1999
Boof Is What?
By Tom Kysilko
I've been researching the meaning of the word "boof" lately. The main MCA use I hear has to do with the stunt Drigot and Moore pulled up at the Kettle (being pushed off a 15 foot ledge). I put the question to a group of linguists, some of who are also paddlers. Here's what I got back.
Hi Tom,Boof refers to a technical maneuver in kayaking that is similar to an eddy turn (turning into an eddy behind a rock.) It is usually used on tight technical rapids where there is not enough room, or too large of a drop before the eddy in which to turn a boat for a normal eddy turn. Instead, one approaches the eddy almost as normal, but actually hits the rock above the eddy with the bow of the boat and completes the eddy turn partially airborne while dropping into the eddy. When you do this properly, there is a distinct "boof "sound. My guess is that the maneuver (and the word) originated in the eastern US (W.Va., PA, D.C. area), where the rivers are particularly suited to this move. It is often used as a verb too. The particular quote on my web page is from John Weld, a notable paddler living in Confluence PA.
Bryan Lewis
BOOF:The term "boof" is not in Publications of the American Dialect Society (PADS) number 51, April 1969, pp. 1-12, "Terms used in whitewater kayaking in Colorado" by Johnnye Akin and T. S. Goltry. "Boof" is also not in Whitewater Rafting by William McGinnis, Whitewater Canoeing (1976) by William O. Sundreuter, The Whitewater Sourcebook (1989) by Richard Penny, Whitewater Rafting Manual (1994) by Jimmie Johnson, and Whitewater Rafting (1995) by Cecil Kuhne. Each of these books-except Sourcebook-has a glossary.
This is from the glossary in Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide: The Best Whitewater Runs In New England and NewYork-Novice To Expert (1998) by Bruce Lessels, Appalachian Mountain Club 3rd edition, pg. 369: BOOF-A technique used to run a steep drop that may be shallow at the base. By leaning back and running the drop at an angle, the boater can land flat on the hull with a resounding "BOOF!" and avoid pitoning on the rocks at the bottom. Boofing drops higher than about 10 feet can be hazardous to your spine.
Barry Popik
Tom,My whitewater experience is somewhat limited geographically, but I have heard the term "boof" both here on Vancouver Island in western Canada and in the Pacific Northwest (Washington & Oregon). My kayaking friends have come up with various definitions of boof. The following is sort of a synthesis of some of them.
Boofing is a whitewater paddling maneuver for going over drops whereby the paddler jumps over water hazards known as holes at the bottom. The two main components are acceleration and a flat landing. One can boof a waterfall in a direct fashion by speeding up and controlling the angle of the boat so that it lands flat downstream, beyond the hole created by the waterfall. One can also boof a rock in order to get a better line, which entails bouncing off a low rock just before going over the drop. Again, the objective is a flat landing beyond the water hazard. Such a rock is often called a "boof rock".
Tom Hukari
If any of you have anything definitive you could point to, I'd love to hear about it.
TIA and may the boof be with you!
