Baffin kayak with skin on.

Baffin style kayaks are very stable with enormous gear carrying capacity. In his book Qajak, author David Zimmerley has calculated a load capacity of up to half a ton on deck on some kayaks. While Baffin Island kayaks look similar to West Greenland kayaks, they're members of the Eastern Canadian family of kayaks.

Baffin Island kayaks are fairly large (20 ft) and flat bottomed with hard chines. The bow is deep, the stern wide and flat and the cockpit set fairly far aft. From above, the shape is like a teardrop with the point at the bow.

The traditional form of the Baffin Island kayak is well suited for someone whose priority is stability and carrying capacity, rather than agility. When these kayaks are scaled down to the length of a West Greenland kayak, they perform well as recreational kayaks.

Baffin Island kayak course

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