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Build-A-Boat GET ON THE WATER’S DIY CEDAR-STRIP DESIGN


SEXY STRIPPER. PHOTO: KAYDI PYETTE


Get On Te Water


Touring Canoe Specs Length ..................................15’7”


Weight .........................50 to 58 lbs (depending on construction details)


Max width ................................ 33” Capacity .......................... 1,070 lbs MSRP .................................$1,500 www.getonthewater.ca


At Otto Vallinga’s backyard boat building shop in the little commu- nity of Corunna, a poster on the wall depicts the wise words of well- known wooden boat builder, Captain Pete Culler: “Any man who wants to can produce a good boat. It takes some study, some practice and, of course, experience. The experience starts coming the minute you begin and not one jot before.” At the outset, building your own kit canoe can be intimidating, but the rewards are plentiful, Vallinga assures me. As the owner and founder of kit boat designer, Get On The Water, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this summer, he’s witnessed the pride and joy of customers post-build. “There’s more satisfaction in building your own boat; to be out


there in something you made, something you crafted,” he says. Constructed using western red cedar strips, Get On The Water’s gleaming 15-foot, seven-inch Touring Canoe is beautiful. The design is the result of Vallinga’s 15-plus years in the boat-building world; a modern canoe designed for joyful paddling. “Every wood boat is different, even when it’s the same design, be-


cause every piece of wood is different—the grain, the texture, and the way the light plays on the surface,” adds Vallinga. On the water I find it tracks effortlessly, maneuvers gracefully and


offers plenty of stability—there’s something magical and unmatched about the ride of a wooden boat on water. At 55 pounds and with such a pretty finish, it’s not a model I


would choose for rugged wilderness trips, but for a cottage cruiser and day tripper I can’t think of a more attractive option. The Touring Canoe is a perfect match for discerning recreational paddlers.


42 PADDLING MAGAZINE


Vallinga says the building project takes about 100 hours and, though it’s not necessary, it doesn’t hurt to have a background in woodworking. While Get On The Water offers the build plans alone for $70,


purchasing the kit simplifies the project. For $1,500, your local UPS delivery guy will drop off cardboard boxes in various shapes and sizes, containing pre-cut cedar strips as well as epoxy and fiberglass sheet- ing. You’ll want to hold on to the 70-page instruction manual. The supplies come direct from boat-building supply shop, Noah’s Marine. For the budget-minded, a DIY build is more cost effective than the $3,000 to $4,000 purchase price of most off-the-sawhorse wooden designs. Purchasing Vallinga’s design also comes with the assurance of as- sistance via phone or email, should the woodworker run into trouble, which Vallinga assures me happens rarely. Perhaps it’s my own in- experience when it comes to woodworking, but I’m surprised when he tells me that no one has ever called in a panic, claiming to have ruined their canoe. So long as you follow the steps, you’ll end up with a water-ready


boat, Vallinga says—any imperfections only add to the story of the craft. “Your wood boat, whether built from a kit or from scratch, was crafted by you for you. It was your sweat, your time, your passion that have brought it together.” —Kaydi Pyette


jDIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to watch Get On The Water’s Touring Canoe in action.


This article first appeared in the Summer/Fall 2014 issue of Canoeroots magazine.


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