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Old Kayak From Vicinity of Southampton Island, Canada. Plan made 

 from a much damaged kayak, now destroyed, once privately owned. 



eastern kayaks. The Baffin Island kayak is rather 

 roughly built and the two examples found had many 

 frames cracked at the chines. However, this kayak 

 has many excellent features, being easily paddled, 

 very stable, and seaworthy. The double-blade paddle 

 used is like that of the Labrador kayak, very long 

 with narrow blades. When the paddler is seated, 

 these kayaks, like many of their eastern sisters, draw 

 more water forward than the illustration would 

 indicate (it should be remembered that the trim of 

 the kayaks in the water is not indicated by the base 

 lines used in the plans). The deeper draft at the bow, 

 which allows the kayak to hold her course into the 

 wind and to come head to the wind when at rest, 

 gives a long easy run in the bottom toward the stern. 

 The slight rocker in the bottom shown in the drawing 

 is thus misleading. The stem is formed by the ex- 

 tension of the keelson, producing the "clipper-bow" 

 seen in many eastern boats. The stern is shaped by 

 a stern block of simple form into which the gun- 

 wales, keelson and chines are notched. The batten 

 between chine and gunwale stops a little short of 

 both bow and stern. 



A somewhat similar kayak is used on the Labrador 

 side of Hudson Strait but, as shown in figure 197 

 on page 207, the appearance of the craft is distinctive. 

 The kayak is flat-bottomed, with the snied-ofT chines 

 seen in the Baffin Island boat, giving a cross section 

 form like that of many Japanese sampans. The 3- 

 batten system is used in construction, and the gun- 

 wales are very heavy and deep, standing vertical in 

 the sides of the boat. The sheer is slightly reversed 

 and there is little rocker in the bottom. One of the 

 most obvious features of the Labrador kayak is the 

 long "grab" bow, which is formed by a batten 

 attached to the end of the keelson. The stern is 

 formed with a very small block inside the gunwales, 

 and to this the keelson is laced or pegged. It will be 

 noticed that the rake of the manhole is very moderate. 

 These kayaks are heavy and strong, paddle well, 

 particularly so against wind and sea. Shown in the 

 drawing is the type of long- and narrow-bladed 

 paddle used. 



This example illustrates better than the Baffin 

 Island kayak the combination of deep forefoot and 

 the greatest beam well abaft the midlength that marks 

 many eastern models. When paddled, the craft 



Baffin Island Kayak, from Cape Dorset, Canada, in the Museum of the 

 American Indian, Heye Foundation. 



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