Canoe Plans

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Free NWC Canoe Plans

Why would sane canoe builders offer their canoe plans and not collect a single dime? It's simple... to encourage you to experience the outdoors in your custom hand-built canoe. We routinely do so and feel nothing else compares. The offer is a nudge to get you started building a NorthWest River, NorthWest Cruiser, NorthWest Merlin or NorthWest Passage.

If there's a catch it's this... support paddlesports with a ten-dollar gift to one of our partners in paddling: Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Urban Boatbuilders, Wilderness Inquiry or the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association. Four outstanding paddlesports non-profits, tough decision, so why not go for a ten-dollar donation to each. Four Hamilton's is half the retail value of canoe plans. Tight budget? You can still receive NWC canoe plans absolutely free, details on checkout. Click any design sketch to visit the NWC store, download your plans and start building your canoe.

NWC Proudly Offers John Winters Designs

John Winters merges statistical analysis of paddlers and boats with contemporary hydrodynamic theory. Winters has designed record setting racing canoes to revolutionary touring and tripping canoes. A member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Winters is the most published designer of canoes and kayaks in North America. An avid paddler, Winters has enlightened a new generation of canoeists.

NorthWest Canoe proudly offers canoeists and home builders selected Canoe Plans and the following Winters articles, writings that dive into the science behind the art of building and paddling small boats. Enjoy.

NorthWest Tadpole

Thinking of the kids, we designed the Tadpole. Fun. A pint-size canoe that’s easy to handle on and off the water. Grab the double blade - Tadpole feels remarkably stable with floor level seating. You’ll wonder why other people’s kids still paddle plastic kayaks. Coming in a tad short of 13-feet means you’ll have no trouble building a 30-pound Tadpole.

Light, nimble and quick to accelerate this symmetrical hull also makes a fantastic freestyle canoe for big kids. Position the seat a few inches below the gunwale and she transforms into a kneeling paddler’s polo pony. The design offers plenty of volume for a day paddle and really doesn’t care about your age.

NorthWest Tadpole
Overall Length	12 ft 8 in	Click Sketch For Canoe Plans
Rocker: Bow/Stern	2 in
Beam at Gunwales	26½ in
Maximum Beam	28 in
4 in. Waterline	24½ in
Sheer Bow/ Stern	16 in
Amidships Depth	11 in
Approx Weight	30 lbs

Osprey

John Winters said, “The Osprey was originally designed as my personal solo. It is what I perceived to be the ideal small solo canoe for Canadian wilderness travel. The designed displacement is adequate for a large padder on a long weekend trip, or a smaller paddler for longer trips. Unlike many American solos, this boat is heavily rockered forward with slightly less aft. The combination provides good maneuverability in smaller streams and excellent tracking on open water.”

Osprey
Overall Length	14 ft10 in	Click Sketch To Purchase Canoe Plans
Waterline Length	14 ft 2½
Rocker: Bow/Stern	1¾ / ¾
Maximum Beam	30 in
Beam - Waterline	27¼ in
Sheer Bow	19 in
Amidships Depth	12¼ in
Sheer Stern	16 in
Displacement	283 lbs

NorthWest Passage Solo

If you've admired the Merlin but wished for a solo with rocker, look no further. The Passage Solo gives you two inches of bow and an inch of stern rocker. Differential rocker provides maneuverability in heavy water, yet tracks when you lay the hull flat. If you're ready to build a solo canoe, but don't have the time or space for a stable-full of boats, the NorthWest Passage Solo will see you down the creek or take you on a week-long portage and paddle excursion.

NorthWest Passage Solo
Overall Length	15 ft	Click Sketch For Canoe Plans
Rocker: Bow/Stern	2 / 1 in
Beam at Gunwales	27 in
Maximum Beam	30 in
3 in. Waterline	26½ in
Sheer Bow	17 in
Amidships Depth	12 in
Sheer Stern	15 in
Approx Weight	40 lbs

Barracuda

The speed of a solo marathon racer, the maneuverability and seaworthiness you expect in a tripping canoe. A paddler with good sit-and-switch technique will make this boat fly. Barracuda is not for novices, the narrow waterline will keep you on your toes. But you won't be able to race the Barracuda; it’s too narrow to meet marathon spec. You won’t mind though. The best part of paddling Barracuda has nothing to do with competition and a lot to do with the thrill of flying over the water, and the possibility of making that ultra-light solo trip.

