Kayaks

The kayak is a symbol of the cultural connection to both the surrounding land and water. Kayaks were traditionally made of a wooden frame stretched with sealskin or caribou hide depending on the region. Above the tree-line, the frame would have been built from scavenged wood and driftwood. The traditional skin-on-frame kayak is a sleek craft built primarily for hunting. The kayak was a vessel for hunting narwhale, seal, walrus, birds, caribou, fish, among other fauna. The hunter's tools would have been attached to the deck of the kayak for ease of access.

The designs were specialized for the local conditions and needs of the hunters. Some areas had exposed coasts and other areas were relatively protected. Some groups had to transport their kayaks over a long distance to the water and other groups were right next to the water. The same is true today. Kayaks come in wide variety of designs from the specialized serious ocean play boat, the "Black Pearl", to designs destined for more sedate inland ponds and rivers, like the "Saco."

Today's kayaks are generally recreation boats and as such the performance requirements have changed. Wooden core fiberglass boats using modern materials and construction methods weigh less, perform better and have little to no maintenance. Some builders use a tradional spar varnish to finish their bright (clear) finished boats. We only use modern two-component poly-urethanes such as Interlux Perfection.

Every boat is custom made for each paddler similar to the aboriginal kayaks of the Inuit and Aleuts. Only the finest materials and the highest level of craftsmanship is used in crafting our kayaks. Every boat built must meet high standards of safety, quality, and performance to provide the ultimate experience. At Clear Stream Fine Woodworking we are dedicated to providing excellent service to meet our clients’ wooden kayak requirements.

Though we generally build wooden core fiberglass kayaks, we can even build you a high performance replica of an aboriginal skin-on-frame boat using modern materials. Follow the links below for more information:

Bright, Clear Finished: Basic information on the features and construction of a bright, clear finished wooden kayak with basic or artistic stripping.

Painted Fiberglass : Basic information on the features and construction of a painted, wood-core kayak.

Hybrid: Basic information on the features and construction of a kayak with a bright, clear finished deck and a painted, wood-core hull.

Skin-On-Frame: Information on the features and construction of a kayak built with a coated skin on a wooden frame, much like the kayaks used by aboriginal Inuits in Greenland and Aleuts in Alaska.

Kayaks for Kids: If your child is old enough to paddle their own boat and wish they had their own kayak, we can build kayaks for their size in any of the above building methods.

Designs/Designers: Shows kayaks that we have designed by us and from respected designers such as Björn Thomasson Design, Laughing Loon and Guillemot Kayaks. We can build your kayak from virtually any commercial available plans.

Prices & Options: Pricing for each build method with standard levels, and options.

Care & Feeding: Wooden core boats actually require little yearly maintenance. Here is information on basic maintenance and repair.