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Structural
Changes Over Time
The common element these kayaks share is perhaps best expressed
in a comparison to more modern West Greenland kayaks. The two
older kayaks, like many kayaks from the general period, are more
symmetrical fore and aft. They don't exhibit the pinched bow plan
(or "hollow sheer") that later kayaks generally have,
and are instead more cigar-shaped or full-volume in the stern
and bow.
Proportionally,
the earlier kayaks have a much greater length-to-width ratio,
being roughly 1 1/2' to 2' longer and 3" to 4" narrower.
Their cockpits are generally situated farther forward than those
of more recent kayaks, which most likely moved aft in an effort
to "trim" the kayak's balance with an augmented hunting
kit that included rifles. The greater breadth of more recent Greenlandish
kayaks is largely the result of needing more deck space for rifles
and more stability for their use. (For a scale drawing of a modern
West Greenland kayak, see SK, Fall 1987, pg. 17.)
Another
feature that sets these kayaks apart from their modern counterparts
is the fairly simple deck-line arrangements—each has four
simple straps just ahead of the cockpit, one of which is the harpoon
holder to the right of the cockpit coaming (missing on the Brielle
kayak). Immediately behind the cockpits of these two kayaks are
a pair of deck lines, connected by an ivory piece on the Hindeloopen,
but plain on the Brielle.
The
Hindeloopen kayak was painted with a white wave pattern along
the waterline and a very dark blue/green elsewhere. The design
was not an original feature of the kayak, but a popular pattern
in the Netherlands applied after the kayak was collected.
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