The earliest known boats were constructed from a frame of animal bone or light wood covered by animal skins or bark. Historians believe people used such boats as early as 16,000 bc. Several thousand years later, round skin boats, called coracles, were developed in Asia, Africa, the British Isles, and the plains of North America. Coracles have been built in Ireland in fairly recent times. They typically have a framework of woven willow shoots or other soft wood suitable for basketmaking.
Kayak
A kayaker paddles on San Francisco Bay. First used by the Inuit thousands of years ago for fishing and hunting, kayaks are widely used today for recreation. Kayaks have an enclosed deck and an open cockpit, where the rower sits with a double-bladed paddle.
Another type of skin boat is the kayak, a type of canoe created by the Inuit. The kayak is completely enclosed with animal skins stretched over a rigid frame, except for an open cockpit in the center, where the paddler sits armed with a double-bladed paddle. The kayak is wide at the center and tapers to points at both bow and stern. Kayaks in use today have much the same shape that kayaks had centuries ago, although modern kayaks may be molded from plastic, fiberglass, or Kevlar (a synthetic fiber originally developed to replace the steel in radial tires).
Bark-covered boats came into use about the same time that skin-covered boats did. They typically had a light wood frame with a bark covering made of pieces sewn together with root fiber. The frame was separated from the bark covering by a plank sheathing. Gunwales, or side edges, ran from bow to stern and provided longitudinal strength to the frame. The sheathing was held in place by forcing the ribs of the frame under the gunwales. Birchbark canoes up to 14 m (46 ft) long are known to have been built in North America. Modern canoes still have the basic shape and design of their predecessors, but they are usually molded from aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, or other lightweight, durable material.
Ancient Egyptians fashioned reed skiffs by securely binding together bundles of papyrus stems. The extreme lightness of these reed boats made them ideal for fishing in the marshes along the Nile; moreover, they were easy to carry. Equipped with sails and oars, the reed boats also carried cargo and passengers.
Kayak
A kayaker paddles on San Francisco Bay. First used by the Inuit thousands of years ago for fishing and hunting, kayaks are widely used today for recreation. Kayaks have an enclosed deck and an open cockpit, where the rower sits with a double-bladed paddle.
Another type of skin boat is the kayak, a type of canoe created by the Inuit. The kayak is completely enclosed with animal skins stretched over a rigid frame, except for an open cockpit in the center, where the paddler sits armed with a double-bladed paddle. The kayak is wide at the center and tapers to points at both bow and stern. Kayaks in use today have much the same shape that kayaks had centuries ago, although modern kayaks may be molded from plastic, fiberglass, or Kevlar (a synthetic fiber originally developed to replace the steel in radial tires).
Bark-covered boats came into use about the same time that skin-covered boats did. They typically had a light wood frame with a bark covering made of pieces sewn together with root fiber. The frame was separated from the bark covering by a plank sheathing. Gunwales, or side edges, ran from bow to stern and provided longitudinal strength to the frame. The sheathing was held in place by forcing the ribs of the frame under the gunwales. Birchbark canoes up to 14 m (46 ft) long are known to have been built in North America. Modern canoes still have the basic shape and design of their predecessors, but they are usually molded from aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, or other lightweight, durable material.
Ancient Egyptians fashioned reed skiffs by securely binding together bundles of papyrus stems. The extreme lightness of these reed boats made them ideal for fishing in the marshes along the Nile; moreover, they were easy to carry. Equipped with sails and oars, the reed boats also carried cargo and passengers.
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