Bell Canoe Works

Bell Canoe Works was founded in 1988 by Ted Bell, a former champion flatwater and downriver open canoe racer and composite racing canoe builder. Ted launched his new company to expand his product line to include composite canoes for the growing flatwater and river touring markets. Partnering with some of the industry's most influential designers, T... ed developed and introduced many innovative "firsts" in composite canoe construction, and quickly built a reputation for premium quality and fanatical attention to detail. In 1993 he entered into a design relationship with David Yost, the most prolific designer of human-powered paddle craft in history. Bell quickly gained the reputation as the canoe industry's premier maker of high-end composite canoes for wilderness touring, although the product line included a full range of touring, river and solo canoes built from both composites and Royalex®. Today, Bell offers a canoe for every popular paddling application, from extreme whitewater canoeing, to solo touring, to remote wilderness adventures. Bell's line of accessories was introduced in 2000. With an initial emphasis on specialty canoe accessories, the line quickly grew to include a wide range of kayak and outdoor products selected to enhance the total paddling experience. Bell's accessory line now includes specially designed and built products from Zaverel Racing Equipment, Mitchell Paddles and Cooke Custom Sewing, among others. Bell Canoe Works was acquired by ORC Industries in 2006, and all manufacturing was relocated to ORC's La Crosse, Wisconsin headquarters later that year. Every design, mold, and piece of equipment was carefully packed, moved and reassembled under the watchful eye of Ted Bell, who then supervised the training of ORC personnel to build Bell canoes to the same exacting standards which made the brand an overnight legend in 1988. Today, the Bell Canoes produced in our La Crosse manufacturing facility are the finest ever made.Read More