New project

Just started my new project. A replica of an Iqyax (baidarka) collected around 1850 in the Aleutian islands, stored in the museum of anthropology, St. Petersburg Russia,  and surveyed by David Zimmerly. I got a blueprint from George Dyson many years ago.

To gain more knowledge on traditional Aleut watercraft, I need to learn to paddle faster and make more replicas. This one has been thrilling my imagination for a long time, and it’s great fun to finally start building it. It’s the most extreme specimen I know of. It’s a little more than 580 cm. long and a little more than 43 cm. wide. Good for racing, I guess.

I started today with the gunwales. The original seems to have have longitudal grooves carved in the gunwales through it’s entire length. Why? I haven’t much idea, but I figured out that the best way to learn more was to try to copy the grooves on my replica. All guessing on this issue is appreciated!