Nymph 10 Canoe

"It is wonderful how few pounds of cedar, rightly modeled and properly put together, it takes to float a man.” So wrote J. Henry Rushton in the late 19th century. Rushton was a canoe builder who helped promote a class of ultra-light sporting canoes. In this way he might have done as much to invent our sport as Inuit seal hunters did. Rushton’s most famous “pack canoe” was called SAIRY GAMP and it weighed just 10 lbs.

Nick Schade’s interpretation of the pack canoe, the Nymph 10, built with 1/4" bead-and-cove cedar strips, is built in an easier manner than Rushton's method. It does weigh more than Rushton's 10-lb beauty but a weight of only 23 lbs., it is a very light canoe.

That is less than 25 pounds! We’ve had cats that weighed more. Yet Nymph will carry you to your favorite fishing spots, moving fast with a kayak paddle, stable enough to relax and eat lunch aboard while you slouch in the kayak-style seat. If you do want to get the Nymph down to 15 pounds or less, you can build with 3/16” strips. The flyweight 10-footer is 25" wide and will hold paddlers weighing up to about 170 pounds.

Nick wrote about building Nymph in WoodenBoat magazine, and the canoe is featured in his book, Building Strip-Planked Boats. Builders are the beneficiary of beautiful, clear illustrations in that manual. And for “walking softly in the wilderness,” you just can’t beat an ultralight canoe.

A 12-foot version of this kit, the Nymph 12 is 12' long x 26-1/2" wide and will weigh between 25 and 30 pounds. It is a little heavier than the 10, but with a payload of up to 240 lbs., it is growing in popularity.

Our strip-built and hybrid kits ship with 50% Western Red and 50% Alaskan Yellow cedar bead-and-cove strips. Photos on our website and printed materials may show patterns and accent strips with walnut or other materials. Optional walnut strips are available and can be shipped with kit orders.