Canoes

Wood-strip canoes, built one at a time in a shop in west central Minnesota.

A wood-strip canoe pulled up on a rock ledge beside a misty BWCA lake at sunrise — Canoe No. 1, morning on the lake.

Canoe No. 1

I built the first one in 2022, after a storm left a few straight trees down in my yard. I bought Path of the Paddle and Canoecraft and got to work. Several years and many Boundary Waters trips later, I'm ready to make No. 2.

The canoe resting on rocks beside a set of rapids

The bow of the canoe underway on open water

Canoe No. 2, under construction

I'm building a second canoe this winter. Anticipated completion date late 2027.

I am not taking orders or deposits, but when it is finished, I intend to sell it.

If you'd like the specifications, photographs from the build, and word when it's finished and available, send me an email.

I'll post photographs here as it goes — the strongback and forms, the stripping, fairing, glass and epoxy, gunwales, seats, finish, and eventually the boat in the water. If you've ever wondered what's actually involved, this is the place to watch it happen.

How they're built

Hull: Wood strip — poplar and basswood, with ash for the trim
Wood: Locally sourced blowdown whenever I can get it
Lay-up: 6 oz fiberglass set in epoxy, inside and out
Method: One at a time, by hand, over a winter
Next boat: Canoe No. 2 — expected summer 2027

In print

I wrote about building the canoe, and about soloing it, in the Spring 2026 issue of Boundary Waters Journal.