Mill Creek Kayaks

Ever since WoodenBoat Magazine featured the Mill Creek 13 in a two-issue spread in 1997, the Mill Creek models have been built in the thousands. And why not? They look good, they’re easy to build, and even though they are more stable than most kayaks, the Mill Creeks™ offer good speed and handling that you’ll never get tired of.

Mill Creeks are built using the stitch-and-glue method.  In the kits, BS1088-grade okoume marine plywood is cut on our CNC machine.  Builders stitch the hulls together with twists of copper wire, then add epoxy and fiberglass to stiffen and waterproof the hull.  Solid timber trim on cockpits and rails, cambered plywood decks, and contoured slatted seats add grace notes, while the fiberglassed 6mm bottom panel will absorb years of groundings in shoal water. All materials included in the kit are varnish-grade, and most builders varnish the entire hull and deck.

Solid timber trim on cockpits and rails, cambered decks, and contoured slatted seats add grace notes, while the fiberglassed 6mm bottom panel will absorb years of groundings in shoal water.

The Mill Creek 13 echoes the feel of 1920’s “double paddle” canoes. Combining the stability and comfortable seating of a canoe with the light weight and decked-in security of a kayak, the Mill Creek 13 is perfect for photography, fly fishing, birding, or just relaxed paddling. Like all the Mill Creeks, the 13 is surprisingly fast thanks to her efficient 5-panel multichine hull and feather-light 40lb weight. The cockpit is 54″ long, so entry and egress are easy for everyone.

The Mill Creek 16.5 is enormously popular because it can be used in so many ways. Not only can you paddle it as a single or a double, but you can sail it, add a sliding-seat rowing unit, or even adapt an electric outboard. The Mill Creek 16.5’s stability will reassure the most nervous paddlers, while the low freeboard and light weight yield better speed and handling in wind than the average canoe. There’s enough capacity for camping gear (with optional deck hatches), and the boat can be easily trimmed by sliding the seats fore and aft on their mounts.

The Mill Creek 16.5 Hybrid differs from the original in that a cedar-strip deck is substituted for the standard okoume plywood deck.  It’s a “hybrid” because it combines a stitch-and-glue hull with a cedar-strip deck.

We’ve been seeing Mill Creeks with cedar strip decks for years as skilled builders made the substitution.  We’ve always admired the results, and when our colleague John Peck built a Mill Creek 16.5 this way himself, we digitized the patterns for the deck molds and made the “hybrid” option available to everyone.

The Mill Creek Hybrid’s hull is identical to the standard Mill Creek’s, with computer-cut BS 1088 Okoume panels that go together very quickly.  Computer-cut molds are set into the hull with temporary hot glue.  These molds shape and support the deck during construction.  With the kit we include a mixture of dark and medium color western red cedar strips, plus white cedar strips for light accents.  The strips are milled with a “bead and cove” joint so that one slides into the next for perfect joinery.  While we offer suggested patterns, each builder can develop their own unique strip deck design as they assemble their kit.  Run riot with your creativity!  Almost anything is possible.  Parquet decks, anyone?

The Mill Creek 16.5 Hybrid is a little more challenging to build than the standard model but will reward the patient builder with a unique heirloom kayak.

Both Mill Creek 16.5 models share the same enormously versatile hull and cockpit. Not only can you paddle it as a single or a double, but you can sail it or even add a sliding seat unit to create an ocean shell. The Mill Creek 16.5’s stability will reassure the most nervous paddlers, while the low freeboard and light weight yield better speed and handling in wind than the average canoe. There’s enough capacity for camping gear (with optional deck hatches), and the boat can be easily trimmed by sliding the standard seats fore and aft on their mounts.

Do you fit in this kayak?  Study our kayak fit chart.

See Assembling a Mill Creek for a series of images showing how to build a Mill Creek.

Build this boat if:

• You are fishing, birding, or taking photos from a kayak
• You want stability without giving up speed
• You are drawn to classic double-paddle canoes