I’m new to canoes, but not to water. I grew up on the Wabash river in Indiana, the Penobscot Bay in Maine. My dad grew up in a recent immigrant, multi-generational, independent professional fisherman house, and fish were a way he knew how to feed his family on a grad student salary. We were out there a lot, in little boats. Nothing over 16ft.
We never had a canoe though. Friends did, when I got to use one I was always amazed at how effortlessly they traveled, compared to our outboards, rowboats, and sailboats.
I spent the next 20yrs of my life in the arid West. Central Oregon, Northern Wyoming, Southern Arizona. Not a lot of water to use, at least for someone who could never get past random construction laborer income.
I moved to Tennessee ten years ago, and canoes are on every fourth car on the weekends. “I love canoes! I’m gonna get one of those!” But I can’t stand junk, and couldn’t afford good. I figured I'd make one.
I’m an all natural guy. Wear Hemp, Linen, Wool, Leather. Decided I needed an all natural canoe. But it needs to be as good as Kevlar! Carbon! I started trying to figure out how to do it.
I have a few ideas, hopefully I’ll post a few prototypes to this forum.
My Mom moved to Coastal Massachusetts when I was 25. I wasn’t able to get there much, but one visit 6-7yrs ago, in midst of the focus on canoe creation, I spent a lot of time at a traditional fishing harbor. Saw all those boats that reminded me of Maine…. And thought: “I want that too!”
Now I am cross training, each for the other. I still think canoes are the best boat, the most ecologically excusable, all anyone REALLY needs. But just yesterday my favorite boat designer Paul Gartside said he’d draw up my dream boat: a 24ft plank on frame BC coast campcruiser. And a big goal helps keep a guy going.
We never had a canoe though. Friends did, when I got to use one I was always amazed at how effortlessly they traveled, compared to our outboards, rowboats, and sailboats.
I spent the next 20yrs of my life in the arid West. Central Oregon, Northern Wyoming, Southern Arizona. Not a lot of water to use, at least for someone who could never get past random construction laborer income.
I moved to Tennessee ten years ago, and canoes are on every fourth car on the weekends. “I love canoes! I’m gonna get one of those!” But I can’t stand junk, and couldn’t afford good. I figured I'd make one.
I’m an all natural guy. Wear Hemp, Linen, Wool, Leather. Decided I needed an all natural canoe. But it needs to be as good as Kevlar! Carbon! I started trying to figure out how to do it.
I have a few ideas, hopefully I’ll post a few prototypes to this forum.
My Mom moved to Coastal Massachusetts when I was 25. I wasn’t able to get there much, but one visit 6-7yrs ago, in midst of the focus on canoe creation, I spent a lot of time at a traditional fishing harbor. Saw all those boats that reminded me of Maine…. And thought: “I want that too!”
Now I am cross training, each for the other. I still think canoes are the best boat, the most ecologically excusable, all anyone REALLY needs. But just yesterday my favorite boat designer Paul Gartside said he’d draw up my dream boat: a 24ft plank on frame BC coast campcruiser. And a big goal helps keep a guy going.
