Boat Work

Since I can't run right now this is a good time to get some other things done and re-charge!



I have been working on my boat and still have more to do today. My qajaq (kayak in Greenlandic) is made from a frame of steamed and bent wood and has a canvas skin stretched over it that is later painted. The frame I made years ago and I am now re-skinning it; skins wear out and need to be redone every so often. I have made four other traditional qajaqs so I am quite familiar with the effort needed to do this. It is very hard work to sew on thick canvas, it takes up to eight hours and many times you are sewing through 4 or more layers of #10 canvas duck with a big sail needle and double up- 65LB braided fishing line (expensive stuff!). My hands and fingers ached after completing most of the skinning yesterday. A few more skinning details and then the painting can happen later today. Eight coats of oil paint later and it will be good to go.

The wooden frame, the next few images show the canvas being stretched and sewn into the frame.

Heavy #10 canvas duck, thick stuff! I use artist canvas pliers to stretch the canvas over the frame and staples to hold it into place until the sewing is complete.

The main part of the qajaq is complete and the cockpit combing will be sewn in today. My sore fingers needed a rest!

In Greenland kayaking you do a lot of rolling and other paddling activities related to traditional methods used by Greenlanders and other Inuit cultures. The qajaq rolling is done many different ways, based on different positions and situations encountered in traditional hunting situations; leaning back on the qajaq, leaning forward etc... All of the rolls are basically different methods of self righting the qajaq after being turned over in the frigid sea. In freezing water death is almost instant so coming out of your boat is not an option, the many rolling methods were developed to deal with capsizing under a wide variety of circumstances. The history is long and complicated and goes back centuries. There are still communities that hunt this way today, but the number dwindles more every year. Although motor boats and rifles had replaced the traditional hunting apparatus there are still communities of Greenlanders and other Inuit communities that build and paddle traditional styled boats and practice the ancient skills. There are many competitions and festivals as well, including the National Championships going on in Greenland right now. I am a member (and on the Board) of Qajaq USA our stateside arm of the national kayaking club of Greenland, Qaannat Kattuffiat.

Rolling is a very athletic activity and takes a very strong core and upper body strength. But, like many sports I always amazed at how my whole body aches after a good workout. I came to traditional kayaking after a number of years of doing regular kayaking. The basic skills are the same; boat handling, navigation, safety, and endurance must be mastered before heading out to sea in any human powered boat. In a traditional boat even more so as the craft are extremely low volume. In a traditional style qajaq we use wooden skinny sticks rather than the wide-blade styled paddles most people are familiar with. Hopefully I'll get my work done today and start the painting job. Maybe next weekend I can be out on the Gulf!