Belcher Island Kayak Plans

The Belcher Island Kayak was collected in 1958 from Great Whale River where it was built by “Adlaykok” or Allaiquq. It appears as figure 46 in E.Y. Arima’s Inuit Kayaks in Canada: A Review of Historical Records and Construction, Based Mainly on the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s Collection. Arima notes that it was likely built for demonstration, and that its 22-foot length and 29.5-inch beam would make for a good trade kayak between the Belcher Islands and mainland. He also notes that it’s likely as much as a single paddler could handle by himself.

The condition of the kayak was rather poor when the lines were taken. The bottom was collapsed and the stern warped upward. Arima notes that this collapse and warping was corrected in the drawings. I further corrected what looked like warping to my eye in his drawings.

Linesplan

The Belcher Island kayak is definitely different looking that many modern kayaks. Here’s the linesplans.

Belcher Island Kayak Plans Specifications

Design length 22.750 ft
Design beam 29.5 in
Design draught 0.400 ft
Length on waterline 19.397 ft
Beam on waterline 2.376 ft
Displacement 1000 lbs
Block coefficient 0.6885
Prismatic coefficient 0.5650
Waterplane coefficient 0.6549
Vert. prismatic coefficient 0.6509

Recommended Books to Buy Before Building

Building Strip-Planked Boats The newest book by kayak and canoe building authority, Nick Schade. A must have.

The Strip-Built Sea Kayak: Three Rugged, Beautiful Boats You Can Build The gold standard of kayak building books. Clearly explains all the sets of boat building from tools to epoxy work. There are so many tricks and tips in this book that you’ll be able to save time.

Kayakcraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak Construction Presents a slightly different way to build cedar strip kayaks. Lots of great ideas.

The New Kayak Shop: More Elegant Wooden Kayaks Anyone Can Build If stitch and glue is your thing, then this is the book to get.

Get the Drawing Package

The drawing package includes the full-sized study plan and each station and stem drawn separately on a PDF that prints full sized on ARCH D size paper (nestings). You can cut these out and glue them to plywood to cut full-sized forms. A pdf of the electronic drawing package. is available for this kayak. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

• Contact me to see if I have time to draw these.

Free Kayak Plans Downloads

The free kayak plans for the Belcher Island kayak are yours to examine for free. If you want to build a kayak from these free kayak plans, you can enlarge it and attempt a build. Other options are available as well.

• Belcher Island Kayak Plans