About True North

Long, long ago…

I was in my twenties and guided only by a self-mandated adherence to passion in all that I pursued when I began building my first skin boat. It was a Y’upik qayaq, and I worked on it at night in the wooden boat building shop where I was employed by day. That qayaq project was part of a journey along a winding path of boat building, sailing, hang-gliding, woodworking, and skin boat studies. And though it took me years to see, my journey had begun to have a distinct thread of connection. Wind. Water. Wood. Passion. It is that thread which now binds me to my work, a pursuit that for me, points true north.

True North represents my ever-growing involvement with and love for the skin boats of the Arctic and Sub-arctic indigenous cultures. Through many years of researching archival information, studying qayaq specimens held in museums (and in some cases, in the storage sheds of Alaska Natives) as well as through hands-on rediscovery of the nearly-lost building methods, I have gained a deep appreciation and understanding of these marvelously sophisticated and beautifully perfect boats.

I have lived for several years in Alaska’s remote Native communities teaching skin boat building at the high schools and have also led community skin boat restoration projects. My involvement continues with return trips to the Aleut and Eskimo villages to teach and offer assistance to Native-run skin boat projects.
After all these years, my fascination with the skin boats of the North continues to grow with every new boat I build and with every new enthusiast I meet. I look forward to helping you in your own discovery of skin boats.
We eagerly welcome restoration projects to preserve existing Native-made skin boats and are available for consultations. Please call us for references.

Contact us

True North Boats
General Delivery
Bolinas, CA 94924

(415) 868-1488
email: angelara00@yahoo.com