: I agree with Jay, but I think it is a mistake to let puristism (new word?)
: eliminate potentially good ideas from design innovation. If the Aleuts and
: Inuits had been purists they would have said, "Why, change the simple
: log. You sit on it and paddle. Why bother with relatively delicate ribs
: and seal skin?"

Hmmm... That would be an instance of kayak fundamentalism... taking a certain period of history (that surrounding the kayak's origins) as *normative* and proclaiming (dogmatically?) that any significant deviation from the original design(s) is heresy. There's also a strong trend of historical reductionism at work in such movements (choosing a particular century as the "ideal" of design).

That's not to say that there is not value in duplicating older techniques, producing "reproduction" boats, or ones that follow a particular historical style --(even using materials they didn't have in the 19th century) but that's a different matter than eschewing new developments entirely, on (near) religious grounds that Aleut/Inuit boats did not have them.

By analogy -- if I had a reproduction Model A Ford, I would not equip it with four wheel drive or air conditioning, etc. It wouldn't be authentic. However, I'm not about to give up the turbo charged engine on my Saab just because the "original" cars didn't have that. For my purposes, I'd rather drive the Saab than the Model A. Others might enjoy using such a "period vehicle."

To rudder or not to rudder -- there are sound arguments to be made for either side -- based on the design needs of the boat, its intended usage, aesthetics, potential dangers in case of rudder failure, or the novice paddler becoming dependent upon it, etc. (I'm in the camp that says, if a person is going to have a rudder, they should also be able to paddle without one, so that the rudder is a convenience, not a crutch)

The simple log would be the original "sit on top" kayak.... ... the debate about the merits of the "sit on top" vs. the "sit in" hasn't ended.

Julie Kanarr
(theologian in residence?)