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The Berkshire Canoe will remind some people of a Wee
Lassie, the ten to twelve foot cedar lapstrake canoes
that Henry Rushton built for George Washington Sears in
the 1880's. All Wee Lassies, are small, light solo canoes
that, like kayaks, perform best when propelled by a double
paddle used by a paddler seated low in the boat.
Although the Berkshire Canoe shares similar dimensions with
the Wee Lassie, our boat is significantly different in that
its stringers and ribs are lashed together and then covered
with a nylon or polyester skin. This skin-on-frame construction resembles
that of kayaks and umiaks (large
open boats), which were lashed with sinew and skinned with
seal or walrus hides.
The great advantage of lashing and skinning is that the boat
gains a degree of flexibility, allowing it to give when poked
and banged. Furthermore, few people realize that the Indians
of northern Canada built what Edwin
Tappan Adley called in his classic book Bark Canoes
and Skin Boats of North America, kayak-form canoes — light, hunting canoes roughly the same dimensions as the Berkshire
Canoe, although usually flat bottomed.
Specifications
(Variations depend on the size and preferences of the builder.)
Length: 10 ½’ -15 ½’
Beam: 27” to 32”
Depth: 9"-11"
Weight: 17 lbs. – 37 lbs.
The Berkshire Skin Boat owes a debt to four inspired modern
boat builders: George Dyson, who
has pioneered the modern use of nylon skins and artificial
sinew in the construction of baidarkas; Bruce Lemon who has further perfected the modern baidarka; Platt Monfort, whose dacron-skinned
geodesic boat the Snowshoe 12 contributed significantly to
our boat; and Pete Hornbeck who builds fiberglass, kevlar,
and carbon fiber versions of Rushton's Wee Lassie.
In quiet
waters — flat-water sections of rivers, ponds, moderate sized
lakes, calm estuaries. Stay away from all rough water, strong
currents, and places where you are likely to strike sharp,
hard objects. Take care to enter and exit your boat from shallow
water, and never try to stand in the boat. Since your canoe
is very difficult to re-enter from the water (I've can't do
it), never paddle beyond where you can swim to shore safely.
Always wear a PFD (personal floatation device — life jacket).
We sell two styles of 8’4” paddles made for us by Sawyer Paddles &
Oars. Visit our Store for
details. Also Shaw & Tenney, P. O. Box 213, 20 Water Street, Orono,
Maine 04473 (Tele. 207-866-4867) sells a first rate spruce
canoe double paddle, as well as many other
fine quality, traditional single paddles. Your paddle should
be at least 8' 4" long. Unfortunately, most kayak paddles are much shorter.
A pinhole is easily stopped with a few drops of
contact cement. Larger holes can be patched from the inside
with extra cloth and contact cement. Duct tape works
fine as a temporary solution.
For the record, however, punctures are rare. I
know of only two in the 100+ boats we have built, and they were easily and permanently repaired. I have polled my
boat over beaver dams in the Minnesota Boundary Waters, butted
into logs in the Adirondacks, scrapped across rocks off the
coast of Maine, and never had the slightest leak.
Write:
Dyson, Baidarka & Co
435 West Holly Street
Bellingham, WA
98225
or call me:
Contact Hilary
Russell
PO Box 578
Sheffield, MA 01257
Telephone: 413- 229-2549
Email: hemlockgrange@earthlink.net
Website: sbcdesign.com
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