Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 623.829
EAN num: 9780070078932
ISBN number: 0070078939
Label: Ragged Mountain Press
Manufacturer: Ragged Mountain Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 176
Printing Date: April 01, 1995
Publishing house: Ragged Mountain Press
Sale Popularity Level: 459760
Studio: Ragged Mountain Press
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Product Description:
For true traditionalists, here are the very first complete plans and detailed building instructions for authentic Aleutian Kyak--the ancient voyaging and hunting craft of the nomadic Unangan of Alaska. Based on originals in museums in Oregon and California, these lightweight (35 Pounds, 17 feet long) skin-on-frame sea kayaks can be built to fit the owner's exact dimensions, using simple hand tools and readily obtainable materials, for less than $200, including paddles, spray skirt, and traditional paddling jacket. Known as Baidarkas among the Russian settlers of Alaska, these unique native American craft evolved over centuries to carry heavy loads swiftly over long distances in wind and wave--ideal for modern sea kayakers looking for an alternative to plastic replicas of short-range Greenland-style boats.
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Rated by buyers 
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Within this book you will find the procedures for building a kayak in the traditional manner...but with a modern twist! I doubt you will use seal-hide for the exterior, but the ancient method of constructing the hull is well portrayed within these pages. As an amateur boat-builder, particularly of kayaks and sailboats, I found this book to be a unique gem among many similar titles.
I have always admired the ingenious craftsmanship of the Inuit people, and other dwellers of the Arctic and Tundra regions. Surviving in the most savage climate on Earth, they developed a unique and complex culture. Those people who live in such challenging environments invariably possess the sharpest wit for improvisation with limited resources.
A book of fourteen chapters, you will find within a narrative of the history of Inuit boat-building, detailed instruction of construction: tools and materials to make a modern re-creation, and all pertainent accessories: paddles, spray-skirt, paddling-jacket, and even some modern innovations: a rudder and sail. In general, the hull is built from a fibre frame fastened together by string lashings, covered by a canvas skin. The end result: a traditional kayak, from mostly modern materials, (unless you really want to use seal-skin to cover the frame).
Rated by buyers -
Having built the boat in this book was a profound experiance for me. I now understand the workings of a kayak more intimatly and will never look at a plastic, fiberglass, kevlar or even plywood kayak the same. There were one or two times in the building of this boat that were frustrating, but I just stepped back took a day or so off, thought about it and worked my way through it. Mr. Brinck's instructions were as good as you can get, trying to explain as complex a project as this. His spiritual insights in the text were quite insprirational. I love my boat...it paddles wonderfully...and I am now a boat builder for life!
Rated by buyers -
I just finished building a traditional west greenland sea kayak. I can't wait to move on and build a baidarka. This book is an important guide for the traditional construction of an Aleutian Baidarka. This is an awesome book for anyone interested in building an authentic Aleutian Baidarka whether they have experience working with fibre or not. I highly recommend it!
Rated by buyers -
This book helped me build a spectacular kayak. Beware, it can change your life. I am now a boatbuilder. Brinck's traditional methods are inspirational. The text left me with a few questions, but most of them were solved with re-reading, walking around the project a few times, or finding the Baidarka listserv on the net. Again, beware! If you buy this book you may spend the subsequent six months in your garage.
Rated by buyers 
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I've just completed a canvas covered Greenland kayak using G. Putz book, and I picked this one up along the way. Of four paperback books by the same publisher, this one is the least useful. There's a lot to be said about attempting to replicate native boat-building - and the author deserves praise for his research and efforts. However, I have trouble understanding why you would make a canvas covered boat on a frame that can't possibly be as good as an Aleutian's work when you exert just as much effort in a similar boat with a western frame. It seems to me also that this particular boat is a first-time effort by the author and there are things about it that make it seem unstable and uneven. The hull dimensions, for example, are not exact which can make a tippy boat or one that drags to one side. For a canvas covered boat I would strongly recommend G. Putz's book or for a strip boat, Mr. Shade's. Both individuals have built many many boats and their narratives are much more detailed.
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