Souris River Canoes

Mission Statement

Souris River Canoes strives to provide you, the customer, with a meticulously crafted, lightweight, durable canoe designed to suit your needs at an affordable price.

 

Souris River Canoe

Ruth solo canoeing through an enchanted lily waterscape in a Souris River Jensen Huron 18

The baby boomers are gravitating into middle age, feeling their backs, and thinking smarter about lugging heavy, unwieldy canoes into the bush. Some of them have grown up with clunky canoes, and are just waking up to the fact that they don’t have to put up with dysfunctional watercraft anymore. It’s time to embrace the 21st century, retire the old battleship (or workhorse), and step aboard the thoroughbred of the canoeing world!

Quetico 16 Souris River Canoe

Quetico 16 (in foreground) under full steam.

Why are all the happy owners of Souris River canoes raving about these boats?

The reasons are as clear as the big Saskatchewan summer sky – they’re light and bright and tough! Almost sounds like a detergent commercial!…but seriously, these are the trademarks that put Souris River canoes way ahead of the rest of the marine rat pack.

 

Three Kevlar Prospector Canoes

Three Kevlar Prospectors lounging in a meadow of Western Red Lilies (Saskatchewan’s floral emblem) at the Methye Portage on the Clearwater River. The two foreground painted boats are finished with ash trim. The background boat is clear with black aluminum trim.


Light

The featherweight hallmark of the Souris River Canoe is achieved through innovative construction, not by compromising strength or durability.

One of those innovations is a superior lamination process using resin extraction technology. This technology, perfected by Souris River Canoes, ensures the optimum amount of resin in each canoe hull – enough to guarantee structural integrity – but no more, in order to keep finished weight to a minimum.

Another factor contributing to weight reduction is no gel coat. This colored resin finish coat is applied to the exterior of most fiberglass and kevlar laminated canoes to cover imperfections and provide extra strength for underlying inferior resins used to bind the fabric laminations.

Souris River Canoes uses top grade epoxy resin in its lamination process, making gel coat (and its extra weight) redundant.

Cliff's favorite lakewater canoe - the Souris River Wilderness 18


Bright

Rhymes with light! Need I say more? Well, a few things…

These canoes are just plain bright looking – pleasing to look at, as you’ve no doubt already noticed.

Souris River Kevlar Prospector 17.5

Souris River Kevlar Prospector 17.5

They look terrific on land and even better in the water. They look especially sharp in their favorite habitat – the wilderness. And I’ve got the photos to prove it! But bright refers to more than good looks. Bright implies intelligent thinking in the R & D department. That intelligence is evident in features like ultralight construction, durable epoxy lay-up, and a flexible rib system.

Souris River Quetico 16 Duralite Canoe

Souris River Quetico 16 Duralite Canoe


Tough

This is the other half of the light equation. “Have your cake and eat it, too… light and tough in one canoe.”

Souris River Canoes has achieved the ideal strength-to-weight compromise. Epoxy resin provides the ultimate in a strong durable, but flexible lay-up.

Epoxy is used in both Kevlar and Duralite construction.

Duralite is a tough composite fiber developed by Souris River Canoes. It provides a lower cost option to Kevlar without sacrificing a lot in strength and durability. Duralite is a winner in weight as well – only 8 lbs. heavier than Kevlar!

Souris River Duralite Prospector

Souris River Duralite Prospector

Souris River Wilderness 18 and Prospector 17.5 Duralite Canoes

Souris River Wilderness 18 and Prospector 17.5 Duralite Canoes

Kevlar is a high strength, impact resistant fabric that came out of the aerospace industry in the mid-70s. Besides making remarkably strong, lightweight canoe hulls, it is used in belted tires and bulletproof vests.

Souris River Kevlar Canoes

Souris River Kevlar Canoes

The Best Canoe in the World?

Who knows? Who has time to search the world to find out!
So, just take my word for it – if it’s not the best, it’s close enough to be no contest!

Souris River 17.5 and 18 foot canoes

Souris River 17.5 and 18 foot canoes

Here ends the sales pitch! Now we should hear from some of the proud owners of these superlative craft. They can add a subjective touch and liven up my dry technical talk. Here is what real canoeists — with superior paddling tastes — are saying: Click Here to Read Testimonials from Souris River Canoe Owners

Jeff's Souris River Prospector Canoe

Jeff’s Souris River Prospector Canoe

 


A Final Word from the veteran wilderness paddler:

Cliff's Final Word

Cliff Speer photo: Henry Eng

I’ve been paddling since I was a kid at summer camp. I’ve paddled everything from old dilapidated wood and canvas canoes to sleek marathon racing shells. I’ve busted my butt lugging overweight canoes over grueling portages, and mostly in the ‘good ole days’ when you didn’t have much choice. But my canoeing rites of passage are long past, and I’ve graduated to a better way. I will never go back; I’m spoiled rotten with ‘the perfect lightweight baby boomer canoe’.

Going lightweight is ultimately the key to squeezing more enjoyment out of your paddling. And at the same time you’ll be contributing to energy conservation – your own! Just think of the extra reserves you’ll have at day’s end for cavorting around the campsite!

Canoe camping takes on a whole new shine with an ultralight Souris River Canoe.

— Cliff Speer


Call today to get a color catalogue or better still, to take a test drive!
Phone CanoeSki Sales at (306) 653-5693 or
eMail: info@canoeski.com

Peruse the current model specs and prices: Canadian Retail Price List
Looking for a used canoe in superb condition?: New & Used Canoe Inventory