Comparison of Canoe Materials

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Birch bark
This traditional canoe, while attractive in a heritage sense, is very costly and less durable than modern craft. Not a practical buy.

Cedar-strip
Also traditionally attractive and quite expensive, this type of canoe is made mostly of wood -- a rib frame that is covered with thin cedar strips. Not suitable for rocky waterways.

Cedar-canvas
Hand-crafted, with eye-pleasing lines, the very expensive cedar-canvas canoe, while not as durable as modern crafts, paddles easily and is not difficult to repair.

Wood-strip epoxy
Like the cedar-strip canoe, but not formed on a rib frame, but a form, the strips are glued and nailed, then the nails are taken out and the canoe is covered with a fiberglass cloth, as well as an epoxy or polyester resin to make a strong, attractive and light canoe. Not as expensive as the cedar-strip or wood-canvas canoe.

Aluminum
Easily manufactured with a lower cost, aluminum canoes are noisy, heavy and not suitable for rocky waterways, but they are durable.

Fiberglass
While fairly inexpensive, the fiberglas canoe is heavy and depending on the manufacturer, often not very durable. A good choice for limited water activity; not suitable for long and difficult trips.

Kevlar
Light and durable, Kevlar canoes cost about three times as much as fiberglass.

ABS (Royalex)
ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) canoes are very durable and relatively light, able to slide over rocky waters. Suitable for whitewater runs.

Polyethylene
This type of canoe is extremely durable and handles well in rocky or shallow waters.