The challenge with fitting Greenland kayaks is that they need to be tight to perform properly, but they can’t be so tight that you risk getting trapped if you need to do a wet exit. (This wasn’t an issue for arctic kayak hunters because a wet exit in 33° water with bearskin pants on...
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West Greenland kayak build: Adding seating
Even when lengthened beyond their historic size, greenland kayak cockpits are notoriously tight. There’s also nothing for back support, but unfortunately adding a backband like I do in my modern designs creates an entrapment hazard. (Seriously, don’t put a backband in a traditional Greenland Kayak, you could die.) I’ve been experimenting with different solutions...
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Video: West Greenland kayak build: Lashing on the keel and stringers
After bending in the ribs I clamp the keel and stringers on as soon as possible to smooth out the shape while the ribs are still pliable. Next I attach the stringers with a continuous lashing of flat artificial sinew (waxed polyester). Continuous lashings and individual lashings were common on historic kayaks and any...
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Video: West Greenland kayak build: Bending in the ribs
I spent the first half of the day rechecking all of my measurements and carefully documenting the changes that I’ve made from the earlier version of this kayak. None of this is particularly challenging, I’m just notoriously error prone so checking my own work takes a lot longer than it should. After a sufficient...
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West Greenland kayak build: Bending test ribs
To determine the rib lengths for a new kayak replica I start by slicing up some 1/8 thick bending oak and then steam bend the thin strips under the keel by eye. The secret here is to just keep cutting and bending and not overthink things. The whole operation should take about 20 minutes....
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West Greenland kayak build: Setting the keel height
To set the keel height for the kayak replica, I start by noting the deck beam locations on the drawing, and then I measure the keel heights at those locations. Next I double check my sheer line and note any difference from the drawing so I remember to compensate for it if needed. I...
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West Greenland kayak build: Cutting tenons and pegging deck beams in place
Yesterday I laid out the deck beams, cut the tenons, and installed the deck beams. Traditionally these would have been through mortised and sometimes shouldered, sometimes not. I place the tenon in one quadrant of the deck beam because it’s easier to build this way and creates accurate shoulders that helps the gunwales hold...
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West Greenland kayak build: Setting up the deck and measuring the sheer
I started yesterday by setting deck up according to my existing plan set and then scaling from the drawing and building a whole new set of spreader forms. There were definitely some differences between the two but it’s been about 12 years since my initial replica and I can’t remember if those were actual...
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West Greenland kayak build: Laying out and mortising the gunwales
A little bit of progress on the West Greenland Kayak re-design. As usual most of what I do here is just staring at things like a bewildered monkey trying to anticipate and avoid all the ways I might be backing myself into a corner. This never actually works, but squinting at measuring devices and...
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Video: Some drone footage of the West Greenland hunting kayak + the question of modification
In preparation for re-shooting our West Greenland hunting kayak design video we spent a few days on the water with the Skydio2 drone. This original of this kayak was collected in 1931 in West Greenland and has a variety of features that make it unique for its type. The overall balance of ease of...
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My 14 year old West Greenland kayak replica and a brand new one built last week for a customer
My 14 year old West Greenland kayak replica and a brand new one built last week for a customer. Every few years I like to do a quick side-by-side test like this just to make sure there hasn’t been any design creep over the years. In my late 20s I fell in love with...
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Video: West Greenland Kayak build, Day 10: Paddling test
The actual maiden voyage of the kayak built in this series was posted at the beginning of the series so make sure to scroll back and check out that video. Filming conditions weren’t ideal that day though so I think I’ll conclude the series here with a re-edit of an older video of me...
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Video: West Greenland Kayak build, Day 9: Rigging the kayak
After waiting 24 to 48 hours for the coating to cure, I install the leather deck lines, toggles, rub strips, and seat mat. The deck lines are made of English bridle leather which is incredibly expensive but also tough enough to hold up for many years in a saltwater environment. In my opinion installing...
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Video: West Greenland Kayak Build, Day 8: Coating the kayak
As I mentioned at the end of the last post, traditional Greenland hunting kayaks were covered with 3-6 seal skins, a precise and arduous process done almost entirely by women. In addition to the painstakingly stitching, aged seal fat was rubbed on the seams to maintain waterproofness. The coating we use for our kayaks...
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Video: West Greenland Kayak build, Day 7: Dyeing the skin
I’ll keep today’s post short: I just put up a super detailed video on the Cape Falcon Kayak YouTube channel highlighting 3 different methods of adding color to a skin boat, the pros and cons of each system, including a deep dive into using acid dyes....