At Old Town Canoes, the spirit
of paddleing is alive and well. For over a century, their skilled
Maine craftsmen have carried on the tradition of Old Town
quality and performance that is at the heart of every boat they
build.
Old Town is a maker of Canoes,
Kayaks and accessories, and is a division of Johnson
Outdoors Inc.
Advancing Tradition
Tradition and technology have had a long and comfortable marriage
at Old Town. In 1898 we built our first wood-and-canvas
canoe, a more durable, lower maintenance improvement
on the Native American birch bark canoe that was its inspiration.
We did the same thing with the kayak in 1940, rendering the traditional
seal-skin design in more durable wood-and-canvas.
The same spirit of innovation led us to introduce
lightweight fiberglass versions of our kayaks and
canoes in the 1950s and '60s. And it has continued
into the 21st century, as we continually strive to advance the art
of paddling through better designs and lighter, more durable materials,
like today's PolyLink3™, SuperLink3™ and Hydrolite.
As much as we look ahead, though, we always keep
one eye on the past, continuing to be inspired by the best of classic
boat-building traditions.
The Classic Wood Canoe
you purchase from Old Town today is built very
much like our first canoes were around the turn
of the 20th century.
It's still hand-shaped on the same cedar forms,
now more than 100 years old. Still built to the same exacting standards
of quality right here in Old Town, Maine. And,
though not built by the same artisans, very possibly by someone
related to them. Through the years we've employed generations of
family members in our plant, the traditions and craftsmanship passed
on from fathers to sons.
Our heritage of craftsmanship also lives on in our
modern canoes and kayaks. Each
is designed and built to the highest, most exacting standards to
deliver the finest paddling performance.
