The Kayak [kahy-ak] was the brainchild of people indigenous to the arctic regions of the world. The boats were used to hunt and fish the inland waterways of the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. They were built of stick frames covered with animal skins such as seal. Evidence has been uncovered by archeologists dating back some 4,000 years.
The meaning of ?Kayak? simply means ?man?s boat? or ?hunters? boat? and was a very personal craft built only by the individuals that would use them, often employing the services of the wife to sew the skins together allowing for a water tight skin. A need for a jacket called a Tuilik was laced to the rim of the cockpit gave the advantage of an enclosed craft which when utilizing what is known as the Eskimo barrel roll, would make the kayak almost unsinkable. The kayak, in almost every instance was custom built by using the individuals own measurements, to ensure the most efficient boat available. They were typically 3 times the arm span in length, only as deep as a fist with an outstretched thumb. The cockpit was no wider than the hips plus a clenched fist.
The first three types of kayaks were traditionally known as; Baidarkas from the Alaskan and Aleutian seas, whose rounded shape gave an almost Blimp like appearance. West Greenland kayaks, were more angular in shape, with the gunwales coming up to a point at both the bow and stern and the East Greenland kayak that had a similar appearance to the West Greenland style, but fit more snuggly to the paddler providing a much steeper angle, stem to stern providing optimum maneuverability.
Some of these same kayak building methods are still being used by natives of Greenland, known as the Inuit, today. The kayak still proves to be a viable means of transportation and a valuable tool in there day to day hunting and fishing.
Related posts:
- Kayak Design [caption id="attachment_23" align="alignnone" width="202" caption="Kayak Design"][/caption] Kayaks? of today cover...