At the close of the 19th century, and for several decades into the 20th, canoes and guideboats represented some of the finest examples of American craftsmanship in wood. These "ladies of the lakes" are to this day unsurpassed in both quality of construction and openwater handling. Vintage Canoeworks is proud to bring you a wide array of watercraft meticulously restored with great respect given to original materials and historical accuracy. These master pieces are completely functional, insuring many years of paddling pleasure.
Our website features photos and details of all our meticulously restored canoes and guideboats. You'll also find information regarding upcoming projects, and details on our restoration process. For more information you can contact us by clicking here.
2008 Updates
• There were developments in late 2007 that caught us a bit by surprise. The 1920 Old Town CR was sold just prior to its completion. It’s such a beautiful canoe that we’ll try to get some photos posted shortly. Further to that, both the 1924 OT Squarestern and the c.1892 J.H. Rushton guide-boat have been sold. This leaves us in the unfortunate position of having no completed craft available for sale. However.........
• Work is now underway on the 1949 Penn Yan Rainbow, the c.1906 H.K. Martin guide-boat and the c.1914 B.N Morris.
The Rainbow is a very sturdy canoe with wonderful lines and it is poised to show an extremely nice restoration result. We'll have it complete and posted to the website this summer.
We are still drying the spruce root stock for the H.K. Martin ribs. Thus, it may not be complete until the late summer at the earliest. As this is also an entirely varnished guide-boat, the extra time and care that must be taken with its finish is contributing to our delay in completion.
The Morris is the definition of canoe elegance. Its appearance, construction and beautiful woods are making it a true joy to restore. We are really looking forward to presenting it here this summer.
• The c.1875 Caleb Chase guide-boat has a new owner. We'd like to thank everyone for the many inquiries and resultant dialog. It was quite encouraging to see this level of interest in a craft of such historical import.
• Due to work on the Squarestern, the PennYan, the Martin and probably the 1925 Guide’s Special, we are unable to perform any contract restorations this year. If a 2009 delivery works for you, let’s talk.
|
2008 Shows
We will be exhibiting at the 30th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show in Skaneateles, New York from July 25 - 27. We plan to show both the 1920 Charles River and the c.1914 B.N. Morris. It's a nice show in a beautiful part of the country, so do yourself a favor and visit!
Awards
For a complete list of awards we've won, click here.
Press
On August 14, 2007 the New York Times ran a feature article on us. Click here for a link to the article.
Customer Testimonials
Two of our customers, one a contract restoration and the other the new owner of our 1926 Old Town HW, took the time to write us letters so we’ve posted them here. We’re really not as good as these folks imply.
|
