> In addition to kayaks, the ancient Irish and Welsh made boats called
> coracles. You might find more on those in an encyclopedia. George Putz
> mentions them in his book. As I recall, according to Putz, these were
> replaced by boats covered with fabric, which was covered with tar or
> pitch. He has a picture of a contemporary craft that is covered n this
> fashion.

> Sails tend to be well above the water. The leather may get wet, but it is
> not constantly submerged. Comparing that to a hull is probably not a good
> idea.

> I thought the leather on oars was for where they fit against the oarlocks.
> That area would be heavily greased or oiled, to keep the leather parts
> from squeaking as you rowed.

> You would have a pretty heavy boat, but it might be popular with (and
> maybe even be sponsored by) the local cattle ranchers, slaughterhouses,
> packing plants, and/or tanneries. Maybe you could name the boat: Surf and
> Turf Special

> I believe there is an oil tanning process which makes the leather much
> more flexible and ater resistant than conventionally tanned hides. You
> would want to soak the leather with silicone or oil (neat's foot oil, or
> even motor oil) to protect it from cracking with absorbtion of water,and
> subsequent drying. Good luck waterproofing the seams.

> Given the lack of oak trees in the arctic, I doubt that the natives ever
> really tanned the hides that were used for their boats. I've seen
> pictures, though, of the women chewing the hides so they could soften them
> before using them for garments. Before you go this route, ask yourself:
> Can I eat an entire cow? How good are my teeth?

> Well, ya build with what ya got.

> You might get a piece of leather and see if you can reinforce it with
> fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. I suppose you could use strips of
> leather 3 to 4 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick (Sole leather for shoes is
> this wide and thick)in the same fashion as cedar strips and assemble them
> onto the same manner of frames. Since the leather is more flexible than
> wood strips, you might put the pieces on wet, and let them harden into
> shape. Shaping the fit of pieces could be done with a sharp knife. Instead
> of staples, if you wanted, you could stitch the pieces together, or edge
> glue them with crazy glue.

> You could make long strips with scarf joints of the same shape as those
> for cedar strips. I'd suggest a leather craft glue I've used called
> Barges. It works as a contact cement. YOu can cut the scarf joints with a
> knife. apply the glue, let it dry, then assemble the pieces, and whack
> them with a hammer or mallet to ensure a good bond. Due to the flexibility
> of the material a perfect cut on the joint is not necessary. You should
> not need to sand the outside,(hair side) and finishing the suede side
> (inside) might be best donw by sanding that side gently while the leather
> is still a strip.

> When the entire hull or deck is dry you could cover the whole thing with
> glass cloth and resin. This would definitely be a unique boat. Do some
> test pieces before you spend too much time on this, tho.

> By the way. If you have a cow you need to convert into one more hide, I
> suggest a barbeque. Be sure to invite us all for the food. I'm sure we
> would be happy to eat those steaks and ribs, and leave you the hide.

> Best of luck.

> Paul Jacobson