Free Plans – Coast Salish Style Canoe

The Coast Salish Style Canoe appears on page eight of Leslie Lincoln’s Coast Salish Canoes

. Lincoln writes that it’s the classic style and is housed at the Vancouver Centennial Museum, Vancouver, B.C. The boat measures over 27 feet making it as long as most voyager canoes. Lincoln also notes that the Coast Salish style canoes evolved for use in inland seas. This canoe features an interesting flare along the sheerline. The design works to keep the craft from shipping waves while maintaining a narrow hull for speed. It’s reflected in the bow; where, as Lincoln notes, the upper edge flares to keep out waves, but the lower, narrower section cuts through waves with its fine entry. The cutwater on this boat as shown in the lineplan extends lower than the keel. This increased tracking and helped the canoe travel silently for hunting. Lincoln divides Coast Salish Style Canoes into two categories. The first is freighter canoes that measured up to 40 feet, and the second is hunting style canoes. This canoe falls into the second category.

On a modeling and personal note, this canoe is the penultimate model. One more canoe and I’ve completed my winter project of producing a free canoe or kayak plan each week all winter long. When finished, I’ll have modeled 25 boats. And the plans, designed for cedar strip building, are all free—as in free beer. It is a relief to be so close to finishing this project. I’ll have about five to six extra hours of free time a week after next Friday!

Specifications

Length: 27 feet 6 inches
Width: 3 feet 7 inches
Draft: 8.4 inches
Displacement: 1000 lbs.

Linesplans

Canoe Building Books

These plans don’t include instructions. If you want that, pick up a canoe building book.

• Canoecraft: An Illustrated Guide to Fine Woodstrip Construction
• Building a Strip Canoe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded by Gil Gilpatrick

For a more, check out my review of canoe and kayak building books.

Get the Drawing Package

The drawing package includes the full-sized study plan and each station and stem drawn separately on a PDF that prints full sized on ARCH D size paper (nestings). You can cut these out and glue them to plywood to cut full-sized forms. A pdf of the electronic drawing package. is available for this kayak. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

• Click to get the drawing package

Free Canoe Plan Download

This week’s plans come in three downloads. It’s a big boat!

• Free Canoe Plan: Coast Salish Style Canoe Stations
• Coast Salish Style Canoe Bow
• Coast Salish Style Canoe Stern