Manke at the Wreckage

This unique heritage building is home of Manke at the Wreckage, a kayak museum style space of inspiration. Within this characteristic space is historic skin on frame qajaq and paddle builds with a community presentation lounge where visitors can learn more about kayaking. The space includes a light retail area stocked with creations by local artists, as well as a small selection of kayak and camping related gear. We are an official dealer for BeaverCraft Tools, a Ukrainian company with an extensive line of carving and bushcraft knives. Online and in-person kayak rolling lessons and other traditional kayak based instruction will also be offered using Manke at the Wreckage as our official home base. 

The creator James Manke has been an International sea kayak instructor for the past 15 years, specializing in traditional kayaking including the elusive 35 different kayak rolls held at the National Greenland Kayaking Championships. In 2014 James won international gold for Canada in the individual kayaking rolling competition along with 4 international silver in various disciplines. Manke at the Wreckage is James' creative outlet and way to give back to the kayak community for all the support that has allowed him to travel, teach and live his passion. 

During the winter months, James will be running local youth kayak builds (traditional skin on frame) with focus on encouraging and inspiring the next generation of kayakers. The goal is to make this as affordable as possible for youth by raising donations and funds. Ucluelet is a small town of approx 2,000 full time residents located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The community is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and is the perfect place to inspire youth to find balance and a true sense of meaning on the water. If you would like to donate or contribute to winter youth kayak builds, have a look at this page.