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How To Build a Canoe or Kayak

Northwest Canoe started as a forum to teach wood strip canoe building. We've been offering classes and workshops, teaching the art of building small boats since 1991.

Open water signals a new season for installing keel protector strips, replacing gunwales, patching holes and mending gel coat. Don’t let our repair diversion deter you from building. We have several boats worth of cedar strips on hand, everything down to the last stainless steel screw you need for your spring-summer project.

Our building class schedule will resume in the fall. Expect to see paddle making plus exciting new one and two-day workshops on our fall schedule.

In canoe building, teams of four-to-six people build one cedar strip canoe. You learn how to set-up, strip, fiberglass and trim-out a handsome cedar strip epoxy canoe. In six class sessions, we demystify and simplify the canoe building process. You take away the know how to build a cedar strip canoe with graceful fair lines. You’ll discover the short cuts and secrets of the 'Minnesota Method'.

Or, start your paddling journey by building a Pygmy Kayak. Learn the stitch & glue building technique that’s revolutionized home building. Paddle a hand made mahogany kayak designed by John Lockwood, the world's leading plywood kayak designer.

Stitch & Glue Kayak Class

Choose a Pygmy Kayak that fits your paddling style when you register. NWC orders your kayak kit and our shop elves unpack, preassemble and drill the panels. This means the first night of class you're "stitching" your hull together.

Most builders complete a solo kayak in 50-to-70 hours. You have 24 hours of dedicated class time and more than 70 hours of open shop time to finish your Pygmy Kayak.

Class I: Wire the hull and insert temporary building frames
Class II: Fiberglass / epoxy exterior of hull
Class III: Fit the top deck
Class IV: Fiberglass hull interior
Class V: Marry the top deck to the hull with fiberglass and epoxy
Class VI: Install cockpit coaming, seats, backbands

There are a lot of baby steps sandwiched between sessions and we'll be around during open shop to answer your questions as you build a beautiful mahogany Pygmy Kayak with your own hands.

Tuition starting at: $1,395

A $225 deposit secures your building space and ensures the Pygmy design you choose is ready when you are. Call 651 229 0192 or register online

Wood Strip Canoe Class

You jump right into the building process on session one, positioning the building forms on the strongback. Over the next two sessions the canoe takes shape as you and your fellow students trim, bevel and fit seventy cedar strips into place. We do it with pocket knife, block plane staples and glue. It's low-tech. If you enjoy tying your own flies, carving decoys or sewing quilts, then cedar strip building is definitely for you.

By the midpoint of this six session class we'll be sanding and fiberglassing the hull, first the outside, then the we go inside. The final night of class you get hands-on experience installing gunwales, decks and seats.

Expect to participate in every piece of the building process to ensure you take away the skills and know-how to build your own cedar strip canoe. Tuition includes a NWC canoe plan of your choice, "The Art Of Building A Cedar Strip Canoe" and a all the materials you need to build your own canoe.

Tuition: $1,395

Make a $225 deposit and reserve your spot now. Call 651 229 0192 or register online

Ready to build your cedar stip canoe, but can't squeeze a workshop between business trips, yoga classes and the kid's music lessons? Get the same techniques we teach in class through our canoe building manual, "The Art of Building the Cedar Stip Canoe", written by the building master, Al Gustaveson.

Building Book $20

2008 Winter - Spring Class Schedule

Classes meet at the NorthWest Canoe shop in downtown St. Paul, MN. Build your boat surrounded by the fortress-thick stone and timber walls of the Historic Northern Railway Warehouse. Classes start at 6 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. The NWC shop is an outside entrance on the southeast corner of the warehouse. You'll find plenty of parking in the commuter lot, east side of the building.

Session A: Jan 15th - Feb 21st
•   Canoe Building, Tuesday evenings, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
•   Kayak Building, Wednesday evenings, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Session B: Feb 25th - March 2nd Break

Session C: March 4th - Apr 9th
•   Kayak Building, Tuesday evenings, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
•   Canoe Building, Wednesday evenings, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Session D: Apr 14th - Apr 19th
•   One Week Canoe Bulding Workshop, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.