Seal skin

In the arctic where the temperature seldom gets much warmer than a US refrigerator, seal skin can be used as a waterproof covering for kayaks. It was used for this purpose for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Photo [1] of a seal skin being stretched in a frame.

Unfortunately, as with most animal products, if the seal skin is kept wet and warm, it begins decomposing rapidly. Unfortunately for American traditional kayak aficionados and Northern peoples trying to balance traditional and modern lifestyles, and fortunately, perhaps, for seals, the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the importation of sealskin into the United States.(seal skin can be legally purchased from Alaskan Eskimos and Indians)

Fabrics such as cotton canvas and man-made fabrics now (nearly) universally replace seal skin in SOF kayaks. BUT, If you really want to get a Seal Skin Qayaq, it is available in the Yupik village of Kwigillingok in western Alaska. There is a small business called Qayanek. (contact Bill Wilkinson or Noah Andrew for more informaiton at 1-907-588-8129) It is a Qayaq Preservation Center that can build traditional Yupik Qayaqs covered in seal skin and all the traditional Qayaq impliments,check it out,its amazing stuff