out.
Long tail (extended stern)
A long tail is an extended stern. It lengthens the waterline, making the boat faster and better at tracking.
Air chamber
An air chamber is a separately inflatable part of the boat. To save weight, many packrafts have only one.
Maximum paddler height
Manufacturers and retailers state up to which body height a packraft fits comfortably. Leg length is what counts.
Hull
The hull is the load-bearing body of the boat. On a packraft it consists of the air tubes and the floor.
Hull speed
Hull speed is the speed a displacement boat can reach with reasonable effort. It depends mainly on the length of the waterline.
Tube
The tube is the inflatable cylinder running around the boat that provides buoyancy.
Tube diameter
The thicker the tube, the more buoyancy and freeboard a packraft has and the stiffer it is.
Self-bailer
Instead of a spray deck, a self-bailer has drain holes in the floor and an inflatable floor mat. Water that splashes in drains out by itself.
Self-bailing systems compared
Self-bailers come in three designs: simple holes in the floor, holes with plugs to close them, and closable drain tubes such as Anfibio's VenturiTube.
Tracking
Tracking describes how well a boat goes straight without correction strokes. By nature, packrafts tend to turn easily.
Coaming
The coaming is the stiffened rim of the cockpit. The spray skirt is stretched over it.
Draught
Draught describes how deep a boat sits in the water. Packrafts draw only a few centimetres.
TwinTail (Anfibio)
The TwinTail™ is the distinctive double stern of the Anfibio Revo: a V-shaped notch borrowed from surfboards.
VenturiTube (Anfibio)
The VenturiTube is the closable drain tube of the Anfibio Revo. Turned outward, the boat self-bails; turned inward and rolled up, it's sealed.
Waterline
The waterline is where the water surface meets the boat. Its length largely determines how fast a boat can be.