The Joy of Building Your Own Canoe

I started building light weight double paddle canoes when my 17 pound kevlar canoe began to feel too small.  My first was a 13' by 28" beam skin-on-frame canoe. I loved the process.  It was somehow freeing, relaxing.  Since then I've taught people how to build these simple but elegant boats for twenty-five years.  I still love seeing how proud people are after building a good looking, easy-to-use boat in just a few days. Many of these crafts have been used on lakes, ponds and rivers from Maine to Minnesota and down to Florida. And over the years,  a number have appeared in the pages of WoodenBoat magazine. In the off season some lucky boats find their ways into homes where they rest on walls, and are sometimes hung from ceilings, to be enjoyed all winter.

-Hilary Russell, Director of Berkshire Boat Building School and Author of Building Skin-on-Frame Double Paddle Canoes

One of Hilary Russells Skin on Frame Canoes

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Want to build your own canoe with us this summer?

​Over the course of two weekends, June 17-19 & June 24-26, Instructor Rich Cerruto will lead this unique course on building skin-on-frame double paddle canoes. The canoe will be constructed with a wooden frame and a stretched with a nylon "skin". Each student will leave with a completed canoe ready for the water. These 28-pound canoes are strong and can hold up to 320 pounds. Easily car-topped, they are perfect for casual paddlers and beginning boatbuilders alike. Don't miss out on the opportunity to build your own beautiful functional canoe! The canoe is 30" wide, 10" deep, weighs about 32 lbs. and carries 320 lbs. Rig it as a solo, a tandem with a carrying yoke, or as a solo/tandem. All materials required are provided, including pre-cut lumber, polyester cloth, stem bands and seats.

Click Here For More Details and To Register

Father and daughter team building a canoe at our shop in 2021