What Makes A Boat A ..........?

[beekeeper]

Seems to be three classes of boats discussed/paddled/built by members on this forum. What makes a boat a canoe, a kayak, or a pirogue?
They are so related there are many overlapping features. I think it will be interesting to share our perceptions. My simple definitions and characteristics first. I may want to add or take away as we progress. " Usually" could probably be added to all these statements.

Canoe = rounded bottom and sides. Multi panels if hard chine.
Kayak = small skinny canoe capable of using a spray skirt.
Pirogue = Flat bottom hard chine with straight sides.

I know all these thoughts can be picked apart. I am not making any claims they are correct nor trying to start any arguments. Pleas add you thoughts and we will continue to muddy the water together.

 

[oldsparkey]

Canoe.... The all round work horse of the paddle boat world. ( A SUV. )
Kayak.... The speed boat and solo paddler's skinny boat. ( The Hot Rod. )
Pirogue.. A happy combination of the above two and ideally suited for skinny ( shallow ) water. ( 4 Wheel Drive )

 

[Kayak Jack]

Kayaks were developed to be a deep sea hunting boat. That's why the spray skirt, and. That's why the coaming around the perimeter of the cockpit. Traditionally, kayaks have a one-person cockpit, and canoes were an open craft. Hunting seals etc. at sea would benefit from speed, so kayaks weren't wide beamed. And, again traditionally, kayakers sat very near to the bottom of their boats.

Aleutes developed kayaks in the western end of the continent, Alaskan area. Inuits also developed the kayak 3,000 miles away in the Greenland area. Only basic difference in the two, styles of kayak are in cross-sectional configuration. Aleutes had a semi-rounded bottom, and Inuits had a hard chined bottom.

There is actually more difference between the Aleute kayaks used at sea, and Aleute kayaks used on inland rivers, than there is between the sea kayaks of Aleute vs sea kayak of Inuits. This testifies as to how the boats are fine tuned to their mission.

Similarly, canoes were designed from a one man craft, up to large war canoes. But cross-sectional hull design didn't seem to vary much, only length.

 

[beekeeper]

What aspects of seal hunting requires the boat to be fast? Just curios?
Most game hunted from boats down here require stealth/slow approach.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Well, while I 've never hunted seals, i just guessed that they're faster than a chinquapin. After successfully getting a harpoon into a seal/walrus/big fish/etc., the boat would then probably gets towed for a Nantucket slay ride. Guys I've talked with who had hooked large fish at sea, told me they get towed for mile or three. In that situation, your boat had better be streamlined.

That's the best that I can do on short notice.

 

[beekeeper]

Never thought about the being towed around aspects. That's probably another reason the spray skirt.
My guess for the narrow beam was the need to cover long distances. More efficient for straight ahead paddling, and long trips.
First canoes and first pirogues were dug outs. Probably never was a dugout kayak?
If SOF (skin on frame) was the first build method for kayaks, Where on the time line of canoe development does it fall?
I'm assuming framed with covering (birch bark and later canvas) canoes came next after dugouts.
It may be possible what materials were available to the builder determined which one was built first. Could of had SOF kayaks, birch bark canoes and dugouts at the same time.

 

[Kayak Jack]

It's my understanding that the avsilable materials had strong effects on construction and design. Skins were available, and both sticks and animal bones (whale, walrus, seal, bear, etc.) were available. The Inuit had hardly any wood to speak of. So their paddles are long and narrow, rather than spoon shaped. I would also imagine that there were splices of short pieces into longer pieces in both paddles and boat frames.

In the skin on stick frame, most of the strength is in the gunwhales. Those two framing members have to be stout. Ribs, not so much. I used to paddle with a guy who made his first kayayk with two, lomg 2X4s as gunnels, and willow branches as ribs.

Yes, a long aspect ratio helps for both traveling and being towed. I have to admit to never having landed a fish that could tow a boat. Except, maybe, the small tuna I caught in Mexico a few years ago. But, that boat had twin Diesels, and we were towing him. Wonderful sashimi that evening.

