Last week I took a vacation to Alaska. While there I had the opportunity to:

a) Purchase and read Qayaqs and Canoes: Native Ways of Knowing. Very interesting book describing the efforts boat builders and apprentices working with the Alaska Native Heritage Center to attempt to recapture some of the traditional boat building methods before they lose the last of the traditionally trained elders. Not really a technical reference, but a very interesting read. Beautiful pictures.

b) The day after I finished the book I was able to visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center (http://www.alaskanative.net/) and actually see the boats documented in the book.
Pictures are available at http://168.144.144.198 Personal -> Vacations/Trips -> Alaska 2003. Follow the link titled Alaska Native Heritage Center Slideshow
Direct link is http://168.144.144.198/personal/alaska2003/Alaska_Native_Heritage_Center/default.htm

I'll caption the pictures later today, but the things that I though noteworthy are the following:

+ The overall colors and textures of the sealskin covered boats.
+ The way the deckline and paddle/harpoon 'parks' were attached on one of the baidarkas
+ How low the deck was on the unskinned Baidarka
+ The Aleuit/Alutiiq tulilik equivalent, made of nylon strips to replicate seal/bear intestine. (apparently 'kanaglluk' in Alutiiq; 'kamlaika' in Russian). They had a roll of seal intestine in a bowl below it. Felt a lot like very flexible, strong waxed paper.
+ The seal bladder/backpack/float was basically from my knee to my armpit in height. (Call it 3 feet).

Hope the pictures and comments are of use to someone.

Aaron Cunningham