I have some historical photos of Eastern Arctic kayak construction. I have no idea where I got them. But here they are. Mostly what I want to comment on is the fact that while these photos dont reveal all that much, they do reveal some general specifics about Arctic kayak construction methodology. The most important revelation to me is that these boats were built without the benefit of any sort of building platform other than what looks like pretty bumpy ground. What this means is that in order to get a symmetrical boat, the builders had to rely on the parts of the boat itself to achieve symmetry. The deck, once built became the building platform for the rest of the boat.
This boat frame appears to be almost done. The builder appears to be doing some trimming with a hand saw, or maybe he is just using the deck of the kayak for a saw horse to cut a piece of wood.
Meanwhile, a little earlier in the building process, this builder has inserted some rib blanks into their mortises. Bending and trimming the ribs remains to be done.
Women are covering a finished frame in canvas. It looks as though they will have some canvas left over. The fact that they are using canvas indicates that this photo was taken very near the end of the era of kayak construction. And the building site is remarkable for its ruggedness. No nicely swept floor, strictly open air.
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