Trapper

This Chestnut Canoe was originally built with the outdoorsman of the early 1900s in mind. Chestnut’s mission was to design a craft that would enable outdoorsmen to paddle small creeks as well as large lakes and be small enough to get through the then nonexistent portage trails at the same time. To meet these unique needs, The Chestnut Canoe Company brought something efficient yet maneuverable into production. For the modern canoeist, both the primary and secondary stability of the Trapper are reassuring, though its stability does not sacrifice its speed. It has lots of space, for everything from a day of fishing to a week of tripping in the back country. It is a great canoe to use for improving your “J” stroke and can also be used with a double blade paddle. The Trapper combines the enjoyment of a stable fishing platform with the benefits of a small and light craft for portaging into small productive lakes. Made in Canada.

Specs

Length:	12 ft
Max Width:	34 in
Weight:	30 lb  -  45 lb
Number of Paddlers:	1  (can paddle solo)

Build Options

Materials

Aramid Lite

Aramid Lite canoes are the lightest boats Nova Craft makes and are intended for flatwater tripping. Built by infusing Aramid cloth with their high impact resistant vinylester resin these canoes have great strength to weight characteristics. While they are ideal for wilderness trips involving lots of long portages, it is also wonderful just to have a lightweight canoe to put on and off the car. We use Twaron fabrics to give you the power of Aramid.

Blue Steel

Blue Steel is an aramid and carbon fibre hybrid material. These canoes are light like Nova Craft's Aramid Lite boats but are significantly stronger. Not only is the look of carbon fiber cloth very appealing but the carbon fibers add stiffness to the hull to increase paddling efficiency. Adding an inner layer of Innegra and infusing these hulls with high impact resistant vinylester resin makes a very rugged canoe. Blue Steel canoes are most at home in flatwater scenarios but have been proven very reliable on long Arctic river expeditions as well.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass is an affordable composite material with a proven track record of durability. Nova Craft's fiberglass hulls are among the lightest and most rugged on the market today. They use woven fiberglass cloth to make a truly superior hull. Fiberglass canoes are great for recreational and cottage use and are a good choice for budget-minded individuals.

TuffStuff

TuffStuff is a cutting edge proprietary composite made of basalt and Innegra fibers. Basalt fibre is made of melted basalt rock and Innegra is a fibre consisting mostly of polypropylene. When they are woven together into a cloth and infused with Nova Craft's high impact vinylester resin system, the result is simply amazing! TuffStuff canoes are a great choice for paddlers looking for a light canoe for extended flatwater tripping with more than enough strength to handle lots of abuse in the back country.

TuffStuff Expedition

TuffStuff Expedition (TSE) is a more robust, heavier duty version of Nova Craft's standard TuffStuff construction. These canoes are an excellent choice for an expedition grade canoe for extended wilderness trips and some whitewater use. Stiff for great performance, incredible impact resistance and lightweight all in one canoe.

Gunwales

Aluminum

Aircraft grade black anodized aluminum gunwales come standard. Sleek looking, lightweight and tough. An additional benefit of the aluminum gunwales is that they are virtually maintenance free and can last forever.

Aluminum Lite

An anodized aluminum gunwale system with a slimmer profile than the regular aluminum gunwales to maximize weight savings. If you enjoy canoe tripping off of the beaten path, you’re likely no stranger to portaging. Shaving pounds off the total weight of the boat is usually very important to portagers; our new Aluminum Lite gunwales help keep this number as low as possible.