A cold water vessel (5)
I believe the answer is:
kayak
'vessel' is the definition.
(kayak is a kind of vessel)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for kayak that I've seen before include "Type of canoe" , "Small canoe - a palindrome" , "A small covered canoe" , "Boat used by 23 Across" , "Inuit craft" .)