Physics of Whitewater Kayaking

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The Boof

Boof is not only a fun word to say, but it is also a technique that is necessary for upper level kayaking. As discussed in the freshwater section, holes and waves can be very dangerous if caught in upside down, but these features are also unavoidable on the river and are the reason paddlers spend thousands of dollars on equipment. Whitewater kayaks have a very flat or rockered bottom. This allows the kayak to plane over turbulent water without betting pulled or thrown off course. But once the bow of the boat submerges in the water it can be flipped and sucked into a hole.


The point of a boof is to launch the boat off of the lip of a feature so the hull lands flat on either the boiling point, or even past it. This puts the paddler in a good body position to keep paddling forward and away from the hydraulic jump. Boofs can be used on waterfalls as well as holes. The idea of a boof can also be used to go over waves in a wave that the wave doesn't crash over the front deck of boat and into the paddlers chest, although waves hitting you in the chest is a lot of fun, it can be dangerous if the waves are large enough to slow or stop your progress downriver.

This is a great example of a boof off a fall. The paddler uses his paddle to push himself off the lip of the fall and project himself past the aerated water directly underneath.
Projectile motion is a calculation all kayakers must make when approaching the lip of a drop. Sometimes the drop is too big to boof. In these cases the paddlers wants to enter the foam pile at the bottom of the fall with their boat straight up and down. this allows them to pierce the water and reduce impact.