Karbass (the word comes from Finnish ‘karvas’) is a small undecked boat of galley type. For over 500 years she has been used by fishermen and hunters for fish and animal harvesting as well as for cargo transportation in White and Barents seas. The spindle-shaped vessel has pointed fore and aft and is ideally adapted for ice navigation.

To build (stitch) a karbass, the trunk of a tree at its root was spread with wedges, the tree was felled then and the split was widened. A mortise was usually made in the wood but at times an indent was burnt out. The piece was steamed out then and spread again. After that, transverse ribs (oprugas) were installed inside, mostly made of spruce. The boardsides were increased and the planking reinforced with boards fixed in the overlap manner. The boards were fastened together with sticks, fiber straps or animal tendons. At the end, the whole body was calked and yarned with moss and oakum. Now and then, the design was supplemented with wooden sledges at the bottom so as to get karbass out of water and drag along the ice more easily. 

The boat was usually equipped with 2, 4 or 5 pairs of oars, two square sails with dolon (pole) set cornerwise, and she was conned by one steering man. It is a marvel that no additional fixing was used in the process of construction, not a single nail.

Karbass is a unique boat perfectly adapted for needs of the northern seaside inhabitants. With high stability and length 5 to 8 meters only, she could carry heavy loads - several adult males and a good catch or kill.

First written reference to boats of this type dates back to 1591. There is an entry for karbass in Customs Missive to Solovetsky Monastery. The boats from Pomorye (the land of Pomors) gained a foothold in the east and became a part of everyday life for peoples of Siberia. In spite of sharing common name there were different types of karbasses with regard to size and design: depending on intended purpose and homeport they acquired their own unique features. Over and above, a design universal for all karbasses did not exist, traditions and secrets were passed from one craftsman to another, and each shipwright used his own measures in the process of construction. A thoroughly sewn karbass served faithfully several generations of the family.

Karbass today is one of the Russian North symbols. But one cannot bring himself to call karbass out-of-date relic of the past. Up to the present day in some seaside villages the masters can be found who ‘stitch’ these boats using ‘the gauges of their grandfathers’, and even today karbasses compete not unsuccessfully with cutters and motorboats.