canoe design and paddled boats in general

The Inuit and related peoples of the North rarely, if ever used outriggers. Early European and Russian explorers reported kayaks and baidarkas easily keeping pace with their large sailing vessels for hours. They depended on the sea to a greater degree than most and perhaps there was a good reason, other than shortage of materials of course, why they did not adopt outriggers. Of course the sea conditions they faced may have been different, but the Arctic and Northern Atlantic are not particularly benign oceans.

 

baidarkas and kayak are not strictly speaking from the same design nor purpose.
greenland kayaks, as far as I can see and understand, where intended as low and silent hulls for hunting needs between drifting ices.
From that point of view the shape is just the best possible.
Definitely not what I encounter on french atlantic coast
race kayaks are the best modern fit with greenland specifications, apart from the drifting ice ... which could be a great asset to spice up an otherwise quite boring sport to look at
Needless to say, the inuit hunters paid a lot in casualties (this kind of hunt was said lethal up to 30 % !).
Not my definition of a safe boat.

 

There were many varieties of kayak including specialities for long distance, hunting and recovering dead seals etc. whjch were left by the hunters tied to an inflated bladder to keep them floating. Also several varieties for different seas in different places. The boats themselves were sea-worthy but the hunters took great risks harpooning whales and walrus. Outriggers would not have lasted long under hunting conditions. However I am off the topic, sorry.

 

We built a raft in the form of an outrigger canoe last summer, of roughly the same dimensions you are talking about.

There is a thread here with pictures at the bottom.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/camping-kid-build-raft-race-28311.html

The outriggers did make it much more tiresome to move about on dry land, for what its worth.

I understand that the lightness and ease of handling of the inuit kayak was particularly important because of the need to repeatedly transfer the boat between water and ice, which would of course be rather harder with outriggers.

 

Not to be a "black hat", but after doing some open sea paddling as well as sailing, I really think you need a really, really good reason not to incorporate sails on an ocean going small craft over single kyak size.
Its amazing how tired you get paddling, especially in rough conditions. To be able to put up a small sail and safely cruise along at more than paddling speed, hour after hour is a real relief. The ability to sail even moderately can even be a real life saver.

 

ancient k : no problem, to be honest I do love kayaks and kayak trips ... but I'm on a different mood these days

Tyni T : that's exactly the image I got in my mind of a hunting inuit. An outrigger migth be stuck under ice, leading to boat crushing and death, and very boring to deal with when out of water. The "turned-up noses" follow the same idea I guess : clear the boat from ice (therefore not very usefull in my coastal waters)
Not to mention the extra log on your side : noisy, impossible to hide from your prey : outrigger hunters maybe existed and just died of starvation
So, function rules as ever.
Thanks for your link !

rwatson : you're right (as usual), but the other way round makes sense too : a bit of tidal current, wind stops in the middle of nowhere ... you'd better not forget your oars or paddles

 

The aleuit kayaks or baidarkas were also used as war vehicles. When one group laid claim to a prosperous hunting ground,another group would wish to encroach. War! The group with the fastest most reliable kayaks usually won. So perhaps that is why the baidarka and its paddlers developed such legendary speed.

The split nose of the baidarka does not seem at all suited to hauling up on the ice. Many of these boats had a transom like aft end. Maybe they hauled out stern first.

 

The curious features of the baidarkas have never been satisfactorily explained, although there are some outlandish claims made for them. I suspect they have as much to do with ease of construction using available materials as they do with performance and sea-worthiness.

 

I see the bow of Baidarkas as a bit odd but not impeding performance. The stern, however, causes considerable turbulence and I'm sure drag. I have followed them and seen the turbulence. I don't think the ancient's knew everything about boat design .. nor do we.

Easy Rider

 

Baidarkas are sea-going and the stern shape is claimed to have advantages when there are large waves. I am not convinced by the argument, and in any case it would not be an advantage in calm water.

 

The increased bouyancy aft may reduce the tendency to get pooped by a stern sea .. just a guess.

Easy