Kayaks: Skin Boats in Transit

February-March 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Wendell Phillips

Wendell’s latest jigsaw puzzle

Greenland skin kayaks when built anthropometrically, can be a very tight fit and seriously narrow by contemporary standards. My own construction efforts have resulted in boats 17 inches wide which require a bit of wiggling to gain entry.

My most ambitious skin boat project to date is building a Greenland kayak with fellow skin boater, Phil Soichuk. This boat is to fly with me this winter to Asia, where I work as a kayak guide and instructor, and be reassembled there.

In preparation, I have cut all longitudinal pieces (gunwales, keelson and chine stringers) to produce scarf joints which will be connected and aligned with dowels and glue. The rest of the 16.5 foot kayak will be lashed together and have replica joinery (mortise and tenon).

The skin, a number ten duck canvas with a tight strong weave, will be sewn on overseas with unwaxed dental floss. Several layers of oil based house paint will be applied for waterproofing. The number of pieces to transport comes to 54 not including dowling and required tools.

While building at home with band saws and cordless drills, my mind often conjures up images of generations of Greenlanders using only traditional tools. Implements that we would define as crude such as their Ulimaat (adze), savik (knife), Kaataq (hammer) and the niggit (drill) were sometimes utilized in dreadful conditions. As my wife Nancy graciously delivers hot chocolate and biscuits to my heated wood shop, I have found it helpful to think of the adversity and challenges they faced.