WHY WOOD?
While there are many options for building
boats on the market today, and each has its merits, I feel that
for small pleasure boats, wood is the ideal material.
Wood is a renewable resource. If we plant trees,
and I do, we can replenish the materials for the future generations
to use. Wood waste, for the most part, is non-toxic. Wood is
pleasant to work with and has a pleasing smell; this means that
the worker may be enchanted with his or her work, leading to
benefits for the customer in areas of quality control.
Although we hear much about carbon fibre, Kevlar,
and aluminum alloys, and their strengths; nothing is stronger
or stiffer than good quality, appropriate wood, when measured
in strength per pound per dollar spent. Wood is also much less
prone to material fatigue than other materials, simply because
it comes from trees! They are constantly buffeted by wind, and
except for extreme cases, never fail.
Yes wood rots, but if it is properly protected
and maintained this problem can be virtually eliminated. A year
or so ago I was in a friend's shop when he was revarnishing a
bass-wood (not a very rot resistant wood) canoe built in 1885. Granted
this boat had been properly stored in a boathouse, this still
is remarkable, because the canoe was in perfect shape. As far
as cost and maintenance go I will quote the English builder John
Cove: "Many people are put off by the idea that maintenance
costs are high. Increasingly, neither the public nor the boating
press question this statement, yet it is clear that a good wooden
boat regularly maintained is not difficult or expensive, but
this is being confused with the high cost of bringing a neglected
wooden boat back to good condition."
No other material can match the beauty of wood,
soothe the soul, or help rekindle memories of quieter times.
WHY Us?
Because we like what we are doing and are
committed to building every boat or canoe to a higher standard
than the last one. We know that without customers we cannot continue
to follow this way of life, so we will do our best to make sure
you are happy with the finished product. This starts with consultation
in the preorder stage of our relationship, to make sure that
the craft your are thinking of will suit your purposes; follows
through the design stage, and finishes with delivery, set up,
and an owners manual. We try to get our boats out by the requested
completion date, but feel that a delay of a week or two is much
preferable to a compromise in quality.
We believe that having a boat built for you
should be as pleasant an experience as using it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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