Nothing, absolutely nothing, conveys the joy of being afloat quite so purely as a light paddling boat. We can build the Fox canoe in our garage, carry it atop our car, and paddle it across open water. At the far side of the bay, the little double-ender might take us to the head of a forgotten creek that nature has reclaimed from industrial intrusion. The 14’7” Fox double-paddle canoe, which weighs only 44 lbs, is casually portable. Its 6’8”-long cockpit offers considerable room, yet can be securely sealed with a spray skirt.
Bill Thomas
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I’ve admired Fox ever since it appeared in Small Boats 2012, but never built one. I discovered Dave Gentry’s skin-on-frame designs, and ended up building a Chuckanut 15, MARSHWIGGLE. Since I use it as a solo boat mostly, it mimics Fox nicely. Weight is nearly identical, as I built it a bit heavy.
Rich Roberts
Having never built a boat before, I built “his & hers” Fox canoes over two winters. Aided by the Off Center Harbor video series and Bill’s very thorough and thoughtful instruction manual, I amazed myself by accomplishing something I never dreamed possible. Building these canoes was every bit as fun as paddling them and they are really fun to paddle! We have not yet launched them into salt water but have explored several lakes and rivers east of the Cascades here in Washington State. Kudos to Bill!
It looks so similar to my Folbot of the 1970’s. I really like the Fox given its light weight, yet roominess. Just wondering if you or any reader has the data on the old Folbots for comparison.
I built mine in a Fox workshop with Bill Thomas. In five days we completed the kit and I finished what you see back home in Texas. She has drawn many compliments at Texas Wooden Boat Show in Port Aransas.
Bob Shipman