The Aleutian Kayak: Origins, Construction, and Use of the Traditional Seagoing Baidarka [Paperback]

Wolfgang Brinck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

This book offers the complete plans and detailed building instructions for an authentic Aleutian Kayak - the ancient voyaging and hunting craft of the nomadic Unangan of Alaska. Plans based on originals in museums in Oregon and California are included. Kayaks can be built to fit owner's exact dimensions using simple hand tools and readily-obtainable materials.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... the first-time builder will have little trouble making his or her boat... This is a book for those whose love of things natural has made them long for a change from the perfect glossy sameness of the mass-produced boats." -- Atlantic Coastal Kayaker

"Descriptions are clear, the photos illustrate the finer points, and the drawings offer helpful hints." -- Canoe & Kayak

"When I build my [baidarka], Wolfgang Brinck's book will be on my workbench." -- Cunningham, Chris, Sea Kayaker

From the Back Cover

Whether you're a hard-shell kayaker looking for an inexpensive, seakindly alternative, or a tradition-minded sea kayaker attracted to the look and feel of organic boats, this book's for you.

Skin-and-frame baidarkas have been used as hunting craft in the Aleutian Islands for thousands of years, their elegant yet simple design allowing hunters to take extended offshore voyages in treacherous waters. The light baidarka--a 17-footer weighs just 35 pounds--is a great cruising boat, with lots of space for gear and a forgiving hull shape that's easy to build.

The Aleutian Kayak tells you everything you need to know to build an authentic baidarka in your basement or garage for $200, a fraction of what it would cost to buy an assembly-line plastic boat.

You don't need woodworking experience or an elaborate tool collection. If you can learn to use a handsaw, a block plane, and a drill, you can build a baidarka. And you don't need exotic materials. Author Wolfgang Brinck has used scrap lumber from home remodeling projects for the deck beams of his last few boats.

Here are clear, step-by-step, extensively illustrated instructions to guide you through the process--from buying materials, tailoring the boat to fit your body, building the frame and deck, and sewing the skin. You'll also find instructions on building a paddle, sewing your own paddling jacket and spray skirt, making repairs, and using you baidarka.

"This is a book for those whose love of things natural has made them long for a change from the perfect glossy sameness of the mass-produced boat."--Atlantic Coastal Kayaker

When I build my (baidarka), Wolfgang Brinck's book will be on the workbench."--Christopher Cunningham, Editor, Sea Kayaker

"Nature failed to provide [the Aleuts] with the material necessary for boats, that is, wood; but on the other hand, as if in compensation, she gave them greater ingenuity for the perfection of a special new kind of fleet: the baidarka."--Ivan Veniaminov, 1840

" . . . The baidarka has survived intact across oceans, cultural boundaries, and time. Those who choose to build these craft today, whether for six weeks or for a lifetime, join in a collective journey whose beginnings as an interglacial experiment remain as mysterious as the origins of human intelligence itself."--from the Foreword by George B. Dyson, Author, Baidarka

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Ragged Mountain Press (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070078939
• ISBN-13: 978-0070078932
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,253,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships > Boat Building

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a profound experiance, April 11, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Aleutian Kayak: Origins, Construction, and Use of the Traditional Seagoing Baidarka (Paperback)

Having built the boat in this book was a profound experiance for me. I now understand the workings of a kayak more intimatly and will never look at a plastic, fiberglass, kevlar or even plywood kayak the same. There were one or two times in the building of this boat that were frustrating, but I just stepped back took a day or so off, thought about it and worked my way through it. Mr. Brinck's instructions were as good as you can get, trying to explain as complex a project as this. His spiritual insights in the text were quite insprirational. I love my boat...it paddles wonderfully...and I am now a boat builder for life!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful work with tradition., January 30, 2000

By 

P. Morrisey "Surfing has become a distant act... (Silver City, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Aleutian Kayak: Origins, Construction, and Use of the Traditional Seagoing Baidarka (Paperback)

This book helped me build a spectacular kayak. Beware, it can change your life. I am now a boatbuilder. Brinck's traditional methods are inspirational. The text left me with a few questions, but most of them were solved with re-reading, walking around the project a few times, or finding the Baidarka listserv on the net. Again, beware! If you buy this book you may spend the next six months in your garage.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baidarka construction, February 20, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Woodstock, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Aleutian Kayak: Origins, Construction, and Use of the Traditional Seagoing Baidarka (Paperback)

I just finished building a traditional west greenland sea kayak. I can't wait to move on and build a baidarka. This book is an important guide for the traditional construction of an Aleutian Baidarka. This is an awesome book for anyone interested in building an authentic Aleutian Baidarka whether they have experience working with wood or not. I highly recommend it!