Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: That's a bit of luddism
By:Dean Trexel
Date: 6/22/2000, 11:22 pm
In Response To: Re: That's a bit of luddism (Ross Leidy)

: Could I drive a Ford Model T?

Make that a Morgan instead. The Model T was one of the very first cars, and admittedly crude. The Greenland kayaks that are in museums are actually the pinnacle of the thousand or so years they were in development. There are later cars, like the Morgan, that have remained basically unchanged for years. Small tweaks were made over the years that increased performance and efficiency, but retained the 'bare essentials' philosophy. (I think Morgans still have frames made of ash, but now sport an aluminum skin.) And think of the guys who build Bucket T's and other hot-rods. Sure, they'll put a later-model engine in them, but they still prefer the cars to be bare-bones performance machines.

The Greenland kayaks weren't Model T's, they were the most refined for the available technology. The Greenlanders could have made rudders if they really wanted to. Some contend that the reason the Inuits and Aleuts used narrow-bladed paddles was because all they had on hand was driftwood, not large enough pieces to make euro-style paddles. But they acutally made waterproof glues from animal by-products, so they could easily have laminated up wider paddles like some of us do. Some of us find these 'old technology' paddles to be superior to the new-fangled euro paddles...

Dean

Messages In This Thread

Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 6:26 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 6/26/2000, 10:38 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Tig and Tink -- 6/26/2000, 11:45 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Berkeley C. -- 6/23/2000, 2:26 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Dean Trexel -- 6/23/2000, 3:11 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
RM Dalton -- 6/25/2000, 12:45 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Berkeley C. -- 6/23/2000, 6:05 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Dean Trexel -- 6/26/2000, 9:59 am
Crutches for poor paddlers?
Brian Nystrom -- 6/23/2000, 11:14 am
Re: Crutches for poor paddlers?
bob -- 6/23/2000, 7:44 pm
Re: Crutches for poor paddlers?
Tim Smith -- 6/23/2000, 3:27 pm
Sea Kayaker's Greenland Skin on Frame
Lew Crenshaw -- 6/23/2000, 10:43 am
Re: Sea Kayaker's Greenland Skin on Frame
Greg Stamer -- 6/23/2000, 11:31 am
Re: Sea Kayaker's Greenland s&g
Dean Trexel -- 6/23/2000, 11:23 am
design intent
Vernon Lowery -- 6/23/2000, 9:54 am
Is this leading anywhere?
RM Dalton -- 6/23/2000, 10:18 am
Re: Yes (everybody read this)
Shawn B -- 6/23/2000, 2:19 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Rob Forsell -- 6/23/2000, 9:31 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Shawn B -- 6/23/2000, 2:16 pm
I like my rudder for fishing
davew -- 6/23/2000, 9:07 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Edgar Kleindinst -- 6/23/2000, 7:55 am
No Skegs or Rudders, but at what price?
David Dick -- 6/23/2000, 7:26 am
What about my 21' triple?????
Dale Frolander -- 6/23/2000, 3:08 am
Re: That would be a good exception
Shawn B -- 6/23/2000, 2:10 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Richard Boyle -- 6/23/2000, 1:00 am
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Shawn Baker -- 6/23/2000, 1:54 am
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Ian Johnston -- 6/23/2000, 2:50 am
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Tim Smith -- 6/23/2000, 1:59 pm
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Ian Johnston -- 6/24/2000, 1:56 am
Re: SO DEAN?
Ian Johnston -- 6/22/2000, 8:17 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Tony -- 6/22/2000, 7:44 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
RM Dalton -- 6/22/2000, 11:59 pm
Re: blasphemy
Ross Leidy -- 6/22/2000, 6:49 pm
Re: rudder=blasphemy to inuit designs *Pic*
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 7:47 pm
Re: rudder=blasphemy to inuit designs
Tig and Tink -- 6/24/2000, 1:48 am
Re: Greenland vs. superior designs???
Mike Hanks -- 6/23/2000, 2:06 am
Re: That's a bit of luddism
Ross Leidy -- 6/22/2000, 10:25 pm
Re: That's a bit of luddism
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 11:22 pm
Model T
Don Bowen -- 6/23/2000, 10:53 am
Re: yep
Ross Leidy -- 6/23/2000, 9:19 am
Re: Advancements.
Ian Johnston -- 6/23/2000, 3:09 am
Re: Advancements.
Tony -- 6/23/2000, 1:57 pm
Patent infringement?
David Dick -- 6/24/2000, 7:51 am
Re: Conspiracy Theories,
Ian Johnston -- 6/24/2000, 2:26 am
Re: Conspiracy Theories,
Tony -- 6/26/2000, 3:13 pm
Way OT, 200 MPG
Don Bowen -- 6/25/2000, 12:05 pm
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Ian Johnston -- 6/26/2000, 4:11 am
Three valve per cyl and 40 to 1 fuel to air!
garth -- 7/2/2000, 7:02 pm
Re: You cant say that!
Don Beale -- 6/26/2000, 5:12 pm
Re: You cant say that!
Julie Kanarr -- 6/26/2000, 9:39 pm
Re: You cant say that!
Ian Johnston -- 6/27/2000, 10:35 am
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Rehd -- 6/26/2000, 8:57 am
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Ian Johnston -- 6/26/2000, 10:45 am
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Rehd -- 6/26/2000, 9:50 pm
Re: Conspiracy Theories, ( O.T. )
Rehd -- 6/24/2000, 1:09 pm
Re: Conspiracy Theories, ( O.T. )
Ian Johnston -- 6/25/2000, 2:45 am
Re: That's a bit of luddism
Rehd -- 6/22/2000, 11:44 pm
Re: rudder=blasphemy to inuit designs
Don Price -- 6/22/2000, 8:15 pm
Re: that explains it
lee -- 6/22/2000, 8:10 pm
Re: that explains it
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 8:47 pm
Re: that explains it
Ross Leidy -- 6/23/2000, 9:28 am
Re: that explains it
Dean Trexel -- 6/23/2000, 9:52 am
Re: that explains it
lee -- 6/22/2000, 10:44 pm
Small Rudder?
mike allen ---> -- 6/22/2000, 8:23 pm
Re: Small Rudder?
lee -- 6/22/2000, 10:30 pm
Re: blasphemy
bob -- 6/22/2000, 7:33 pm
Re: blasphemy
Greg -- 6/22/2000, 8:15 pm
Re: blasphemy
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 9:02 pm
Re: blasphemy
Greg -- 6/23/2000, 12:18 am