 

[NWDad]

My Dad and I use to salmon fish in the fall on Lake Ontario in a 12 row boat. I remember being towed by 36" salmon in that rig. What a fun time. I can't imagine what it would be like in a canoe or kayak.

 

[oldsparkey]

For whats it's worth..........
A documentary I was watching a while back about the Eskimo Kayak. It mentioned they use them primarily for the stealth factor. Getting in the kayak from the ice to the ease of paddling and stealthy speed were factors. Less disturbance in the water the better the stalk for a seal. The lower silhouette of the paddler and kayak is also helpful.

If memory serves me .....A Eskimo hunter would paddle and when getting near the seal would stop paddling and let the forward momentum take him into killing distance of the seal.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Thinking more about it, on something big that you harpoon, a drag line attached to a float rather than the boat might be better? Less work, and safer.

I'll bet that salmon tasted good! I dooooooo love salmon. But, think of Lewis and Clark overwintering on the Pacific coast. I understand they ate smoked salmaon all winter long. The first few days would be great. But by January, even a cheap hotdog wold be welcome!

 

[NWDad]

Thinking more about it, on something big that you harpoon, a drag line attached to a float rather than the boat might be better? Less work, and safer.

I'll bet that salmon tasted good! I dooooooo love salmon. But, think of Lewis and Clark overwintering on the Pacific coast. I understand they ate smoked salmaon all winter long. The first few days would be great. But by January, even a cheap hotdog wold be welcome!

It was some of the best salmon I have ever had. We use to take a smoker with us and smoke it right at the camp site. Man I miss those days.

 

[beekeeper]

It's my understanding that the avsilable materials had strong effects on construction and design. Skins were available, and both sticks and animal bones (whale, walrus, seal, bear, etc.) were available. The Inuit had hardly any wood to speak of. So their paddles are long and narrow, rather than spoon shaped. I would also imagine that there were splices of short pieces into longer pieces in both paddles and boat frames.

In the skin on stick frame, most of the strength is in the gunwhales. Those two framing members have to be stout. Ribs, not so much. ................

Materials also effected the shapes. All three boats were originally round/soft chinned in form. Hard to make a hard chinned boat from a log or twigs. Pirogues became hard chinned with the need to use lumber for construction, and remain so today, for the most part. Canoes and kayaks built with lumber usually have multiple panels or the wood is steamed and bent allowing them to maintain their rounded shape.

 

[beekeeper]

A little more confusion to the subject but with a historical perspective. Page 144 for discussion of Louisiana boat development.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/217382391.pdf

 

[Kayak Jack]

When I read the overhead question that is your titlt, “What makes a boat, a ......?” My mind fills in that final blank space by repeating the word “boat”. I think that’s a general answer. My general response would be that the acid test is, it has to (1) float, (2) keep the water out, and (3) keep crew and cargo in. All boats do those tasks to some degree of success. Even a raft can do that, but generally not as well as a boat.

 

[jdupre']

Let me muddy up the waters a bit here. Canoe, kayak and pirogue are found in the dictionary. What's found in the dictionary is not the definition of a term........not a carved in stone official definition. What's in the dictionary is the USE of the word. That use may be different for different people. Beekeepers original defintions are about as accurate as you're going to get. It's just around the edges that it gets fuzzy. Nice fodder for conversation while sitting on a riverbank.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I’m guessing that hundreds of years ago, there were fewer design variations. Ancient cultures often tend toward tradition, not innovation. That, of course, is partly why they remained as ancient cultures.

Today, folks aren’t as hard pressed to survive. One fellow may start with a classic canoe, and start modifying. Another may start with a classic kayak, and start modifying. They could end up by gravitating to become the same boat?

 

[beekeeper]

Not all pirogues have flat bottoms. This style has been mentioned on the forum before.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Not all pirogues have flat bottoms. This style has been mentioned on the forum before.

Thanks for sharing

 

[texastom]

Love that accent. Thanks Bee.