At 3:21 PM -0700 7/24/98, K. Whilden wrote: > >I think too little importance is placed on trial and error in kayak and >paddle design. Eskimos spent generation after generation of trial and >error in kayak and paddle design, and for them it was more than a hobby, >it was their livelihood. As far as I know, no current designer can >accurately predict all handling characteristics of a kayak with computer >programs alone. Current designers spend plenty of time testing their boats >on the water too. Not too many quantifiable facts there... > I think too much emphasis is placed on the experience of the Eskimos. Before you get too mad, I do think they did an excellent job evolving what is very likely the best boat and paddle for their purposes. However, they were living with a very different set of circumstances than the modern paddler. They were a stone age culture (accept for the last century or less), they lived where no trees grew and wood was very valuable. This is not to mention they were hunting, had gods to pacify and women to impress, paddled through pack-ice and ice flows, went out in all kinds of weather, etc. The Inuits needed a paddle that could be made with a sharpened rock, from a very limited resource, which had to survive hard use without breaking, could be used for silent stalking of prey and put aside while grabbing a spear, all while providing reasonable efficient propulsion. It is quite possible that they were willing to sacrifice propulsion efficiency in order to improve some other aspect of their needs. For example some people now like take-apart paddles even though they are heavier than one-piece. The ease of storage is worth the added weight. Others like green even though blue is obviously the superior color. Just because a tool was very efficient in meeting the varied needs of a subsistance hunter does not indicate much about its suitability for any other purpose. The characteristics useful to the modern paddler are different from the original Inuit. It is only logical that the tools used now are different. Modern modeling techniques may not be complete, but does not mean they should be discounted. Trial and error will always be an important part of kayak and paddle design, however since the kayak is a highly evolved design, the difference between one trial and another error is getting more difficult to quanitify by going out for a paddle. This is where modern analysis techniques are useful. Just because people want to use those tools does not mean they think the Eskimos were wrong, only that there may still be room for small improvements. If they try and find that the Eskimos had in fact developed the ultimate boat or paddle, it will be modern techniques that show it. Until that happens they won't take someone elses word for it. Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks c/o Newfound Woodworks, 67 Danforth Brook Rd, Bristol, NH 03222 (603) 744-6872 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Jul 24 1998 - 17:15:42 PDT
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