Canoe Restoration, Refurbishment & Repairs
Restore the Beauty and Feel of Your Wooden Canoe
If your canoe has lost some of its shine or no longer feels the way it should on the water, I can help bring it back. I restore wooden canoes by hand here in Cambridgeshire, focusing on the details that make your canoe feel special again — the lines, the finish, the way it sits and moves.
Most restorations fall between £800 and £3,000+, depending on the condition and the work involved. I only take on a limited number each year so each canoe gets the care it needs.
Repair to Keel and hole in hull of canoe believed to be from the Lakefield area possibly 130 years old!
If you’re thinking about having yours restored, you’re welcome to get in touch. I reply personally to every message and can talk through the likely work, materials and general cost range.
Click below to start a conversation: No pressure — just a friendly chat about getting your canoe back to something you’re proud to own and paddle.
Case Studies
Restoring Calumn’s 1956 Old Town OTCA Sailing Canoe.
Calumn, who lives on the Isle of Lewis, wanted his OTCA brought back to the condition it deserved. The canoe had tired varnish, worn paint, canvas past its best, and sponsons that needed attention. It still had its history and charm — it just needed someone to help bring it back.
work begins by removing remnants of old canvas and inspecting damage.
The first stage was to strip everything back so I could see exactly what the canoe needed. Once the repairs were made, I fully re‑canvassed the hull, including the sponsons. The canvas was filled and faired to give the canoe a smooth, fair shape again — the kind of finish that makes an OTCA look right from every angle.
Stripping varnish on the inside of the hull.
.Re-covered with new canvas.
Inside, the varnish was taken right back to bare wood. Every rib, plank and thwart was cleaned up, repaired where needed, and refinished. Multiple coats of varnish brought the interior back to life, showing off the warmth and lines that make these canoes so special. With the interior complete, the hull was painted and the trim finished.
The final result is a real stunner of a canoe beautifully finished and complete with Leeboards,Mast,Rudder and Spars.There's plenty of years left in this old canoe Now!
Felix’s Canoe — Cedar & Mahogany, c.1897
Felix’s canoe is a genuine antique with a remarkable personal history. It was originally given to him as a reward for passing his school exams, and he used it near Hedsor wharf on the Thames. He went on to become a first‑class rower and oarsman. Decades later, the canoe resurfaced near Stratford, still carrying the character and charm of its early life. During the initial inspection, the importer’s plate was discovered — a small but important detail that confirmed its origins and added to its provenance.
Bronze plate on Deck
When the canoe first arrived in the workshop, it showed its age but remained structurally sound. The interior had never been stripped, and the hull carried the marks of long use and long storage. There were no inwales fitted, and the canoe had clearly been built as a traditional woodstripper. Early cleaning and careful stripping revealed the true condition of the timber beneath, and the first signs of its original craftsmanship began to show through.
The canoe contains around 112 ribs running the full length of the hull — a hallmark of classic woodstripper construction. Seeing the interior before any restoration work was done gave a clear picture of the canoe’s underlying strength and the quality of its original build. Even in its untouched state, the rib structure showed excellent integrity and provided a solid foundation for the restoration ahead.
Once the interior was cleaned, stripped and varnished the contrasting colours of the mahogany and white cedar planking became beautifully visible. The warm tones of the mahogany sit against the pale cedar in a way that highlights the canoe’s age and craftsmanship. The decks may be butternut, adding another layer of interest to the timber selection. This contrast is one of the canoe’s most striking features and a key part of its visual appeal.
After careful restoration, the canoe returned to its full beauty. The exterior finish brings out the richness of the timber, and the interior now reflects the quality of the original craftsmanship. A brass plate was added to record the canoe’s story — Felix’s ownership, the maker Thomas Gordon, and the restoration carried out here in Cambridgeshire. It’s a fitting tribute to a canoe with such a long and personal history, and a reminder of the care taken to preserve it for the future.
