Course description

The "66 canoe" is a comprehensive skin-on-frame canoe building system that lets you control all of the shaping variables to build a canoe that is customized to your paddling lifestyle. This 12 hour video course and downloadable 30-page PDF plan set puts you in the classroom with me, ensuring that your first skin-on-frame build is easy, fun, and successful.

Watch the evolution of this design from concept to release on our YouTube Channel.

FIND MORE INFO ON OUR WEBSITE   //  CHECK OUT SOME STUDENT-BUILT CANOES

Generally, we refine designs for years before releasing them as student builds. This early release "beta version" was designed to offer the building system early at a lower cost to those who want to start building now.


LICENSING AGREEMENT:

See video for additional details. This online video course is intended for use by one builder only. Multiple persons may not work from a single course, with the exception of children under 18 working with an adult. Purchase allows you to build unlimited canoes for personal use or as gifts for others who ARE NOT BUILDING. Commercial use is allowed with written permission and a fee per boat, contact for details.  Violating the licensing agreement is bad karma!

Course curriculum

    1. Color Options for Skin on Frame Boats, Acid Dye vs. Earth Pigments

      FREE PREVIEW
    2. Workspace Setup and Tips for an Efficient Build

      FREE PREVIEW
    3. Canoe Seating Overview. (full size canoes only)

    4. Planning for Keel Strips and Stem Bands

    5. Canoe Sail

      FREE PREVIEW
    6. Canoe Rudder Overview

      FREE PREVIEW
    7. Overview of Polyurethanes, Oils, Glues, and Varnishes

    1. SAMPLE Plan Set

      FREE PREVIEW
    2. Downloadable Plan Set: VERSION 2.2

    1. My Latest Thoughts on Canoe Design

      FREE PREVIEW
    2. Solo Canoe with Tumblehome 15'1" x 30" 4/29/2021

    3. Solo Canoe with Tumblehome 14' x 30" 6/1/2021

    4. Solo Canoe 14' x 30" built by Gabe Batson (student) 2021

    5. Solo canoe 14'8" x 31 1/2" built by Gabe Batson (student)

    6. Student Built Tandem Canoe 16'3" x 36" 6/20/2021 (built with Yellow Cedar Ribs!)

    7. Student Built Tandem 17' x 36" 2/1/2021

About this course

  • $199.00
5 star rating

This Rocks!

John Passacantando

So far, it's brilliant. This isn't just a step by step guide, follow the bouncing ball and boat comes out at the end. These plans are taking me through an ...

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So far, it's brilliant. This isn't just a step by step guide, follow the bouncing ball and boat comes out at the end. These plans are taking me through an educational journey and the end product will simply reflect what I've learned along the way. This is a wonderful approach to teaching, I'm loving this.

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5 star rating

Skin-on-Frame Canoe Building Course

Jeff Dahlquist

This is an excellent course that Brian has created. He explains step by step with both text and videos how to build a canoe. You can work at your own pace go...

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This is an excellent course that Brian has created. He explains step by step with both text and videos how to build a canoe. You can work at your own pace go back and view the videos as many time as you want. His system and techniques to build a canoe are well thought out and work. The canoe I built is a lot of fun to paddle. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to build their own canoe.

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5 star rating

It doesn't get any better than this

Matthew Harding

I've spent a good deal of time and research preparing for a skin-on-frame canoe build. I've thoroughly looked at every site I could find, examined the build...

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I've spent a good deal of time and research preparing for a skin-on-frame canoe build. I've thoroughly looked at every site I could find, examined the building methods, construction approach, and watched countless youtube videos on the subject (much to my wife's chagrin). Being an engineer for an aerospace engineering company, my expectations for attention to detail are quite high. Brian's content is far and away superior to anything on the market. His building methods are proven and sound, adaptable to many canoe sizes and shapes, the videos are outstanding and very professional, and his license agreement is as fair as they come. I purchased his course and am partway through the build and I can say he has easily surpassed my expectations and the build so far has been a pleasure because I know exactly what to do, what to expect, and what mistakes to avoid. If you are considering building a skin-on-frame canoe, you've come to the right place, for this price you are getting an amazing deal and an excellent product.

