Canadian Open Canoes

Canadian Open Canoes, Cedar and Canvas Canoes, Drontheims, Cedar Strip and Plywood Canoes, Lapstrake Canoes, , Canoe and Kayak coaching

Reviews
GRP Prospector	GRP Erne Tourer		Cedar Strip Cygnet.
GRP Prospector
Stu Staples BCU 4* Open Canoe BCU L3 (T) Open Canoe Coach BCU 3* Kayak BCU L2 Kayak Coach		Valkyries’ GRP Prospector is a tribute to the design of this canoe. The classic boat has been made in GRP with wooden trimmings and is a delight to paddle. A versatile craft; it is as much in tune with the solo paddler as for tandem. Valkyries’ Prospector is light and responsive with just the right amount of tumblehome for effortless, graceful paddling on the flat. If you want to explore the rough stuff it will respond to your will with ease and if you are good with GRP any damage could be repaired. In short, Valkyries’ Prospector is the perfect all-round canoe for the enthusiastic novice and experienced water-walkers alike. Whether for peaceful camping or river running, you can’t go wrong with it. It looks great and paddles even better and is remarkably good value. Roll on the end of the month………
GRP Erne Tourer
Donald Cormack		"On a recent downriver trip we had the opportunity to try out one of Valkyrie Craft's GRP canoes - the 'Erne Tourer' - which is a 16 foot open Canadian canoe. Initial impressions were of a well-finished boat with attractive flowing lines. The woodwork was finished to a high standard and included some neat touches such as gunnels with the equivalent of scuppers to aid the removal of water. Being the 'tourer' version it was wide and roomy with plenty of room for expedition gear or young children. The wide beam gives it excellent stability which is reassuring for nervous passengers or beginners. The low set seats proved comfortable for paddling although as with most canoes it would benefit from some form of footrests for bracing against. It also proved comfortable when paddling in the traditional kneeling position. We found manoeuvrability to be very good. When we encountered some rougher water the boat handled the conditions with aplomb - it would have had to be much rougher before we would have started to feel any concern. We had been told that the design meant that it would be slower than its sister boat, the sleeker shaped Prospector, but we had no difficulty in keeping up with the other craft on the trip. All in all a very impressive canoe. Our thanks to John Wilkinson of Valkyrie Craft for the use of the boat."
Cedar Strip Cygnet. 13'8''
Stu Staples BCU 4* Open Canoe BCU L3 (T) Open Canoe Coach BCU 3* Kayak BCU L2 Kayak Coach		Valkyries’ Cygnet is an aptly named craft. If the GRP Prospector were the swan, this is surely its smaller counterpart. Offering a shorter length and broader beam it feels safe and comfortable, yet it is quick and manoeuvrable. In cedar strip, it just looks stunning as only a canoe can. When leaned right over, it is a beautifully manoeuvrable solo boat but it is easily spacious enough for two. It would be able to be paddled on white water but when did you ever see a cygnet do that? I think this boat is for the flat and the art of solo paddling.
Paul McQueen BCU 4* Open Canoe Level 3 (T) Open Canoe Coach		Imagine paddling down a river with effortless poise, one stoke of the paddle propelling you forward with an uncanny force, the slightest twist of the blade eliciting an immediate response. Well, certainly not in my Oldtown 169 but in the Valkyrie Cygnet I had discovered what Mason refers to as the ‘path of the paddle’. I paddled the Valkyrie Cygnet on the River Bann. I had never paddled a cedar-strip boat before, though I have lots of experience in various plastic and fibreglass designs. There was nothing special about my paddle that day – a Grey Owl voyager design – but somehow it took on a completely different feel. It had metamorphasized from a plank into a beautifully crafted piece of cherry. It could now do what it was designed to do, helping me to become a part of the spirit of adventure that draws one to the local wilderness. While I was paddling, were it not for its sleek lines, sensuous cedar-strip hull, slender ash gunnels and thwarts, I might not have noticed the boat at all. Certainly, it looked incredible on the water but once on the move, it has this amazing propensity to deflect attention away from itself to the paddler and his relationship with the paddle. I found it very responsive to what I wanted it to do and effortless to paddle This was a whole new experience for me and one by which I shall judge all canoes in the future. A slight criticism would be the height of the seat – I couldn’t get my feet comfortably underneath but this is a minor detail easily adjusted with shortening of the seat suspending dowels, a modification John is happy to make to suit each customer. This is an effortlessly responsive boat that looks absolutely fabulous.
Joe Findlay		While on a recent flat water trip, with the C.C.K.A. I was given the opportunity to paddle one of Valkyrie Crafts cedar strip canoes. The boat was beautifully finished with ash gunnels and woven cane seats. The boat is about 4.2mts long with a beam of .87mts and weighed about 28 kg. This little canoe proved to be responsive while still having good directional stability. As a result the boat would be quite at home on a tight technical river as well as on slower moving open water. I was very sorry to have to give the boat back at lunch time and go back to my own sea nymph “alumatub” Valkyrie Craft also produce two fibre glass canoes; one is a high volume family boat, and the other a beautiful “prospector”. Both boats are finished to the same high standard as the cedar strip canoes, with ash gunnels and woven cane seats. John Wilkinson (Valkyrie Craft) is a very competent canoeist, who has brought his experience of his sport to the construction of these lovely boats.
Chris McIntyre		Had the opportunity to paddle the cygnet recently and it blew me away. The boat was so response and the only way to describe paddling it was that it felt completely natural. Not only was it beautiful to paddle but it was simply stunning to look at as the craftmanship is second to none. As they say over here she was a wee cracker!