So the Grays created a wood and canvas structured canoe that would be quicker to build and way easier to maintain. They hired a few log drivers who had boat building expertise and they created the ...

“So you’re starting to see what I mean about all the sanding?” says Ron Pellinen, my wooden canoe-building mentor, when I walk into his shop on a brisk March morning in Northern Ontario.

The wooden hull by itself is weak, but the two layers of fiberglass make the canoe extremely strong, lightweight and waterproof. No ribs are needed, no canvas covering, and no caulking.

He purchased his first canoe in 1960 and his second canoe in 1961 – a 1909 Old Town wood/canvas “Ideal” model that he still ...