Baidarka: The Kayak

by George Dyson

This classic book tells of George Dyson's rediscovery of the Aleut baidarka (sea kayak) and his far-ranging travels with his boats.

Genres: Nonfiction

203 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1986

About the author

George Dyson is a scientific historian, the son of Freeman Dyson, brother of Esther Dyson, and the grandson of Sir George Dyson. When he was sixteen he went to live in British Columbia in Canada to pursue his interest in kayaking and escape his father's shadow. While there he lived in a treehouse at a height of 30 metres. He is the author of Project Orion: The Atomic Spaceship 1957-1965 and Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolution of Global Intelligence, in which he expanded upon the premise of Samuel Butler's 1863 article of the same name and suggested coherently that the internet is a living, sentient being. He is the subject of Kenneth Brower's book The Starship and the Canoe. Dyson was the founder of Dyson, Baidarka & Company, a designer of Aleut-style skin kayaks, and he is credited with the revival of the baidarka style of kayak. (from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Tim Berube · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.
I read this as a young man, and everything changed.
I had dreams of heading to British Columbia and living in a tree, instead,
I moved to Pittsfield, MA, planning on living in a friend of a friend's woods, and instead, met a woman, fell in love,
Apprenticed to Jack A. Sobon (I'm pictured in his, Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods by Jack A. Sobon along with a fellow apprentice),

and began a career in Traditional Timber Framing which would span 22 years.

I still have George's book on my shelf, and, ever few years, it seems, I find it open, spread out before me, and, reinvigorating me.

Though he, has long since left the building of Kayak's behind, I cannot help but think that this, large segment of his history, helped to create the man he is.

It is a gem, hanging, high in the sky.
Do not miss it.
If you have any love for handwork, for the sea, for the history of the Pacific North West, and, beyond,
This is a book for you.

[Velma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in the mid-'80s when I was immersed in sea kayaking culture. I purchased it from the author at the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium in Port Townsend, WA in 1986, an event which sadly faded away in 2010 after 26 years (although I've read that it has been re-constituted nearby recently as the Port Angeles Kayak & Film Festival).

Great reference on the history of the Aleut hunting kayak from a colossus of science writing who once built a 48-foot kayak for 6 paddlers and used it to commute into Vancouver, BC from his home in the woods across Burrard Inlet.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in traditional (or even modern) kayak building, you should start with this one. Even if you are not inteterested in the construction section, the pictures alone are worth having this book.

[nonya]

I won't build one but it makes me want to.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! Well written, good descriptions, excellent pictures, instruction and an entertaining story