Why build a canoe when it is cheaper and easier just to buy one? That is the question I was asked a lot while I was building canoe. There can be many reasons and I'll list the two that were most important to me.

a) I like to work with my hands and to build things. There is no better high than completing a project successfully and being able to say "Yup, I built it myself." It's a real boost to all the selfs; self esteem,self confidence etc.

b) Building a fine canoe is an investment. If you buy one, the minute you take it out of the store it starts loosing value. If you build one, with a little patience and care, you can always sell it for far more than the materials.

I have always liked canoeing. There is a certain calming effect being on the water and just letting yourself drift with the current. Having said this you can guess that I'm not much for white water. I'm more of a big river/lake type of person. Living in Winnipeg at the junction of two rivers has been a blessing. I have frequently rented canoes at the Forks.

Shortly after university I had wanted to get a canoe. So in my typical fashion I bought a few books on canoes and canoeing to see what type of canoe would be best for me. Unfortunately it turned out that I didn't have the money or the space for a canoe. Fortunately one of the books I got was "Canoecraft".

Years later, when I had the money and the room I went looking through the books again. After re-reading "Canoecraft" I decided that I wanted to build one. This was going to be a real adventure. Up to this point the most I had done in wood was to build a bookshelf. I was going to need quite a few tools and had a lot of questions.

This is the reason for this web site. This is advise from a first time builder to other first time builders. I don't have all the answers, but I do have a few ideas about how I would do things differently the next time. By relating my experiences I hope that other first time hopeful builders will get the confidence they need to build their own canoe. If you should still have questions you should try going to the builders forum at the bear mountain boats site.

As you can see, I'm still working on this site. More to come!!