We are willing to work with you to get you exactly what you want, with as much of your own hands-on experience as you desire. We will build you a boat; or work together with you in building your boat; or will watch you build your own boat and merely provide advice and assistance when needed. Your choice. Regardless as to how involved you want to be in the creation of your boat, we guarantee you will be completely pleased with the outcome. As Joe always tells folks, “There is no better way to put a smile on your face than paddling a boat you built across a lake or down a river on a beautiful, sunny day.”

The standard tandem canoe we build is just over 18 feet long. We construct the boat using western red cedar strips laminated with 6oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin inside and out. The thwarts, decks, stems and gunwales are typically constructed of Sitka spruce but we can use cherry, oak, walnut and/or ash (if available). The seats are either tractor style or caned. The weight of the tandem canoes varies from 60 to 65 pounds. All of the boats we build have four coats of a protective fine marine varnish with an ultra violet (UV) additive. The cost for a tandem canoe is between $5000 to $6500 depending on highlights that you request that personalizes the boat.

Our solo canoe is approximately 16½ feet long and is similar in design to the Wenonah Prism. We use the same strip construction technique as the tandem. Costs vary from $4500 to $5500, again depending on personal touches that you decide

The guideboat we build can be constructed in even lengths of 15, 16 and 17 feet. This boat also uses cedar strip construction with several modifications. The strips are secured to a series of ash ribs with small brass screws and each strip is glued to each other using an epoxy resin mix. This boat has the exterior covered with fiber glass cloth and epoxy resin with the inside coated with epoxy resin without the fiberglass cloth. The stiffness and rigidity of the boat is realized by the glassed outer hull and the ash ribs in the interior of the boat. We apply four coats of UV protective varnish to the entire boat. The guideboat is equipped with three caned seats, the bow seat also having a back rest, and we construct a floor board out of cherry to make it easier to maneuver your feet over the ribs when entering and exiting the boat. This is a rowing boat with two sets of oar locks to accommodate up to 3 people. We construct our own oars out of cherry and can use any contrasting wood for the oar blade. The hardware we use is all solid brass and attached to the boat using silicon brass screws. The cost of this boat varies from $10,500 to $12,500 because it is time intensive to construct and the additional cost for materials

We also build bent-shaft canoe and kayak  paddles  that are light, strong and very efficient to use.  The canoe paddles are made with both white and western red cedar in order to make them as light as possible.  The blade in turn is covered with a four ounce fiberglass cloth for strength.  The kayak paddle is made as a one piece paddle, with the blades either in line or at whatever angle to each other you choose.  The shaft is typically made out of sitka spruce, with the blades formed with either white or western red cedar depending on your preferences.  We can use other woods in either style paddle, such as cherry or black walnut, to give your paddle it's own distinctive look.  Let us know what you want and we can customize it any way you'd like.  For a standard canoe paddle we charge $175.  The cost for a kayak paddle would be $250.

Feel free to Contact Us anytime at woodenboat@ottercreekcanoe.com

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