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5 star rating

Great course!

Kevin Pauba

Although I don't plan on building a SOF canoe for another few years, this was too good of a deal to pass up. I don't think this construction method will bec...

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Although I don't plan on building a SOF canoe for another few years, this was too good of a deal to pass up. I don't think this construction method will become obsolete anytime soon either. A very professional how-to course. Brian is an excellent presenter with the know-how to make the subject matter understandable and doable by anyone. I wished I had discovered this when my kids were younger as building a set of canoes together would have been a great shared experience.

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5 star rating

Great nesting canoes

Ryan Seapy

I built a pair of nesting canoes. The course provided all the info needed for someone who hasn't ever done woodworking. The canoes are well balanced and work...

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I built a pair of nesting canoes. The course provided all the info needed for someone who hasn't ever done woodworking. The canoes are well balanced and worked great on a 15 mile river trip. I'm looking forward to taking it back out now that I have a greenland paddle.

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5 star rating

amazing

Jane Stoykov

every single step was an adventure. Every single thing was new to me but I've done all the steps instructed and safe. A safe way to to get from nothing to fu...

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every single step was an adventure. Every single thing was new to me but I've done all the steps instructed and safe. A safe way to to get from nothing to full satisfaction.

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5 star rating

Excellent Course

Shawn Calhoun

I definitely feel much more confident after watching this course, a lot of great material and little bits of critical information. Will definitely be referri...

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I definitely feel much more confident after watching this course, a lot of great material and little bits of critical information. Will definitely be referring back to it as the build progresses!

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5 star rating

Excellent instruction.

Royce Kessler

Good pace, with sufficient information to learn the process without being too detailed.

Good pace, with sufficient information to learn the process without being too detailed.

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5 star rating

Canoe 66

William Glendinning

Good overview and sequence of steps to take to due build. Enjoy ablitity to review certain sections repeatable times to understand key points and values....

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Good overview and sequence of steps to take to due build. Enjoy ablitity to review certain sections repeatable times to understand key points and values. Worth the $$$ spent to insure one's ablitity to build said canoe.

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5 star rating

Building two pack canoes

Martin Hill

This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing project to do. The plans and videos are really detailed and well produced.. At every stage Brian shares hi...

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This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing project to do. The plans and videos are really detailed and well produced.. At every stage Brian shares his wealth of experience, always clear, always helpful. On a couple of occasions I checked things out with Brian and he was very quick to email a response. I made two pack canoes and because of the pandemic restrictions in the UK have only given them a brief outing but they feel great. The course is excellent, the canoes look and feel great.

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FAQ

  • Are plans available in metric measurements?

    Because the accompanying video courses call out imperial measurements, and we are constantly making updates to both the plans and videos, we’ve found that metric plans leave a lot of room for potential confusion or error. For builders outside the US, we recommend purchasing a metric to imperial tape measure to make your build easier.

  • Why can’t I buy the plans without the video course?

    Because this is a building system not a plan for a specific boat, there are no standalone plans.

  • How much should I budget for the build?

    In addition to the cost of the course and plans, average materials cost for a canoe runs around $450. Materials costs vary based on the size boat you are building, local availability and shipping costs, so that could be as low as $300 for a small pack canoe or $700 for a tandem canoe.

  • Do the videos expire? Can I watch on multiple devices?

    You can login and view the course on any device. Enrolling in a course gives you lifetime access to the course material, including any updates or additions we make to the material in the future. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons we created these video courses instead of writing a book, because our designs and techniques are constantly evolving and we want you to always have access to the best and most up-to-date information.

  • I don’t have internet in my shop, can I download the videos to watch later?

    You can download individual videos to your device, but be aware that file sizes can be quite large.