At Floating Leaf Canoes we build canoes that are copies, in shape, of the original birch bark canoes. We have chosen materials from all that are available today, to produce boats that are a pleasure to paddle, very light to handle, very practical and made with meticulous craftsmanship. The experience of paddling a boat shape identical to those used by tribal peoples for so many generations, is compelling. These boats are quite different from the more commonly available plastic canoes. Wood is the main material we use to produce an extremely stiff and lightweight hull, with tremendous impact resisting and flexing capabilities and longevity. We offer two placid water models, with various build options available on commissioning. For open water we have chosen to produce various versions of skin on frame boats, from Greenland kayaks to Umiaks. See below.
Materials for the canoe hull can be red cedar strip, cold moulded maple veneer or birch aeroply or skin on frame. The exterior of the hull can be protected by a clear polished glass-fibre and epoxy resin sheath, specifically chosen for its UV resistance, its flexibility and toughness. As an alternative we would recommend a remarkable spar varnish called Le Tonkinois - an excellent and organic product.
The real wear points on any canoe hull are at the forward section of the keel line, and at this point, as well as brass stem bands, we provide a Kevlar-in-epoxy heel plate, bonded onto the hull sheath, which is about as tough as it gets. This can be left in clear epoxy as a natural pale yellow colour, or the epoxy can be coloured or filled with your choice of filler e.g. the graphite inset option shown above.
The slotted gunwales and thwarts are made in your choice of wood.The centre thwart is deeply carved to produce a yoke that needs no extra padding, and means you can really portage these boats. The seating/kneeling thwarts are placed in a standard modern configuration for conventional kneeling, and are strong enough to be sat on. All wood surfaces, other than the exterior hull, are thoroughly treated with a Tung-oil based product (derived from the seeds of the Tung tree - one of the most resistant finishes known) which never needs stripping off and is not slippery. It can be touched up in patches without trace whenever you feel the need to rub an oiled rag across the beautiful form of your canoe - it is as simple as that.
Open canoeing has many aspects, one of which is aesthetic, and here the Floating Leaf Canoe range makes a dynamic contribution to the canoe experience. The detailed design of these boats is clean, simple and function driven, and the results are unashamedly beautiful. A Floating Leaf Canoe will paddle like a dream, transporting you in more ways than one in the primal union of man and water.
 
 

This copy of a hunter’s canoe is a lightweight boat (20 kg) originally for woodland use, is ideally suited to solo travel. Manoeuvrable, responsive and reliable, this boat becomes an extension of your intentions.
The St. Francis Abenaki canoes, built mainly on the St. Francis river, Quebec, were a very popular canoe amongst sportsmen, and became the standard canoe for hunting and fishing in Quebec in the mid-nineteenth century for their superior design and workmanship.
The Floating Leaf Abenaki has high peaked ends, and a level sheer with a quick upsweep at bow and stern. The end profile is almost vertical, with a short radius where it fairs into the bottom. The rocker is confined to the last 28 inches of the ends. Plumb sides at the midsection lead from a rather quick turn of the bilge. Following a very slight flare at the three-quarter points, the end sections are U-shaped approaching a V close to the extremities, where the canoe is very sharp, coming in practically straight at the gunwale and at level lines below it.
Length: 13' 8" Beam: 31" Depth: 13"
Price: from £1,500
 
 

This 15ft 6in Algonkin utility canoe is broader than the Abenaki, but still with fine water lines. Combining tracking and manoeuvrability, stability and speed rather than compromising one for another, the Algonkin provides capacity with easy paddling properties. A good all round boat for solo or tandem paddling, it is light enough (25 kg) to handle easily ashore.
Algonkin canoes were relatively narrow bottomed with flaring sides and would carry a heavy load; it is significant that some believe these to have been the design from which the Fur Trading Canoes were developed.
The Floating Leaf Algonkin has ends that are sharp at the line of flotation and has moderate rocker. The midsection has a well-rounded bilge and very slight flare, which gently increases to the three-quarter points before giving way to a V-section close to the ends. The sheer line is level in the midsection and slopes in an increasingly tight curve to meet a high, gently rounded stem line.
Length: 15’6" Beam: 35.5" Depth: 13"
Price: from £1,750

The Umiak is an open water craft built from about 15 feet up to about 35 feet. They were the craft from which whales and other large sea mammals were hunted, and would be used to service a fleet of hunting kayaks as well as more menial transport duties. Often referred to as the women's boat, the umiak was an all round work horse for the Arctic dwelling tribes and can still be found in use today. Originally covered with split walrus hide, today these craft are normally covered with a robust fabric and proofed with a substantial finish such as a good varnish, or a bituminous paint or similar material. Animal sinew and rawhide is replaced by modern synthetic lashing materials. This sort of construction is very easy for the novice to maintain and manage, and produces a very economical craft. Excellent stability, large capacity, and of course sea-worthiness, are combined with a very lightweight craft of simple lashed construction. Very little glue is used in the construction of the umiak. Inherently a flexible construction technique, certain elements are tightly jointed and some wooden dowelling is used, but no metal fixings.
The umiak was traditionally paddled. Later on, oars were adopted as well as sail, and latterly outboard motors. All these means of propulsion can be used in the modern umiak, and provision for them can be selected on commissioning, as well as a choice of materials to be used in construction. It is an easy craft to use with a number of paddlers, or on your own with oars, and makes an ideal family boat. The 16'6" (5 metres) umiak pictured, can take up to six adults with plenty of room for kit.
The lines of the umiak are those of a flat-bottomed boat, typically with great flare and a very shapely sheer line. The bottom is narrow and gently curved, with a significant amount of rocker. The boat is double ended with the stern sections shallower but broader than the bow sections.
Length: 16’6" Beam: 49" Depth: 18" 
Price: from £1,000.00