Umiaks and Kayaks

When I was down in Bennington for the combination of of my Mother's birthday, retirement and Father's Day I went to see some old family friends.  Phil and Ellen Viereck has spent time in the 50 on King Island in Alaska as teachers.  Today they live in a farmhouse from the 1760s, as you can tell below.

 You can walk through the house and see the progression through time.  They also have two small skin on frame models from their time in alaska.  To the left is a model of a 36 foot umiak (the full size one) and the right of a King Island Kayak (here is the creation of a full size replica)

 Details of the bow, skin strapped down and the cross pieces lashed in place.

 The external view, a little curve to the front and straight back.  These would hold 20 people in the 8 hour boat ride from King Island to the mainland.

 Here is the front view of the kayak with the harpoon and hunting gear on the top.

 The hull lines of the kayak, there is a built in handhold in the bow.  I imagine useful when hauling these up the rock cliffs that make up King Island.

 Internal view with lashed ribs.

 Inside looking up towards the bow, the detail is impressive.

 Details of the bow.  I imagine with high winds this could get blown around but I am sure there was a good reason.

The final product of this was retrieving a 13 foot Umiak built by Phil in the 1950s.  It was heavy but the ribs are bent wood from when I am guessing it was green.  It has oars, a new thing for me.   While I may not keep it in it's original form it is an honor to have his craftsmanship and someone else perspective on skin on frame boats.