Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 12:25:50 -0700
From: t simpson <tsimpson@island.net>
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: [baidarka] E.Y.Arima
wayne steffens wrote:
> Build a genuine Baffin Island or Labrador kayak. There are several in INUIT
> KAYAKS IN CANADA by (you guessed it) Eugene Arima, that have a beam of
> 26-28 inches. There are probably a couple in Adney and Chapelle too, You can be the first and tell
> us all about it. They look like great fishing kayaks.
>
> Wayne
The book 'Inuit Kayaks in Canada' by E.Y.Arima complements Zimmerly's
'Qajaq' and between the two they cover all of North America. Though not
as glossy as 'Qajaq' it has more detailed info for the builder along
with early explorers accounts and Inuit stories. The focus is on three
main types of kayaks which are the Mackenzie Delta type, the
Copper/Netsilik/Caribou type and the Eastern Canadian types.
Of the three the standard Eastern variety seems best for relaxed
use,averaging 25" in width and about 22 feet long. A serious replicator
built a 24ft x 25" flat-bottomed kayak and reported to me that it took
some getting used to but after a bit of practice was found to be fast,
highly manueverable and very stable ...unfortunately it also weighed 85
lbs. The same builder built a replica of the 'Straits of David' kayak ,
[likely from Baffin Island] and managed to bring the weight down to 40
lbs. I think that more info on this type is going to be published in the
next year or two.
Tom