Old Town 

Tradition and technology have had a long and comfortable marriage at Old Town. In 1898 we built our first wood-and-canvas canoe, a more durable, lower maintenance improvement on the Native American birch bark canoe that was its inspiration. We did the same thing with the kayak in 1940, rendering the traditional seal-skin design in more durable wood-and-canvas.

The same spirit of innovation led us to introduce lightweight fiberglass versions of our kayaks and canoes in the 1950s and '60s. And it has continued into the 21st century, as we continually strive to advance the art of paddling through better designs and lighter, more durable materials, like today's three layer polyethylene, three layer superlinear and Royalex®. As the recreational kayak market started to evolve Old Town created new concepts (aka creature comforts) and designs that revolutionized the category.

As much as we look ahead, though, we always keep one eye on the past, continuing to be inspired by the best of classic boat-building traditions.