The Design

http://www.alaskanative.net/329.asp

"Each qayaq was outfitted with hunting suppliments to ensure the hunter's success." (http://www.alaskanative.net/341.asp). This mode of transportation was very efficient and aventageous while traveling along coast lines and upstream against a current. This style and of sea vessel is known as the Bearing Sea Kyak. Qayaq building was a very time consuming process. There was a ceremony held in the traditional men's house while each of the wooden memebers of the qayaq was cut. Each piece of wood was measured by the size of the owner. "Thus each man's kyak is built according to the specifications of his own body and hence is peruliarly fitted to his use" (Zimmerly, 40).

(Zimmerly, 39)

Qayaqs were on average fifteen feet in length. They had wide and deep hulls, the bilges were rounded and slightly flattened bottom at the bottom. Qayaqs were very carefully designed. "A sharply ridged deck not only expanded the interior, it also helped to shed waves. The beam of approximately 30 inches gave the kyak excellent stability and combined with a sealable waterproof gut-skin parka and one or two recovery techniques, made it very seaworthy" ( Zimmerly, 40).

The wood used was drift wood, and was steamed and bent into the prefered shape. The pegs to hold the ribs in place were made out of specially selected driftwood or caribou antler. The seal skin was removed from any hair, dried, and then soaked in urine and rain water to make it flexible enough to sew. Then the skins sewn together with sinew on the outside, and then re-sewn on the inside with dried beach grass to make sure it was waterproof. The skins are then lashed onto the frame and then oiled with seal oil and then caulked with a mixture of moss and seal oil. (Delta Discovery)