Barracuda
Overall Length	17 ft 3 in	Click Sketch To Purchase Canoe Plans
Waterline Length	16 ft 9 in
Rocker: Bow/Stern	2 / 1.3 in
Maximum Beam	28 in
Beam - Waterline	24³/₈ in
Sheer Bow	14.5 in
Amidships Depth	10 in
Sheer Stern	11.4 in
Displacement	210 lbs

NorthWest Merlin

So you're packing extra doughnuts, portage packs, taking dog for a paddle... you need a Merlin. The NorthWest Merlin gives you plenty of volume in an sleek 16 foot solo canoe. The lines of this seaworthy design provide more than eye candy, this efficient solo allows you to cover greater distances with fewer strokes.

NorthWest Merlin
Overall Length	16 ft	Click Sketch For Canoe Plans
Rocker: Bow/Stern	1 / ½ in
Beam at Gunwales	26½ in
Maximum Beam	29 in
3 in Waterline	27 in
Sheer Bow	16 in
Amidships Depth	12 in
Sheer Stern	14½ in
Approx Weight	40 lbs.

Mattawa

Mattawa is quick, responsive and a delight to paddle wherever your journey takes you. Through subtle manipulating of hull shape, John Winters designed a canoe equally at home on flatwater or whitewater. Mattawa’s performance comes with a solid, stable feel, predictable stability that allows you to heel the canoe all the way to the gunwale. Mattawa is perfect for smaller paddling partners and weekend getaways.

Mattawa
Overall Length	15 ft 8 in	Click Sketch To Purchase Canoe Plans
Waterline Length	14 ft 10 in
Rocker: Bow/Stern	2 ½ / 1¾
Maximum Beam	36 in
Beam - Waterline	33 in
Sheer Bow	22 in
Amidships Depth	14½ in
Sheer Stern	19½ in
Freebrd @ 360 lbs	9 in

NorthWest River

You enjoy day trips on the local river? This is your canoe. The NorthWest River is sixteen feet of paddling fun. It carries a lot of stuff for a sixteen-foot canoe, so don’t be afraid to stay out longer. We designed this hull with prospector-like maneuverability while maintaining the stability and classic lines of canoes like the Minnesota Canoe Association’s Guide. It’s not the fastest canoe on the planet. Who cares? The NorthWest River fits everyone’s idea of how a canoe ought to look and behave.

NorthWest River
Overall Length	16 ft	Click Sketch For Canoe Plans
Rocker: Bow/Stern	2½ in
Beam at Gunwales	33½ in
Maximum Beam	35½ in
4 in. Waterline	32½ in
Sheer Bow / Stern	22 in
Amidships Depth	14 in
Approx Weight	55 lbs

Winisk

Winisk is your all around tripping canoe engineered for open water paddling. Canadian designer John Winters has travel hundreds of miles on Lake Superior and Georgian Bay in his Winisk. Its asymmetrical shape and 525 pound displacement make Winisk the ideal extended tripper, although many paddlers are perfectly happy taking their Winisk out for a weekend jaunt.

Winisk
Overall Length	17 ft 6 in	Click Sketch To Purchase Canoe Plans
Waterline Length	17 ft
Rocker: Bow/Stern	3¼ / 1 in
Maximum Beam	36 in
Beam - Waterline	32½ in
Sheer Bow	21 in
Amidships Depth	14 in
Sheer Stern	19 in
Freebrd @ 525 lbs.	9 in

NorthWest Cruiser

Big lakes, big waves, big kids... the NorthWest Cruiser can handle them all. A NorthWest Canoe exclusive, this design shows the water nothing but sweet curves. It slips through water with little resistance. Gone for the summer or gone for a Sunday, the stable NorthWest Cruiser works to keep you, passengers and gear safe and dry. This efficient symmetrical design puts you in a canoe that's simple to build and a pleasure to paddle.

Northwest Cruiser
Overall Length	17 ft	Click Sketch For Canoe Plans
Rocker: Bow/Stern	1 / 1 in
Beam at Gunwales	33 in
Maximum Beam	35 in
4 in. Waterline	33½ in
Sheer Bow / Stern	18½ in
Amidships Depth	14 in
Approx Weight	55 lbs

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