Baidarka is the Russian name used for Aleutian style sea kayak. The ancient Unangan name is Iqyax.
The Aleut people were surrounded by treacherous waters and required water transportation and a hunting vessel. Due to the geography and climate of the Aleutian Islands, trees and wood were in scarce supply and the people relied primarily on driftwood to create the framework of the kayak, which was covered with the skins of sea mammals. The boats are sized and built using anthropomorphic dimensions of the user.
In modern times, the structure of the kayak remains the same, small wooden structural members lashed together with twine (replacing animal sinew) and nylon or canvas covering the frame instead of seal skin. The aft deck of this Biadarka has been flattened (unlike the traditional peaked aft deck) in order to facilitate easy entry into the boat and enable the user to use a variety of rolling techniques.
In April of 2012, I went to Mark Rodgers of Superior Kayaks boatbuilding shop and built this Biadarka in a week under his guidance and tutelage. Mark has been building traditional Biadarka and Greenland kayaks for over 20 years. This is the fourth boat I have built.