Thinking of the kids, we designed the Tadpole. Fun. A pint-size canoe that’s easy to handle on and off the water. Grab the double blade - Tadpole feels remarkably stable with floor level seating. You’ll wonder why other people’s kids still paddle plastic kayaks. Coming in a tad short of 13-feet means you’ll have no trouble building a 30-pound Tadpole.

Light, nimble and quick to accelerate this symmetrical hull also makes a fantastic freestyle canoe for big kids. Position the seat a few inches below the gunwale and she transforms into a kneeling paddler’s polo pony. The design offers plenty of volume for a day paddle and really doesn’t care about your age.

NorthWest Canoe distributes full size NorthWest Passage Solo canoe plans electronically (via PDF download) to promote wood strip canoe building. We do not collect a dime in putting these plans in your hands. However, we do ask that you support paddlesports with a contribution of ten-dollars to one or all of our partners in paddling. Increase your contribution by $10 increments, just change the quantity. It feels good.

• Northern Forest Canoe Trail - a 740 mile inland paddling trail tracing historic travel routes across New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. NFCT connects people to the Trail's natural environment, human heritage, and contemporary communities by stewarding, promoting, and providing access to canoe and kayak experiences along this route.
• Urban Boatbuilders - youth service agency that uses wooden boatbuilding as a means to support positive youth development, academic achievement, and the development of a variety of hard and soft skills that help young people find and keep jobs.
• Wilderness Inquiry - making adventure travel accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background or ability. World-class leaders put your safety and enjoyment first. Join the more than 250,000 people who have paddled and hiked with WI since 1978.
• Wooden Canoe Heritage Association - devoted to preserving, studying, building, restoring and using wood canoes, and to disseminating information about canoeing heritage throughout the world.

We understand if you’re on a tight budget or you prefer to contribute to a paddlesports organization close to your own heart. Simply select ‘Absolutely Free’ on the drop-down below and select 'Print & Call' not the credit card payment option when you check out. You don't need to call to receive your free canoe plans.