Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program Kayaking Basics History Of Kayaking
There is magic in the feel of a paddle, a magic compounded of
distance, adventure, solitude and peace. The way of a kayak is the way
of the wilderness and a freedom almost forgotten. It is an antidote to
insecurity, the open doorway of ages past and a way of life with
profound and abiding satisfactions. When we are a part of our kayak, we
are a part of all that kayaks have ever known. -
The Singing Wilderness
Kayaks, the skin covered craft of the Arctic
peoples, are the result of generations of design improvements and
technological advances instigated by the need for an efficient vessel of
transport, food and fur harvesting and exploration. Geographical
boundaries, cultural needs and individual craftsmanship brought about
the creation of many different kayak designs, each unique to its own
native kayaking group. Archaeologists have found evidence indicating
kayaks to be at least 4000 years old. The oldest still existing kayaks
are exhibited in the North America department of the State Museum of
Ethnology in Munich.
Kayaks (Inuktitut: qajaq,
Inuktitut syllabics:
ᖃᔭᖅ)
were originally developed by indigenous people living in the Arctic
regions, who used the boats for hunting and fishing expeditions on
inland lakes, rivers and the coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean, North
Atlantic, Bering Sea and North Pacific oceans. These first kayaks were
constructed from stitched animal skins such as seal stretched over a
wooden frame made from collected driftwood, as many of the areas of
their construction were treeless. They included a small hole in the
middle craft for the user to sit in so that its user could sit in the
hole because the kayak was originally made for the purpose of hunting or
fishing for food. These early kayaks varied greatly in design from
region to region. In the modern context, the potential of kayaking as a recreational sport was first provoked by the writings and thoughts of John MacGregor, whose detailed sketchings of the early Inuit canoes as well as kayaks were a huge rage with most dedicated kayak enthusiasts. MacGregor designed the Rob Roy in 1845, a canoe he based off sketchings of Inuit canoes and kayaks. MacGregor later formed the Canoe Club in 1866 with other canoe and kayak enthusiasts, and they brought about competitive canoeing with their first regatta in 1873.
Kayaking became a part of the Olympics in 1936, with
the introduction of four events, the single and pairs 1,000 meter and
10,000 meter race. Later, the white-water race and slalom events were
added to the Olympics also.
Kayaks – The Original Design The original design of the first kayaks was to build
a wooden frame and to have it covered with sealed animal skins.
Many of the first kayaks were made of driftwood as there were no
trees in the areas that they were first made.
The skin that was traditionally used was that of a seal as they
were plentiful in the area at the time.
The original craft was made by its user with the assistance of
his wife who would help by making the insert to create the watertight
seal around the insert so as to allow for easier rolls out of capsizing
with your craft.
The early kayaks varied from region to region in the designs, shapes and materials that were used to create it. For example, a kayak from the area of Bering Strait looked wide and short but came with a sufficiently large storage capacity. This kayak was easy to use and stable as well. Most of the kayaks that were made in the early days used wooden frames till the European settlers came and then fiberglass got introduced and later, plastic kayak came into use. The current kayak designs concentrate on being sturdy as well as lightweight.
So How Were Kayaks Made? Driftwood would be collected from beaches. The wood
would them be formed using the tools that were available at the time.
Iron is not found in the Arctic, and was introduced when trading began
with the western cultures. Obsidian or flint was fashioned into
necessary tools. The wood used for the frames was typically fir, pine,
spruce and willow. The addition of iron based tools did decrease the
amount of time spent building a kayak since iron does not dull as
quickly as traditional materials. Historians are not in agreement as to
whether iron improved the quality of the kayak or not. The wife would sew seal skins together to be
stretched over the wooden frame that was made by the male. The most
typical skin used was from the bearded seal but some groups did use the
sea lion, caribou and walrus skins. The hair was removed from the skins
and the skins were them treated with oil for waterproofness. Oil
typically had to be applied every 4-8 days depending on the skin used.
