Cayuco racing is the activity of paddling a canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip), sport, or transportation.
It usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel a canoe with only human muscle power.
A cayuco is propelled using a paddle with one blade where the paddler sits with their legs in front of them, whereas canoes are propelled using single- or double-bladed paddles where the paddler is kneeling or sitting.
Cayuco in Puerto Rico is an idiomatic expression for something that is difficult, a situation that is very tough to face or a problem too hard to untangle.
In the Republic of Panama, a cayuco is a vessel carved from the trunk of a tree, used mainly, but not exclusively by the indigenous people of the country.