Red River Wooden Boats

We custom build small wooden boats including canoes, kayaks, fishing boats, and speed boats. All boats are built to U.S. Coast Guard safety standards. Red River Wooden Boats uses only the highest grade marine mahogany plywood (guaranteed by Lloyd’s of London), solid mahogany lumber, and vertical grain fir. This makes a light and strong boat. Cedar strip canoes and kayaks are made with clear (no knots) western red cedar coated with epoxy fiberglass. You can choose from the models shown below or we will build to your own plans.

“Too pretty to use.” Wooden boat builders often hear this comment, but these boats are made to hit the water, not just for looks. With the materials and building techniques used, the boats are truly functional, and stand up to many years of hard use with minimal maintenance. As long as the strength and performance of the boat isn’t compromised, we are happy to work with you to use special woods, trim, colors, etc., to complete your own unique craft.

Try them out. Choosing a boat without trying it is tough—whether a power boat or canoe. If you can get to Grand Forks, North Dakota or to our lake cabin (close to Itasca State Park in Minnesota), we can arrange for you to try out any of the boats shown. This will help you make personal choices for your boat on trim, seating, and other “final touches."

Fishing Dory
Flat-bottomed dories are a great boat for fishing or boat/camping. The roomy design allows lots of options for seating, lockers, etc. to best suit your use.

Speed Boat
If you like to go fast, this 14-footer works great for pulling skiers and cruising around the lake.

Cedar Strip Canoes
“Strippers” may be the best combination of looks and function that there is in small boats.

Kayaks
Kayaks can be made with cedar strips or using a "stitch and glue" method with marine plywood as shown here. Both methods make light and responsive boats.