Label the Parts to a Kayak – Worksheet With a Key

All 14 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 6 main parts 6

Bow The front of the kayak.
Stern The rear of the kayak.
Deck The top side of the kayak. It covers the boat round the cockpit.
Hull The bottom side of the kayak, the part in the water.
Cockpit The opening where the paddler sits. Smaller cockpits fit more snugly; larger ones are easier to get in and out of.
Seat Where the paddler sits. A low back band or a taller backrest supports the back.

Deck fittings and inside: 8 8

Coaming (cockpit rim) The raised rim round the cockpit. A spray skirt fits here to keep water out.
Hatches Openings in the deck, with covers, into the dry storage compartments.
Deck lines Ropes rigged round the edge of the deck. You hold on to them during a rescue.
Deck elastics (bungees) Thin bungee cords on the deck. They hold a map, a water bottle or other gear.
End toggles Handles on short cords at each end. They are for holding on to in the water or carrying the kayak.
Bulkheads Walls inside the kayak that seal off the cockpit. They make dry storage and add buoyancy.
Foot braces Foot rests or pegs to push against. They help you sit upright and pass power from the paddle to the boat.
Skeg A fin that drops from a slot under the stern. It helps the kayak run straight.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) Paddling Magazine, Parts of a kayak, https://paddlingmag.com/boats/kayaks/parts-of-a-kayak/ : bow, stern, deck, hull, chine, keel, rocker, deck fittings, carry handles, deck elastics, seat and backrests, foot rests (foot braces, foot pegs), cockpit, cockpit coaming (rim, for a sprayskirt), bulkhead foot brace, hip pads, end toggles, deck lines (for rescues), retractable skeg (a fin in a slot under the stern), skeg slider, rudder, backband, bulkheads (buoyancy and dry storage), hatches (access to the dry compartments). (2) Wikipedia, Kayak, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayak : an enclosed deck with one or more cockpits; a spray deck over the cockpit; the coaming rim; bulkheads in modern sea kayaks; thigh braces. (3) Wikipedia, Sea kayak, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_kayak : rudders or skegs; skegs as retractable blades dropping from a well in the stern. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

To label the parts of a kayak, write each name on its numbered line. Fourteen numbers mark a sea kayak drawn twice: from above, bow at the left, and from the side, cut open to show what is inside.

Read the full guide

Kayak worksheet word bank

In alphabetical order, to copy onto the board: bow, bulkheads, coaming, cockpit, deck, deck elastics, deck lines, end toggles, foot braces, hatches, hull, seat, skeg, stern.

Kayak parts that get swapped

The deck is the whole top side and the hull the bottom shell, so one is numbered on each drawing. The cockpit is the opening; the coaming is the raised rim round it. Deck lines are the ropes round the edge of the deck, and deck elastics are the crossed cords in front of the cockpit. The bow is the front end and the stern the back.

One number stands for both hatches, one for both bulkheads and one for both end toggles.

Questions and answers

How many people can sit in a kayak?

A traditional kayak has one or more cockpits, and each cockpit seats one paddler. The kayak on this worksheet has one.

Where do the deck and hull of a kayak meet?

Along the side. On a fiberglass kayak the hull and deck are often built apart, then joined along a horizontal seam. A kayak molded from plastic is seamless.

Do all kayaks have a cockpit?

No. A sit-on-top kayak has none: the paddler sits on top of an open deck. The kayak on this worksheet is the sit-inside kind, with an enclosed deck.

How many bulkheads does a kayak have?

Most sea kayaks today have at least two. The one on this worksheet has two, with the cockpit between them.