Re: [Paddlewise] baidarka bow styles

Before you can answer the question you must first settle the question  
"best for what?" What works for surfing down a wave may not be very  
good for maintaining control in a cross wind. The differences in the  
bows may not reflect an "improvement" in technology but may be an  
indication of a change in how the boats were used, or they could be a  
result of a change in aesthetic fashion  without really effecting the  
aspect of performance that was important to the Aleuts.

On Aug 5, 2007, at 11:49 PM, Paul Montgomery wrote:

> Sorry if this has been covered before, but I am curious as to which
> baidarka bow type is "best". Looking once again to Zimmerly's site
>
> http://www.arctickayaks.com/plans.htm
>
> there are the
> MAE593-76 - both pieces straight
> LM2-14886 - the upturned  fore piece
> Kodiak3-holeMAE536 - both upturned
>
> Perhaps Zimmerly covers this somewhere ( my copy of the book will be
> here later this week ).
>
> Apparently the first example ( both pieces straight ) fell out of
> style about 1850. So I assume that the others are technologically
> "more advanced". A change in style usually comes from new needs or
> perhaps different seas or even materials/tools.
>
> Does anyone here have hands on experience of what the differences are
> in the styles?

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
824 Thompson St
Glastonbury, CT 06033
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/
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