Our Story

Placid Boatworks began in 2004 as a joint venture between Charles Wilson and Joe Moore. Driven by an insatiable desire to create the finest pack boats Adirondack waterways have ever seen… the idea was to give the pack canoe a makeover in both design, materials, and even construction methodology. With help from prolific paddlecraft designer, David Yost, the SpitFire was born. Unlike the Henry Rushton pack canoes of yore and their many modern-material copies, Placid Boatworks offered a modern, kayak-like, asymmetrical hull design with differential rocker and sheer, as well shouldered tumblehome. All of these features, together with Placid’s vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process of aramid and graphite fibers, made the 12’ SpitFire the most sophisticated pack canoe ever built. Stoutly built hulls with feather-like weights and incredible performance were the result.

Joe has been sole proprietor since 2010. The company survived a fire in January 2013 that took numerous boats as well as all of the molds and the building. Thanks to the work of Andy Fox, Dale Fox, and a number of other great friends and neighbors, the business was rebuilt and our two most popular models were back online by ice-out 2013. Several design modifications accompanied the rejuvenated line as well as the recognizable phoenix logo on every hull. A new, modern production facility was constructed on the site of the original building in 2015 where the company operates today.

Over the years, several new models were added to the lineup, including the RapidFire, SpitFire 13, Shadow, Ohneka, and the new-for-2019 Oseetah. In additon to our beloved Adirondacks, our boats are enjoyed in waterways that touch nearly every corner of the continent. From the intercoastal waters of the Carolinas to the glades of Florida…. to the bayous of Louisiana and the magnificent National Parks that dot our countries interior…. from the vast waters of the Pacific Northwest to the boundary Waters of Minnesota, and Algonquin Park in Canada just to name a few.

Happy Paddling.