The plan for this post is to be an ever-evolving list of Facebook groups and pages that relate in some way to paddling. At the moment it’s divided into paddling destinations, mostly but not exclusively Ontario, user groups, how-tos, and owner groups. If we’ve missed anything please let us know through our contact page.
IMPORTANT: We’ve noticed that some groups are full of scams and unrelated content. Where we see this happening, we’ll update the description. We cannot monitor every Facebook group or page, so if you see a problem with any group, please let us know. Thanks.
Where to Canoe & Kayak
Durham Region Kayakers Club – active group of 2.7k members focused on the Durham Region, Ontario. “
started this group to encourage people in Durham Region, Ontario, to get out and kayak the lovely waterways in our own back yards right here in Durham Region. You will be surprised to see what you will find. If you would like membership in our group, please tell us a little bit about yourself, kayaking experience? Do you own a kayak? Do you like to paddle rivers or lake?”
Kayaking and Canoeing in Ontario – an active public group with 22.9k members. Follow this group especially if you’re looking for new places to paddle outside your locality. “The Purpose of this is to share Kayaking/Canoeing tips & great hidden places to paddle in Ontario. Some members might be more experienced paddlers then others. Some of us might be beginners. Please share with us about your experiences, hidden gems to paddle.”
Kayak Ontario – public group with 34.6k members. Plenty of ideas of where to paddle but also useful tips and tricks to make your paddling experience better. “What is Kayak Ontario? Kayak Ontario is a community of paddlers that is interested in sharing stories of past trips, safety tips and stories of kayaking.”
Sea Kayak Ontario – given the size of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Superior it’s not surprising that this group has 1.4k members. Remember that kayaking on these lakes requires skill and experience. The weather can be challenging and potentially dangerous. “Sea Kayak Ontario is a group for sea kayakers based in Ontario to share pics, tips, topics related to sea kayaking in Ontario. Members may post & share travel trips outside Ontario that may be of interest to Ontario based sea kayakers.”
Commercial outfitters may post courses or expeditions that may be of interest to Ontario sea kayakers.
Algonquin Park – located in Ontario this park is a favorite destination for hikers and paddlers. This is a public group with over 60k members so lots of posts on many topics. You might have to search but there’s plenty of information on paddling and routes.
Canoeing and Kayaking UK – 10k members and the focus of this group is paddling in the UK. If you’re planning a trip to this island you’ll probably find something of interest and help. “This group is intended as a completely open posting forum for UK paddlers, with a focus on rivers and lakes; all are welcome to post and discuss freely. Why the need for this group? At the moment, most equivalent Facebook groups are buried in adverts, and effectively unusable. So…no adverts will be permitted here. Hopefully this will open the way to some useful discussion and sharing of information. “
Where to Canoe & Kayak (Outside of Ontario)
Tomahawk Kayak Group Outings – small group of just over 200 members specific to the Wisconsin area. If visiting the area might be worth making contact. “This is a group created for the sake of kayaking events around the Tomahawk Wisconsin area. Weather its a slow lake run, fishing, rampage river run, or a social time with a couple adult beverages we want to hear about it.”
Kayak & Canoe User Groups
Senior Kayakers Group 55+ – for those amongst us that are chronologically challenged this private group of 19.9k members offers support along with advice around equipment and destinations. International coverage so if you plan to paddle away from your usual haunts this might be the place to ask questions.
Solo Canoeist – a public group with over 8k members, active with plenty of regular posts, generally helpful and on topic.
Kayak and Canoe Camping – a private group of over 29k people with lots of real-world useful tips, tricks, and information. “If you’ve never climbed out of your boat looking like you’ve been to a WWE smackdown cage match that got out of hand, this group can teach you how. If after your trip your hair looks like it’s been styled with an electric mixer, you have fur on your teeth, or could be the poster child for a full-body waxing, you’ve come to the right place. Or if you would like to hone your skill level to that of Sasquatch and Rambo, we can help. We’ll teach you how to embrace the suck and do the tree-hugging hippie thing at the same time.”
Open Canoe Sailing Group – this is a small UK-based public group with 2.8k members but if you’ve ever wanted to add a sail to your canoe this might be the group for you. “The Open Canoe Sailing Group is a UK-based Club for canoe-sailors. “
Canoe Specific Groups & Pages
Chestnut Canoe – a smallish public group with 1.9k members. Wasn’t sure which heading to include this under, but it is a canoe-specific group. “Chestnut Canoes have been around since c 1890. This is a place for people to share their love of this versatile well designed little craft from an age when craftsmanship was still a craft.”
Greenland Inspired Kayaking – public group with over 6,000 members “A page for novices to experts alike for sharing photos and events, asking questions and having discussions around Greenland style kayaking.”
Solo Canoes and Pack Boats – public group with 1.6k members ( I like smaller group numbers because it’s usually more focused and fewer repeat questions). “Solo Canoes and Pack Boats has been developed as a guide to everything specific to solo canoeing on the web in North America…..The group discussion focuses on solo canoes, pack boats, and gear used for recreational canoe paddling, tripping, freestyle paddling, canoe camping, etc. and serves as a news source and to announce updates for SoloCanoes.com”
https://www.facebook.com/paddlecanada/ – not a group but a good place to start exploring courses offered by Paddle Canada.
Kayak & Canoe Owners Groups
Delta Kayak Owners Group – with just over 2,000 members, this public group was created so Delta kayak owners can share experiences and offer useful tips for other owners and prospective owners. Even the opportunity to show off your latest boat purchase.
Epic Kayaks Owners Group – a worldwide group of just over 1,000 members. “A place to share beautiful pictures of your Epic kayaks and friends on the water . Members are welcome to contribute from anywhere in the world. Also please share hints, tricks, tips and hacks for care and maintenance or news that is Epic related. Posts of used Epics for sale are also encouraged, but this is an owner appreciation page so please leave new boat sales for other venues.”
Hobie Adventure & Tandem Island Owners – public group with 4.8k members. “A group for Hobie Adventure and Tandem Island owners to connect or share experiences and ideas with other owners and to help each other if needed.”
Mad River Canoe Owners – with 2.5k members this is one of the smaller Facebook groups covering a specific type/design of canoe. “….find good resources and whatnot for outfitting my Mad River. I’m sure there are other folks out there that would love to learn how to make full use out of these very well thought out boats…..”
Merrimack, Navarro, and Stowe Mansfield Canoe Owners – some groups are very specific and but this public group of only 200 people might just have the answers if you’re interested in one of these canoes. “This is a group for and about owners of Merrimack, Sanborn, Navarro, Stowe Mansfield, and Serenity canoes and paddles — or if you’re thinking of buying one of these canoes.”
Northstar and Bell Canoe Owners Group – small group with just over 800 focused members. “This is group for owners to talk about their canoes and ask questions about canoeing and canoe models.”
Old Town Sportsman PDL Owners Group – a public group of just over 7k. “A group for owners for the new Sportsman PDL product like to include the Sportsman 120 and 106 PDL, Salty PDL, and Bigwater PDL.”
Perception Kayak Owners – 7.3K members. “This page was created for all Perception kayak owners. Please feel free to post pictures, videos, ideas, questions, etc.”
Sawyer & Other Michigan Canoes – one of the smaller groups at just over thousand members but it might just be what you need. “A place to celebrate Michigan’s contribution to canoeing, discuss and identify old Sawyer and other Michigan-made canoes, paddles and gear.”
Stellar Kayaks Owners Group – just shy of 2,000 members in this public group. As a guide this groups is all about “Questions and discussions of all Stellar kayak models. Mods, accessories unique ways to use your Stellar. List pre-owned Stellars for sale here too ! Of course, we welcome pictures of your beautiful Stellar kayaks and friends on the water.”
WS Tsunami Owners Group – small focused group “Tips and tricks for Wilderness Systems Tsunami owners. We welcome all those interested in this kayak model.”
Wenonah Canoe Owners – private group with 4.2k members. “For anyone who owns, has owned or is thinking of owning a We-no-nah canoe. Show us your boat! Ideas and improvement?”
