The Canadian canoe was originally used by American Indians. The white man adopted their use early on, but modified their construction. Where the Indians used birch bark, they would instead use thin wooden boards and canvas. This method of building canoes is over a hundred years old and well tested.

You can now build Canadian canoes at Kajakkspesialisten's construction courses. We use a classic model, designed by canoe and kayak builder Hans Egede Hoell.
The canoe is ideal for use inland, on rivers and lakes. It has a large cargo capacity, is stable and fast. It's suited for use by two adults or one adult and one child.
We use ash for ribs and stringers, and spruce for boards, since this makes the canoe light. The canvas is thin cotton, painted with the same base and finish as the kayaks.

Courses 2019!

The course calendar has been updated. Check out this year's kayak building classes:here

Kayak building in the USA

From Autumn 2017, Delmarwa USA: Here:

Baidarka paddling

A video clip from summer of 2011's great baidarka adventure:here

Baidarka building

A video from a kayak building class in Vestfossen, Norway:here

New pages!

New, and well illustrated presentation of our beautiful new paddle types! More.

Traditional kayaking article

Jeff Allens article from Ocean Paddler:Les her: