Ray Klebba's White Salmon BoatWorks
Custom built woodstrip canoes and kayaks
Let us help you build your own:
Sea kayaks
Canoes
Rowboats
and if you don't have time, you can order your boat
Awards and Media Quotes
"Before long, his store had turned into a wooden boat fan's dream, with hulls in every phase of construction, from the kits he assembles and ships across the country to finished boats that have spent many hours in the water. "The first thing I teach my students is that it takes time to create something this unique and beautiful. I do a lot of hand-holding until they get the hang of it," he told me during the Portland Wooden Boat Show Last summer.
The Freshwater News - February 2004
Discover some of the most beautiful wooden canoes and kayaks ever built. Whether you want to own a piece of practical art handmade by a master or learn the timeless skills yourself, boat builder Ray Klebba, owner of White Salmon Boat Works, has all the options. Fine Living Television Network/ The Genuine Article December 2003- Read Complete Article
About half of the people Klebba has guided through building their first boat have been women, and he hopes to attract more female customers. "I like to teach more girls," he says. "I've had a lot of women build canoes, and I think it's important to have young women build - to give them self-confidence, so they can say, "I can make something." Boys tend to do things like this, but girls don't." Christian Science Monitor August 21, 2002- Read Complete Article
Ray's love of wood was a very wonderful thing to be around." Says Marcia Taylor, a 53 - year old physical therapist from Vancouver, Wash, who discovered the boat works on a stroll along the main street of the Columbia River Gorge town. The Seattle Times Newspaper- August 19, 2001
"Craftsman Ray Klebba has set up the White Salmon Boat Works, producing custom canoes, sea kayaks, and rowboats in a workshop on Jewett Boulevard, the main drag". The Los Angeles Times Newspaper-July 1, 2001
"It was great to see so many different approaches to building a small boat and the opportunity to share ideas with so many other builders at once was amazing!" Portland, Oregon Wooden Boat Show - August 2002-
Klebba and his boats have become community fixtures and he has brought his unique building skills to many within Klickitat County area. Columbia Gorge Regional News Newspaper - April 2001
The beautiful woodstrip boats he and his student customers build are considered works of art by many, and whether they end on the a river, the roof rack of a Jeep or simply hanging from a wraparound porch, they are undeniably eye-catching. Ruralite Magazine-Western edition - May 2001
He presently displays an 18 foot beautifully crafted kayak, The Polar Star, which even has a bulge pump underneath the seat. The Hood River News - April 29, 1999
He builds them. And in a novel twist, he lets other people who also love canoes and kayaks build them under his tutelage. The White Salmon Enterprise Newspaper The Weekender 1999
"About 25 boats have now been finished here and there's a waiting list of 30" Cascade Weekly September 6, 2000
People of all ages have come in and built quality boats under his careful guidance. The Bruin Voice October 2000
"Wood strip boats are more than having a boat. They are functional art that people build out of wood with their hands. Once launched in the water their beauty as a boat attracts attention and becomes an avenue to meet new people", shares Klebba. Besides the beauty, meditative form in building and sense of accomplishment for the builder Klebba makes on last promise as he confidently tells me, "each boart is guaranteed to float!" Gorge Living-Spring 2006
"With their golden varnish highlighting the often ornate inlaid deck patterns, the typical White Salmon Boat is a center of attention whether it's at a boat show, on the roof of a car, or in the water. None of the shop-built boats are ever alike - each one bares the signature of its builder in the choice of wood and the way it is used to create decorative patterns, most notably in the deck and sheer planks. Northwest Yachting Magazine May 2005
"Ray Klebba helped amateur boat builder Chris Williams from Portland sand a few rough edges off his stunning woodstrip canoe taking shape in Klebba's shop, White Salmon Boat Works. Klebba sells woodstrip boat kits from his shop and helps other customers from all over Washington and Oregon build their own wooden boats in his shop. For a customer who doesn't have the time or inclination, Klebba will build one from scratch. He also likes visitors to drop in to watch the miracle of woodstrip boatbuilding in action." Seattle post-Intelligencer Newspaper Thursday, May 22, 2003- Read Complete Article
"Selling dreams is just one part of what he offers the community. As Klebba introduced locals to the process of building woodstrip boats, word quickly spread of the success story in town and the community had embraced the venture." Canoe Journal - Special issue from Canoe & Kayak - September 2001
"Klebba has seen firsthand how his boats change people's lives, from the straight -A student to the many adults who find lasting friendships with fellow students in his workshops." Wave Length Paddling Magazine - April - May 2002 Read Complete Article
"I wanted to pass on the Art of woodstrip building" Klebba says " I started selling kits and then I was getting orders for me to build boats for people." Idaho Statesman Newspaper - August 23, 2001
"It's obvious when you first see one of the eye-catching woodstrip boats why his very visible workshop brought him so much attention. The Journal of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association - October 2001
"Klebba's reputation has traveled west to the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. " I've had people from as far away as Sandy and Scappoose". The 120-mile round trip drive to and from these Portland-area towns doesn't deter folks who have discovered a special service not offered elsewhere." American Profile - West Edition - October 7, 2001
"At the White Salmon Boat Works, Klebba teaches people how to build their own woodstrip canoes, kayaks and rowboats - floating works of art that suggest the craftsmanship of an era before molded plastic." The Columbia - Vancouver newspaper - August 19 2001
"It's very satisfying to build your own boat. It gives you a real feeling of accomplishment because it's both beautiful and functional He has won plaudits and prizes for his kayaks. He presently displays an 18 foot beautifully crafted kayak, The Polar Star, which even has a bulge pump underneath the seat. The Columbia Gorge Business News - October 1999