About Tait Canoe

My daughter Emma in the Iona 14’ on Moose Pond, Adirondacks.

Why I make wood canoes.

  • There is something special about a wood canoe. It has a feel, a look, and a quietness in the water that no other canoe has. I want to make beautiful, functional heirlooms that get passed down generations.

Canoe Designs

  • All my canoe designs are original and have been developed from years of paddling in the Adirondacks. Each canoe I design has a specific paddler and purpose in mind.

  • I sell plans for all my boats so you can build one at home. $150 each.

Arran 17’ Plans

The Tait Canoe Guarantee

  • I want you to use and enjoy your canoe for many generations to come. So, for as long as you own your canoe (or pass it on to a family member) at no cost to you, I will …

    • Repair or replace any damage due to normal use.

    • Refinish your canoe every 5 years (provided it is properly stored when not in use).

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The Iona 14’ and Islay 13’ outside my shop in Montpelier VT.

Who I am.

  • I am a full time high school teacher: Art and Design Technology (shop), at a small rural public school in Vermont. All my life I have explored the woods, waters and mountains of the Adirondacks. I started building cedar strip canoes with my 8th graders in 2009 and fell in love with making and paddling them.

My wife Jill and I on Stinson Beach CA.

My son Avery flying me over Bozeman MT.

My daughter Emma and I in Montpelier VT.