Outrigger is a term that refers to two kinds of boating devices and to the boats that use them. In the Indian and Pacific oceans, an outrigger is a float attached to certain rowing and sailing canoes. The canoes are also called outriggers. The float is a long log that runs parallel to the boat and is linked to it by a frame. The float acts as a counterbalance, or secondary hull, to prevent the canoe from tipping over. A canoe that has two floats, one on each side, is called a double outrigger.
In the United States, the term outrigger refers to brackets that extend from the sides of certain small, narrow racing boats called shells. The brackets support the oars. The rowing boats that have such brackets are sometimes called outriggers.
