Red Lake Canoe - Our humble beginnings

Three men and a passion for canoeing

 

Red Lake Canoe Company was formed in 2003 by two engineers and a businessman. All three had done a great deal of canoeing over the past thirty years and decided that a better canoe could be made that would be both lightweight and durable. But equally important, all three believed that this could be done at a more economical price.

The three brought technology from the aerospace industry together with ship structures experience and selected a combination of Kevlar, structural foam, fiberglass and vinylester resin that would allow a significant weight reduction while providing a strong, durable product. The goal was set to produce a 40 lb, 16 foot tripping canoe that could retail at a price affordable to typical canoeists and fisherman.

 

 

The initial prototype developed was a 12 foot solo canoe that employed all of the characteristics required in the larger 16 foot canoe. Six of these were constructed and these now have hundreds of hours of usage, with no leaks, cracks or virtually any structural problems. (One canoe has a gouged gunwhale where it encountered a brush from a chainsaw.) Although the Red Lake Canoe Company was only formed in 2003, these canoes were constructed in 1997 and now are over 10 years old.

Once the 12 foot canoes were well tested, the 16 foot prototypes were started. After another 20 more 16 foot prototypes, a final design was selected. The hull design is a 16 foot Prospector, modeled after the Chestnut Prospector that was made famous by the late Bill Mason. To quote Bill Mason, “It is amazing that such a large-volume tripping canoe can also be so beautiful to paddle solo in the leaned position – canoe ballet, as I call it. It is the ideal all-round canoe.”

 

Experienced and seasoned canoeist, Geoffery Milder can be seen above having some fun in the 16 foot Prospector.

 

Our Lake Tripping Canoe was born...


This canoe was specifically developed as a lake tripping canoe that can be carried easily by one person with a pack. The canoe comes standard with a comfortable ash yoke that is well balanced. Each individual canoe is balanced by hand to give it a slight dip to the stern so that you can see where you’re going while walking through the woods.

The main feature which sets this canoe apart from others is its stiffness. There are several other lightweight canoes out there but we have yet to see one in the low 40 lbs range that has the stiffness of this one. This canoe is extremely responsive, tracks well and is a pleasure to paddle. Combine that with the fact that it weighs in at 45 lbs, and you have a great canoe that has been priced to make it affordable for any serious canoeist.

 

The prospector has lots of capacity for a full load. Even fully loaded, the prospector still provides about 8 inches of freeboard. This allows for large loads and still provides the paddlers with lots of freeboard to stay dry in choppy weather conditions. Two canoeists can be seen below heading out for the weekend with a full load and there is still room for the dog and whatever other essentials need to be added for a little more comfort on the weekend.

 

Serious enough to have fun