Messing About At The Canadian Canoe Museum

Enjoy this excerpt on the Canadian Canoe Museum’s first annual Small Craft Rendezvous, written by Cobourg Kid

...Speaking of Bear Mountain Boats, (one of the major sponsors of the Rendezvous), 2013 marks their fortieth year in business. Over that period Ted Moores, Joan Barrett and their crew of craftspeople have worked tirelessly to design (with the help of Steve killing) and produce, with the help of subcontractor Ron Frenette of Canadian canoes, wooden watercraft, that combine classic lines with the most advanced epoxy strip marine technologies. With such a great team Bear Mountain has in fact become the go to source for plans, kits, how-to videos (one featuring Nick Offerman) and technical support for anyone who wants to craft his/her own, canoe, skiff or sailboat.

Two competitive C15 (war canoes) built by Bear Mountain frame a 14 foot Rice Lake skiff (designed by Bear Mountain but built by Joe Paterson) and a restored 1930 international design sailboat.

In recent years, Ted and Joan have branched out a bit, in addition to building their traditional designs Bear Mountain has produced national sprint racing canoes, restored historically significant craft, and constructed elegant one-off custom boats. An example of the later is Sparks, a thirty foot hybrid- electric fantail launch that runs on solar panels, an AGM battery pack and a small generator.

While Sparks was not on display I have included a photo as its blend of old style displacement design, cutting edge technology and enviable operational economy seem to meld to form the perfect little cruiser.

Read the full article, Messing About At The Canadian Canoe Museum