“First they must be fast. Second they must be tough. Third they must be seaworthy and capable of handling the roughest waters. Then, too, they must be efficient, thus the incorporation of rudders. It is crucial that they have adequate capacity to easily store and locate, as needed, their 300 pounds of gear.“
verlen kruger
Verlen didn’t set out to be a canoe designer or builder for mass production, he custom designed and built canoes simply to fit his own needs. As his reputation in the canoeing community grew so did the demand for customized watercraft by other canoeing enthusiasts, hence the Kruger Canoes business was born. Eventually Verlen standardized the line of canoes he sold with his final canoe models called the Sea Wind, Dream Catcher and Kruger Cruiser.
Verlen Kruger building a wood strip canoe. 1969 
Verlen building a Loon canoe. 1977 
Verlen Kruger in his Lansing, Michigan shop on the Grand River. Monarch design sold to Mad River Canoe. 1982 
Building a Sea Wind 1985 
Building canoe plug 1985 
Verlen with Sea Wind form 1991 
Dreamcatcher 1994 
Kruger Cruiser canoes 1997 
Kruger Cruiser 1997 
Sea Wind canoes 1997 
Rudders of Kruger Crafted canoes 1997 
Open deck Kruger Cruiser canoes 1999 
Catamaran Sea Wind canoes with sail and canopy. Quiet Water Symposium 1999 
Mark Przedwojewski purchased Kruger Canoes from Verlen in 2003. Mark passed away in 2020 and Kruger Canoes are no longer manufactured.