Care was taken that when a boat was in daily use, that it was removed
from the water and allowed to dry once a day. Sinew was then used to
lash the frame and sew the skins. The seam on the skins was waterproof
because the stitches did not completely pass through the skin. The wife would then make an insert that would fit
over the cockpit to keep the craft water tight as many of the Arctic
people were unable to swim. This is where the term Eskimo roll comes
from. The special skin jacket, Tuilik, was laced to the
kayak, creating a waterproof seal. This Tuilik made the eskimo roll the
preferred method of regaining posture after turning upside down (from
the kayaking point of view, it’s not a capsize until you come out of the
boat), especially as few Eskimos could swim; their waters are too cold
for a swimmer to survive for very long. The modern version of a tuilik
is a spraydeck made of waterproof synthetic stretchy enough to fit
tightly around the cockpit rim and body of the kayaker, which can
however be released rapidly from the cockpit to permit easy exit from
the boat. These skin-covered Arctic kayaks reflect the experimental nature of its people and the detailing of craftsmanship that made each of the earliest kayak designs look rare and unique. The best thing about the Arctic kayak craft was that the craftsmen did a great designing job using very limited materials.
Two Types Of Early Kayaks
The Baidarka
Baidarka refers to the double and triple cockpit
kayaks developed by the Alaskan Aleut. It was used for hunting and
transporting those unable to paddle. The triple baidarkas are considered
to have appeared after the Europeans arrived, and it is thought that the
Russians forced the Aleut to make a third hole in order to travel along
with them and not have to paddle. The triples were also used to
transport missionaries.
The Umiak
Baidarka refers to the double and triple cockpit
kayaks developed by the Alaskan Aleut. It was used for hunting and
transporting those unable to paddle. The triple baidarkas are considered
to have appeared after the Europeans arrived, and it is thought that the
Russians forced the Aleut to make a third hole in order to travel along
with them and not have to paddle. The triples were also used to
transport missionaries.
Some groups lived nomadically in order to follow animal migrations. In these groups the umiak was used primarily for transporting household goods, children, elderly and those unable to paddle a kayak. The women of the village would paddle the umiak since the men were paddling their kayaks. In other groups the umiak was used for hunting walrus and whale, and was paddled by both men and women during these hunts
Traditional Kayak Designs Traditional kayaks encompass three types of boat:
How The Designs Have Progressed As the kayaks have aged, so have their manufacturing
methods. No longer do you
go and make your own kayak.
You now go and purchase one that is made of primarily manmade materials.
It began with wooden and fabric over a wooden frame design kayaks
that were made primarily through the 1950’s.
It then progressed to include the fiberglass more durable kayaks
through the 70’s. Now
kayaks are made primarily of a durable yet flexible plastic which is
still the primary design of today.
Kayak Materials The materials that have been used to make a kayak
have changed significantly with the years. Many early kayaks used wooden
frames covered in skin for their materials. Contemporary kayaks trace
their origins primarily to the native boats of Alaska, northern Canada,
and Southwest Greenland. The materials that have been used to make a kayak
have changed significantly with the years. Many early kayaks used wooden
frames covered in skin for their materials. Contemporary kayaks trace
their origins primarily to the native boats of Alaska, northern Canada,
and Southwest Greenland. However, with the kayaks adoption by European
settlers, wooden kayaks and fabric kayaks on wooden frames dominated the
market up until 1950s, when fiberglass boats were first introduced Rotomolded plastic kayaks first appeared in 1973 and then in 1984, the first plastic kayak was made. The development of plastic kayaks arguably initiated the developed of freestyle kayaking as we see it today, since plastic boats could be made smaller, stronger and more resilient than those made of other materials. At present, kayaks are sturdy, light, and very versatile.
The Use Of Kayaks - Very Little Has Changed For
Some True, in many first world countries people kayak for
purely recreational purposes such as relaxation, exploration, adventure,
fishing, and camping. And still, others kayak solely for competitive
purposes. But for much of the world, paddling a kayak is still a matter
of necessity. Many cultures are still reliant on kayaks for
transportation, for fishing, and even for farming
In Summary The kayak has an aspect that has held timeless
appeal ever since early man began hunting prey for basis food as
sustenance. Battling weather conditions and other limitations, kayak
became a superior way of transportation for early man because it enabled
man to think on a broader level as well. Many changes have been made from the first kayaks.
First of all most people do not make their own as they are usually
purchased and are in most cases mass manufactured. There are also the
actual materials that were used in the making of the kayak as well. In
most cases animal skins are not used at all as these have been replaced
with more durable manmade materials. As well there are many more
purposes and designs behind the kayak. Each design is now specialized to
get more interest into specific markets as well as to boost sales of the
many different styles. So as times have progressed so have kayaks. They originally were a single purpose craft which has been turned into an extreme sport and leisure activity and any other type of water adventure that one can imagine in a man powered craft. Just like everything else as times change the kayak will as well.
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