Kayak & Canoe Fishing Groups
Kayak Fishing For Beginners – a big group with over 50k members, good chance you’ll find something interesting in this group. “
DIY Kayak Rigging – at first, I thought this group was all about kayak sailing but no, the 80k plus members are into kitting out kayaks for fishing. “This is a page designed to help kayak anglers create and modify accessories to fit their needs. Please post up projects that can help other anglers out with their own projects.”
Are you new to the sport of kayak fishing? Are you looking to get into kayak fishing? “I bet you have tons of questions right? Well we are here to help! Ask any questions you like, and they shall be answered. There are no dumb questions in this group.”
Hobie Kayak Fishing – an active and helpful group for kayak anglers especially focused on Hobie products. Fortunately, the admins seem to work hard to keep the group focused. Witness this post ” This page was started with the intention of sharing each others passion for Hobie kayak fishing. Pictures, videos, rigging tips and most importantly helping people discover the Hobie Way of Life. Over the past year or so it’s turned into more of a classifieds type page and less about sharing our love for Hobie. It’s time we get back to the intention of this group. Effective immediately all for sale post will be deleted and repeat offenders banned from the group. This applies to commercial and private sales.
Kayak & Canoe Makers & Repairers
Canoe Paddle Makers – a public group with 6.8k members (do they all craft paddles?). ” If you enjoy working with your hands making canoe paddles, sharing knowledge of the trade, and bringing wood grain to life this is a place for you.”
Cedar Strip Canoe and Kayak Building– a private group with 13.9k members containing information on ” Cedar strip canoe building, pictures, tips, how to’s, advice.”
Fans of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association – public group of 3.7k. “A facebook-place to show support for this non-profit membership organization devoted to preserving, studying, building, restoring, and using wooden and bark canoes, and to disseminating information about canoeing heritage throughout the world.”
Kayak Building (canoe builders are also welcome according to the About Us bit) – I once shared a house with a teacher who built his own fiberglass kayak; hell of a mess but this public group of over 8k members should help. “Have you built your own kayak? Or want to build a kayak? If so, this is the place for you to meet up with other kayak builders, show off your boats, and talk about the different boat models that are available. This group is open to those who have built, or want to build, strip-built, stitch and glue, skin-on-frame, or other types of kayak construction. Canoe builders are welcome too.”
Buy, Sell & Trade Canoes & Kayaks
Kayak Fishing Buy, Sell, Trade – over 68K members in a private group. “A Place for Kayak Anglers To Buy, Sell, and Trade Kayak and Fishing Equipment. Members may also post deals or coupons for Kayak fishing equipment. This is a private group to try and keep Spammers out. Feel free to invite or approve any of your Kayak Fishing friends. The more Kayak Anglers we have the better. NO FIREARMS, WEAPONS OR VEHICLES FOR SALE!”
North American Canoe Trader – with over 13k members this public group is a great option to buy, sell and trade quality canoes. “Quality is subjective, but weight is a good indicator. Is it easily portaged? List your Royalex, Kevlar, Aramid, carbon, Tufweave, etc canoes. Some fiberglass boats are eligible. Proprietary Royalex replacements are eligible. Boats of unique design (think Verlen Kruger) and provenance (prototypes) are good, including some vintage and decked canoes. Some SOF and cedar strip canoes qualify—again, think weight and quality of construction. No kayaks, aluminum canoes, polyethylene canoes (SP3, CrossLink 3, triple tough, etc.) or rotomolded canoes.”
Kayak Classifieds – public group with 14.9k members. Specifically a Canadian and US group they are more relaxed on the type of gear that can be included. “US and Canada based Buy and Sell group for Kayak and Kayak Related gear for sale. Post your kayak related items for sale here. Items must be related to kayaking, kayak touring, white water kayaking and recreational kayaking. Surf Skis, Paddle Boards and related gear will also be allowed. “
KAYAKS FOR SALE NOW. – “a group where you can sell and buy your kayaks and anything related to them?” but I have noticed a lot of irrelevant content some spammy. Your choice. Personally, I’d be looking for a more local option.
Eclectic & Unusual Groups
Canada Metal Detecting & Magnet Fishing – private group with 2.8k members. If you’ve never tried magnet fishing you might be missing out on lots of fun and it’s easy to do from a canoe or kayak.