Kayak becomes a work of art

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, July 19, 2006

French explorers inspired Mark Braun to build a one-of-a-kind kayak to ply the waters of Eagle Harbor.

“My interest (in boat building) stemmed from my studies of fur trade routes,” Braun said. “Since the French Voyageurs built great big canoes, I wondered if I could, too.”

This curiosity drove Braun to construct his first vessel, a birchbark canoe. Then, while visiting a boat-building school in Port Townsend, Braun purchased a skin on frame kayak-building book with step-by-step instructions on constructing a Greenland Eskimo kayak.

This particular vessel intrigued Braun because all the measurements are based on his body measurements.

“There’s a building formula based on body measurements for everything,” Braun said.

The center-seam kayak consists of two pieces of wood, or gunwales, that run parallel and define the length of the kayak. The length is determined by three arm spans, or cubits. In Braun’s case, it totaled 15 feet.

The length of his foot determined the placement of the cockpit. Precise cockpit placement is crucial so the vessel doesn’t dive or “hunt.”

The kayak’s frame consists of ribs that are spaced according to the span between Braun’s thumb and pinky finger.

“It truly is a unique vessel because it is based on my measurements and there’s only one of me,” he said.

The kayak was constructed with straight-grain, knot-free lumber purchased from an area hardware store. Braun bent the ribs with steam provided by a homemade steamer constructed from a large tin can with a fitted lid, garden hose and PVC pipe.

Whereas the Eskimos used seal skin to cover such frames, Braun had nylon. The entire vessel was sewn together with dental floss and sealed with eight coats of floor varnish to make it watertight.

Braun’s interest in native culture influenced the kayak’s aesthetics, and the art on the shell is consistent with the Northwest native style.

A “Raven Compass” watches over the paddler while two eyes – one on each side of the bow – guide the vessel.

“Hopefully, it has better vision than I do,” Braun said.

Local artist James Bender, under whose tutelage Braun refined his carving and painting skills, helped create the design.

Weighing in at 35 pounds and easy to maneuver, the kayak only took Braun three months to complete and cost just $185.

When Braun isn’t on Bainbridge, he’s teaching human disease pathology to second-year medical students and anthropology at Indiana University.

His specialty is health issues faced by Native Americans at the time of colonization, when infectious diseases borne by European settlers spread along the routes of explorers and fur traders.

While Braun doesn’t have any immediate plans to build another kayak, he said that his wife, Charlene, would like one for herself.

He also hinted at possibly attempting construction of a double kayak.

For now, Braun is content with the accomplishment of a project that called for ingenuity, substitution and, above all, persistence.

“I did it by the book, but I did it,” Braun said. “It just shows that a regular person can do this kind of thing.”