Otter Creek Smallcraft Canoe & Kayak

Otter Creek Smallcraft offers a range of beautifully hand-crafted cedar-strip canoes, custom-built for the client.

Sole proprietor Peter Macfarlane is both the designer and the builder of these canoes, from raw lumber to final polish, ensuring that his original vision and his exacting standards are fulfilled. Not only are these canoes extremely elegant to look at, they are also lightweight and handle beautifully, both on and off the water; they are a joy to paddle, and are built to be used. Indeed one of them has successfully completed the  Northern Forest Canoe Trail - twice.

Two designs are offered:

• the Lutra, a general purpose canoe with good initial stability, high manoeuvrability and reasonably good tracking;
• the Sylva, a dedicated touring canoe with slightly reduced initial stability, excellent tracking, yet sufficient manoeuvrability when heeled.

Either can be built as a solo or a tandem canoe, and solos are offered either with a symmetrical hull and central seat or with an asymmetrical hull, centre thwart/yoke, seat aft, and maximum buoyancy aft for improved trim.

No-obligation test paddles on local water are offered and highly recommended.