16′ Beaver Canoe

The original print version of this article can be viewed as a PDF or purchased from the WoodenBoat Store.

Join to view PDF Purchase 16′ Beaver Canoe Plans

At the turn of this century Iain Oughtred was commissioned to design a canoe, or “Canadian canoe” as they’re called in the British Isles where Iain makes his home. The Canadian canoe has had a long history and has taken countless forms, so rather than aim at coming up with something new, he set out to create the ideal: “I just want to get it right, to get it as it should be, to make the archetypal Canadian canoe. All variations and designs are evolving towards the perfect canoe, and that’s what I want to achieve.”

As he studied the designs of existing canoes he took note of curves that were too strong or too weak and applied, in his own way, a version of the averageness hypothesis that has been used to measure and define beauty in the human face: What we recognize as beautiful is the balance and proportion of features that is the mean of all of the variations. Oughtred’s Beaver is his expression of the anything-but-average-looking mean of Canadian canoes.

The ends rise high enough to give the sheer a strong, sweeping curve without adding unnecessarily to windage. The rocker strikes an even balance between tracking and maneuverability; the shallow-arch cross section strikes its balance between speed and stability. The tumblehome at the sides eases getting the paddle to the water and yet maintains strong secondary stability and a dry ride.

The Beaver is symmetrical and the seven molds on either side of the center mold are identical. The full-sized patterns for the molds are lined off for optional lapstrake construction, either glued-lap or traditional lapstrake with steam-bent ribs on 6″ centers. Particulars for cold molding are also offered. Strip-built, the Beaver should come in at about 40 lbs, an easy weight to manage for cartopping and carrying.

The four sheets of Beaver Canoe design plans provide offsets, but the full-sized patterns will get you around having to loft the boat. Included are 16 pages of notes from Oughtred.

16′ Beaver Canoe Design Plan Details

DESCRIPTION
Hull type: Round-bottomed canoe
Construction: Strip, glue-lap ply, cold-molded

PERFORMANCE
Suitable for protected waters
Intended capacity: 1-2
Cartoppable or trailerable
Propulsion: Paddle

BUILDING DATA
Skill needed: Basic
Lofting required: No

PLANS DATA
No. of sheets: 4
Supplemental information: 16 pages
Level of Detail: Above average
Plans Format: Print
Cost per set: $102

Related Publications

Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual

How to Build Glued-Lapstrake Wooden Boats

Beaver Canoe Completed Image

More Iain Oughtred Canoe Designs

Looking for a design that’s a little different? We’ve got you covered. Check out these other canoe designs by Iain Oughtred.

10′ 8″ Stickleback Canoe: The shortest of the four canoes in Iain Oughtred’s catalogue

12′ Wee Rob Canoe: Light, elegant double-paddle canoe for glued-seam lapstrake construction

13′ 7″ MacGregor Canoe: An able double-paddle canoe