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Kayak and Canoe Design Bulletin Board
Re: Inuit rules for kayak design.
Posted By: Christer Samuelsson In Response To: Re: Inuit rules for kayak design. (Nick Schade)
Date: Thursday, 21 October 1999, at 4:22 p.m.
> An interesting article. I can't agree with it completely. I do think
> believe that the developers of the kayak were keen observers of their
> environment and their boats and those observations likely lead to consious
> innovations in design. There is no reason to expect that a
> "primative" people are any different from us in this respect.
> However, their metric for measuring success was different from ours. A
> kayak was successful if it brought the hunter back alive. A
> "better" design was one that helped the hunter survive more
> successfully. This could be by defensive means, i.e. it kept him safer, or
> by offensive means, i.e. he was able to kill more game. The
> "best" kayak was the one that balanced those needs most
> successfully.> The author states: : "...And they were a family of vessels, not just
> a unique design copied : endlessly. Some forty different types have been
> classified, of two basic : kinds. Inland kayaks were used on rivers and
> lakes to pursue swimming : caribou. Speed was a prime consideration;
> caribou can swim at a rate of : five nautical miles an hour. That meant
> the desirable craft was long, : because a longer waterline makes for
> greater speed. In practice, Caribou : Eskimo kayaks were up to 30 feet
> long. They also had narrow rounded : bottoms, to reduce drag and increase
> maneuverability."> The fact that there were a lot of different kayak types does not indicate
> anything about how or why those different kayaks were developed. There are
> many different kayaks today. Are each of todays designs developed for
> completely different purposes or are some just stylistic differences.
> Different groups of kayakers have different styles of doing things, have
> different ideas about what looks nice, and want to set them selves apart
> in different ways. That does not mean that those difference are
> "scientific", they may just be different.> A 30 foot kayak is almost certainly slower than a 22' kayak. If the goal
> was speed they would not have made it so long. The goal must have been
> something else. A round bottomed kayak is usually less maneuverable than a
> flat bottomed one. If the goal was increased maneuverability, they would
> have done something else.> We really do not know what criteria the Inuits were seeking to optimize when they built their boats." so any speculation
> as to their reasons for making kayaks the way they did will always be
> speculation. It is fun to speculate, but it will only get you so far.> Through a variety of large innovations and subtle modifications, the
> original kayak builders developed an excellant class of boat. With a
> variety of large innovations and subtle modifications we can further
> develop the boats to better fit our needs.Ok. I fully agree,"We really do not know what criteria the Inuits were seeking to optimize when they built their boats." But one thing is for sure, it must have been for hunting. In the Inuit language qajaq does mean "a hunters boat" One other thing, is it realy important if the kayaks were developed by evolotion or science, we all love them dont we. Chris
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