Hou 13 Solo Canoe
A compact 13ft solo canoe built as a "baby Prospector" hull — nimble, quick to respond, and light enough at 22kg to car-top or handle solo. Ideal for smaller paddlers, day trips, and teaching children the basics, without the price tag of a composite Prospector-style hull.
Hou Canoes are currently running a Duralite Special in partnership with The Boathouse. This is on selected Hou Canoes boats such as the Hou Phoenix, Prospector and 13. See the description drop down for more info or click here to see the Duralite Special.
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Hou 13 Solo Canoe
A Compact Hull With Real Pedigree
The Hou 13 Solo is the smallest boat in the Hou Canoes range — 13'3" of shallow-rocker, fine-ended hull that turns quickly and still tracks a straight line better than its length suggests. It's a genuine "baby Prospector": the mould traces back to UK canoe-builder Colin Broadway's Mobile Adventure canoes, closest to his classic "Majorette" design, itself built on the Peterborough Canoe Company hull shape that generations of British paddlers have trusted for exactly this job — small loads, easy portaging, and confident handling on lakes, calm rivers and gentle moving water.
Where It Performs Best
At home on flatwater and calm open water — lakes, slow-moving rivers, sheltered estuaries and large lochs in settled conditions — the Hou 13 also copes well with gentle moving water. Its shallow rocker and fine bow and stern profile mean it turns with a small amount of paddle and body input while still holding an efficient line, so day trips, short tours and even a quick after-work paddle all feel effortless. It isn't built for technical whitewater — the shallow 12" depth suits easy conditions rather than pushy rapids — so paddlers wanting a dedicated whitewater canoe should look at our Silverbirch Agent 88 or Covert range instead.
Who It's For
The Hou 13 particularly suits smaller and lighter-bodied solo paddlers who want a boat that responds instantly, rather than a longer hull built around bigger loads — and it's a genuinely good choice for teaching children and young adults to paddle, since its shorter length reacts far more visibly to their inputs than a traditional 15–16ft canoe would. At 22kg it's light enough for most paddlers to car-top and carry solo without help.
A note on capacity: the Hou 13's 110kg carrying capacity is the maximum total paddler weight the canoe is designed for. It's a genuinely compact limit — it's also why our Hou 13 Junior Tandem, built on the same-size hull, is set up for two smaller paddlers rather than two adults, since two average-sized adults would likely exceed it. If you're a larger paddler, or planning to carry overnight kit on top of your own body weight, get in touch with our team before you order to check the Hou 13 is the right fit — a longer hull in the range like the Hou Phoenix Solo or Silverbirch Firefly 14 Solo Solo may suit you better.
Built in Britain, Three-Layer Strong
The Hou 13 is made from polyethylene in a three-layer foam-core sandwich construction — a rigid outer skin around a buoyant foam core, built for durability. Every Hou 13 is hand-built at The Boathouse's own Norfolk workshop rather than imported pre-assembled, keeping quality control in-house from mould to finished boat. Every first quality Hou 13 comes with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty for personal use, covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal conditions.
Make It Yours
Standard spec is a single seat and standard thwart, ready to paddle straight away. If you'd like a different yoke, trim height, lacing, end grabs or a lighter construction upgrade, let us know when you order and we'll help you configure it.
An Insight Into Canoe Set Up Options, Materials & Outfitting
Deliveries
Once your boat is ready, delivery to mainland UK addresses usually takes 10–15 days. We'll contact you to arrange a convenient delivery date and time once production is complete.
If you prefer, you're also welcome to collect your canoe directly from our facility.
See full delivery details here.
Warranty
Typically, 1st quality boats have a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty for personal use (B2C) – covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal use.
Click here to see full warranty details.
FAQs
The Hou 13's hull comes from a genuine "baby Prospector" lineage — its mould was originally designed by UK canoe-builder Colin Broadway for his Mobile Adventure company, closest to his classic "Majorette" model, itself based on a traditional Peterborough Canoe Company hull shape.
110kg is the maximum total paddler weight the Hou 13 is designed to carry. It's a genuinely compact limit — it's also why the two-seat Hou 13 Junior Tandem, built on the same-size hull, is set up for two smaller paddlers rather than two adults. If you're a larger paddler or planning to carry extra kit on top of your own body weight, check with our team before you order.
Yes — its shorter 13'3" length responds much more quickly to paddle input than a traditional 15–16ft canoe, making it easier for children and young adults to feel and correct their own strokes while learning.
The Hou 13 is built for flatwater, calm open water and gentle moving water rather than technical whitewater — its shallow 12" depth suits easy conditions better than bigger rapids. For a dedicated whitewater canoe, see our Silverbirch Agent 88 or Covert range.
The Hou 13 starts at 22kg in solo spec, light enough for most paddlers to lift, carry and car-top without help — a key reason it suits solo use and teaching.
Yes — owner reports describe strong secondary stability once you lean into a turn, even though it can feel slightly tippy sitting flat to begin with; most paddlers find it settles quickly with a little practice.
Specifications
| Quality | Premium or 2nd Quality |
| Construction | Duracore plus or Duralite |
| Colour | Blue or Forest or Firebrick Red or Purple |
| Yoke | Standard Yoke or Deep Dish Yoke or No Yoke |
| Trim Height | Low-Line Trim or High-line trim |
| Kneeling thwart | No kneeling thwart or Fitted kneeling thwart |
| Lacing | None or End Black or Full Black |
| End grabs | No rope end grabs or Yellow with black fleck or Orange with black fleck |
| Packaging | Sleeved or Unwrapped |
| Internal Colour | White (standard) |
| Seating | solo wood/web seat |
| Gunwales | Vinyl Gunwales |
| Model | Polyethylene |
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