: I was at an American Indian gathering and a guy was building one
: showing the pine pitch and gluing on sides etc. Truly amazing
: that they were able to make water tight boats with bark and pine
: sap.

I used to climb trees a lot when I was a kid, and there were a lot of the native white pines around to be climbed... I can tell you that it is not surprising that stuff can be permanently glued with pine pitch. It won't come off the hands, or the clothes, or anything you touch with it.

Have you all read Survival of the Bark Canoe by John McPhee? It's a great book, mostly about a guy who makes bark canoes.

m