[Paddlewise] Greenland Kayak

Re: Greenland Kayak

To Doug Lloyd -
I've got Cunningham's "Building the Greenland Kayak", along with several other
books on the subject, and have built 7 SOF kayaks.  You're in for a fun and
rewarding project.

George Dyson's "Baidarka" is another outstanding book, but hard to find, since
it is out of print.  You might be able to do as I did - order a used book
through Amazon.com.  Dyson goes into the history of SOF kayaks, which I found
to be very interesting, since, after all, SOF's were the foundation of this
sport that we are all involved in.  Dyson melded the ancient SOF designs with
modern materials, actually building a huge baidarka (if I recall correctly, I
think it was 42 feet long, and had holes for 6 paddlers?) using aircraft
aluminum and nylon fabric.  There is another builder now, named Tom Yost,
whose name is associated (for many people) with similarly styled kayaks.  You
can see his excellent website at www.yostwerks.com.

Another interesting book is Robert Morris' "Building Skin-on-Frame Boats".  I
chose a "retrieval kayak" for my first SOF.  It's an interesting little kayak
- a 10 footer, whose dimensions were taken from a kayak that is in the
University Museum at the University of Pennsylvania.  These little kayaks were
used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after the introduction of
firearms changed the hunting methods for some of the northern peoples.

After building my first one, and marvelling at the amazing maneuverability
(and how much FUN it was to paddle), I decided to change the design a bit, and
make it more of a "surfing kayak".  The length & width are similar to the
museum specimen, but I flattened the bottom of the hull under the cockpit &
added the blunt bow and stern that Morris put on his "recovery kayak".  This
thing is a BLAST to paddle.  You can actually turn the boat 180 degrees inside
of its own length, yet, if you keep a steady cadence with your paddle strokes,
you can easily maintain a steady heading.  I call mine "Toibote" (say it 3
times, fast!).

The SOF kayaks that I have been designing and building are a lot closer to
George Dyson or Tom Yost's style of building, than to Cunningham or Morris's
more traditional approach.  I am using my CNC machine to produce "stations"
from plywood, which take the place of the shaped ribs in the traditional
boats.  Also, rather than lashing the stringers to the ribs, I am gluing them,
and pegging the gunwales to the stations.  I have pictures of 3 of my designs,
along with an explanation of my ongoing project, at www.toibote.com.  If you
find my project interesting, be sure to click the e-mail link, and I'll add
you to my mailing list for updates.

Mark Goff mentioned something about Cunningham's seams at the gunwales - I
have to agree on that point - that could scrape your knuckles badly.  It's
just as easy to put the seam on the center of the deck (maybe even easier - 1
seam!), so why not?

If you want a quick, cheap, and easy skin for your kayak, go to Walmart's
fabric/crafts department & buy their heavy duty window vinyl (get the heaviest
- the orange label is 18 guage).  Rochford Supply (www.rochfordsupply.com)
sells a solvent and adhesive for vinyl that is heat activated - use a hot air
gun, or even a hair blower at the hot setting.  The product is called HH-66.
I use it for all of my prototypes, and have paddled many miles in my
see-through kayaks.  It's also GREAT for making dry bags, and floatation bags.
The vinyl isn't very good with oysters, barnacles, and sharp sticks, though,
so I carry a roll of (clear) duct tape whenever I paddle.  The nylon or
polyester skins are much more practical.  I tried the cotton duck fabric skin
that many people recommend, and it's really not as good as the vinyl - it rips
when it gets a hole.

I hope this info helps.  Have fun!

Don McCumber
Lehigh Acres, FL
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