The Aleutian Kayak

THE ALEUTIAN KAYAK

Published by Ragged Mountain Press, 1995. ISBN 0-07-007893-9

(To order book from Amazon.com, click on cover photo!)

The very word 'baidarka' rolls sonorously off the tongue and sends shivers of anticipation down the spine of any kayak enthusiast. In fact it is a Russian word which simply means 'little boat'. The kayaks of the Aleutian Islands were called baidarkas.

Aleutian kayaks were quite different from the more familiar Greenland varieties upon which most mass-produced hard shell sea kayaks are based. Specifically, they had a bifurcated bow, lending a sharp cutwater to a bow form which still has considerable buoyancy. Like other kayaks they consist of a frame covered by a skin - originally seal, or walrus skin; but later of canvas and more recently of synthetic materials like nylon and polyester. No glue or nails is used in their construction - All parts are pegged and lashed together with thin cord.

Wolfgang Brick shows us, step by step, how to construct our own single-seat baidarka. There are no fixed dimensions for the craft - Rather the proportions are based on the body shape and preferences of the builder. The deck beams, for example are positioned so that the foot rest beam is in the right position for the paddler's toes, when (s)he is seated in the cockpit.

The author encourages the reader-builder to hone his woodworking skills by making an Aleut paddle, before starting on the kayak itself.

The construction of the kayak uses a combination of sawn timber - spruce or cedar - and bent ribs, using freshly harvested willow branches with the bark stripped off. Much of the timber can be found, with luck, in a building reclamation yard - so scavenging can help produce a frame for minimal cost.

For the lashings and skin, Brinck recommends natural materials, in keeping with the natural ribs. He goes so far as to show how the Aleuts carved symbols, such as a 'spirit line' on parts of the kayak which are normally hidden from view, signifying the mystical union between the craft, the man, and his prey. He also suggests staining the frame red, in the traditional way.

For would-be builders with a more modern viewpoint, Brinck shows how steamed frames can be made from oak, with synthetic materials for the skin.

I found the book inspirational - to the extent that my first baidarka is nearing completion as I write this. There's no other book available which shows, so clearly, how to go about building a baidarka in the traditional way.

In short - If you want to build an Aleutian kayak, you must have this book. - Bill Samson

Bill's work in progress as of 10-15-99 - Watch this space!

Baidarka Finished and Bill Enjoying in August 2000!

My friend BILL SAMSON in real life has been a higher education consultant with his Ph.D. degree in Astronomy, Masters in Computer Science and B.Sc. in Mathematics. Now, he's the Astronomer at Mills Observatory, Britains only full-time public observatory. He lives and works in Dundee, Scotland, a stones throw from the Tay River where he spends most of his spare time sailing his Bolger Chebacco "Sylvester", building boats, studying and thinking about all things nautical.

Wolfgang Brinck's

THE ALEUTIAN KAYAK