1883 Southwestern kayak 3-D plan view
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Free Kayak Plans: 1883 Southwestern Greenland Kayak

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The original survey for the 1883 Southwestern Greenland kayak appears in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Figure 206). Howard I. Chapelle, the surveyor, writes that this kayak represent one of the last southwestern Greenland boats of the old style, a style characterized by a strong sweeping sheer at the bow and stern. This kayak shows what Chapelle believed was close to the maximum amount of rocker used in a southwestern-style kayak. The original survey shows bone plates pegged to the bow and stern to protect the kayak from landing and launch on ice. Chapelle writes that the old form was a fast and handy hunting boat.

These free drawings include a pdf of the station and stem plans, a 3-D view of the boat with axis baselines and an image of the linesplan. The original kayak used two deck beams, but because they’re not shown on the survey, I decided to round the deck slightly following the profile view of the survey. Where Chapelle’s survey disagrees, I defaulted to the profile and plan views instead of his stations.

Specifications

Length: 16 feet, 6 inches
Beam: 20 inches
Depth: 6-7/8 inches

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Get the Drawing Package

The drawing package includes the full-sized study plan and each station and stem drawn separately on a PDF that prints full sized on ARCH D size paper (nestings). You can cut these out and glue them to plywood to cut full-sized forms. A pdf of the electronic drawing package. is available for this kayak. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

Free Kayak Plans Downloads

The free cedar kayak plans come as a pdf (free Adobe Reader required to view) that you can print off at photocopy stores. Paid options upgrades are also available. See all the options here:

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Bryan Hansel is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer and a former American Canoe Association L4 Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor. His home port is on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota. He also teaches photography workshops.

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