skin canoes

When thinking about traditional canoes, the dugout and birch bark canoes quickly come to mind. Few people know that skin canoes were found in many northern regions of the world. These areas lacked the large timber needed for a dugout, nor was there access to a bark that would serve as a hull. They were therefore forced to resort to skin-on-frame construction, in a style similar to the kayaks and umiaks from the arctic. In seeking to build traditional canoes today, we are faced with similar problems.

The wood material required to construct a skin canoe is less than half of that needed for a cedar strip or even a wood-canvas canoe. The advantages of skin-on-frame construction are clear: extreme light weight, lower material cost, and less labor.

Skin Canoe Workshops are only offered at the Anacortes facility. The class runs 8 days (about 70 hours). Past boat designs have been based on Ojibwa and Hudson bay lines, but alternate canoe configurations can also be constructed. Every canoe is custom designed by the individual to suit their intended application. The Skin Boat School is proud to offer this truly unique experience to you.

Please contact us for a consultation.

The Skinboat School
4744 Welch Lane
Anacortes, WA. USA 98221

Phone (360)299-0804