You can still get seal skins in Newfoundland, if you want a really traditional boat. There are some problems. First, I am not sure if it is legal to import them into the US. Second, the Inuit had a very relaxed method of preparing the skins, and are reported to have gotten only one or two years use from a skinning, even in their cold climate. Try the same thing anywhere south and you would have a very smelly, short lived boat.