Indian Girl Plans

Indian Girl was strongly influenced by several canoes from the late 1800’s when canoeing was at its peak in this country. J. Henry Rushton’s Indian Princess, Rob Roy and Nessmuck’s Sairey Gamp, also made by the Rushton Canoe Company, were all light weight solo canoes designed to carry their owner and a reasonable amount of gear comfortably on the water.

Indian girl represents a fourth generation in her design, each generation making a slight improvement in stability and comfort. A decked double paddle canoe, she is paddled sitting on the bottom of the boat using a double paddle. This very efficient method a paddling is preferred by many to the single blade paddle. She is the proper combination of eye sweet lines and a sound, sea worthy craft.

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Her large water tight compartments in the bow and stern allow for ample gear and food so extended trips are possible. Those same compartments provide water tight flotation should the unfortunate occur. And of course, her stability to over 70 degrees of heel, make a deep water re-entry very easy. It is possible, in calm water, to re-enter the boat without taking on water. Should some water come aboard during a re-entry, her cockpit can be quickly bailed out. However, the same 70 degrees of stability make an unfortunate accident unlikely. In fact she is stable enough to stand up and paddle; no easy task in any other 12 foot 6 inch canoe.

Her Large cockpit, just slightly over 6 feet, can be quickly converted to a cozy sleeping area with a tarp and bivi bag for a sleeping bag. A comforting thought on a rocky shoreline with no place to pitch a tent.

Her 30 to 35 pound weight means she can be carried easily over a portage without exhausting her owner. Yet at 4 inches of draft she displaces 295 pounds. This leaves room for about 65 pounds of light weight gear and food for a 200 pound paddler.

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And like her cousins from the late 1800’s she can be rigged with a down wind sail. In fact, several Indian Girls have been rigged with a small sliding gunter sail. Using a sliding gunter allows the mast, sail and spar to fit into the forward water tight compartment. Also, rigged with a brailing line, the boomless sail can be collapsed quickly. And the mast does double duty as the forward ridge pole for the cockpit tent.

Her construction is glued lapstrake, a traditional lap strake look with the advantages of modern materials.

All in all it would be hard to find a better small craft to carry you on your adventures.

The Lutra family of canoes all share the same lines with slight variations and all are stable to at least 70 degrees of heel.