Re: [Paddlewise] baidarka bow styles

As I understand it, the function of the lower bifid bow -- at least the
original straight version -- was to make the kayak faster, and the
function of the upper bifid bow was to help the kayak ride better over
waves. I've read that it is the only way make a concave bow on a SOF
kayak.

Please note that I have not read Marchant or done a mathematical analysis
of bifid bows and will not defend this theory to the death. It is just
something I have heard or read that makes at least some sense to me.

The bows of Greenland kayaks make them easier to paddle in brash ice and
to pull up onto ice floes, problems not normally faced by the Aleuts.

However, fashion did have a place in kayak construction. I seem to recall
that the kayak styles used in East Greenland changed around 1900 after the
East Greenlanders encountered Southwest Greenlanders paddling a different
style kayak. Whether it was because the new style was more efficient or
simply because it was different, I don't know.

Chuck Holst
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