Unangan and to a slightly lesser extent, Alutiiq kayaks are distinct from the kayaks of other regions in that they are a good deal more flexible. And this flexibility allows any given kayak frame to take on a number of different shapes depending on how they are flexed. And so I thought I would post some photos that
show the customary shape of an Unangan kayak, or iqyax^ as the
Unangan called it. I've also included one picture of an Alutiiq
three-holer. What is notable in all these photos is that on flat
water the bow of the kayak clears the water for some distance back.
The distance seems to be greater for doubles than for singles, but it
is distinct in both cases. Another thing apparent from the old photos
is that the deck stringer is more or less parallel to the water line
back of the cockpit and slightly rising from the front of the cockpit
to the bow.
Here is an Unangan one-holer probably from the first half of the twentieth century. The bow clears the water by what looks like about two feet. Photo credit: Lauren Peters.
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| An Unangan two-holer with even more bow clearance. |
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| And here is an Alutiiq three-holer in Cold Bay, AK. Though Cold Bay is in the Unangan region, this three-holer is of Alutiiq style construction. Note that the paddlers fore and aft are kneeling and the passenger in the middle hatch is sitting. All the same, good bow clearance. |
From a functional standpoint, bow clearance helps the bow of the kayak rise to oncoming waves without punching into them. If the bow rises above the wave rather than punching into it, the kayak loses less momentum. From a construction standpoint, the kayak needs sufficient freeboard, the distance between the sheer line above the water to keep the deck clear of the water. A low-volume flat bottomed kayak does not have enough freeboard to raise its bow very far above the waterline and so it needs more sheer, that is upward curvature of the the gunwales forward of the cockpit to give the bow some elevation.
