Announcing the Canoecraft on the Water Video Contest Winners!

The Canoecraft on the Water Video Contest closed at the end of 2017, and we were very impressed by the quality of the submissions. Each submitter had something unique to tell us about their building process, wood choices, or paddling style. The winners reflect a range of experience, from retrospectives to launch day excitement.

First prize goes to Chad Gehring, a Utah-based canoe builder who describes himself as "a museum exhibit designer by profession and a woodworker and nature lover by passion." We loved the visuals, Chad's polished narration, the mix of biographical and practical info, the calming music... all of it, really.

Second prize belongs to Frazer Johnson, whose submission you may have seen when we shared it early as a teaser. We appreciated Frazer's varied and detailed paddling shots and the advice he offers to campers, not to mention the fact that he features both a canoe and a kayak.

Lauren Pacho and Reid Shaeffer took third prize with their on-the-fly launch day video. We enjoyed their enthusiastic, inspiring presentation, their notes on wood choices, and of course, their very beautiful canoe.

Honourable mention goes to André Martel and Jim White, who submitted videos with clear, detailed descriptions of their building process.

The contest's top prize was a $500 gift certificate to Lee Valley Tools Ltd., with plans, books, model kits, and subscriptions going to the other winners. We have videographer extraordinaire Andrew Szeto to thank for helping us shoot our announcement video on location at the Lee Valley store in Ottawa. Check it out for more notes and details on winners.

All winning videos can be found on YouTube here, or you can watch the embedded playlist above. We'll also be giving each video a spotlight on social media over the coming weeks, so please like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram if you don't already.

Your comments and feedback help make our jobs rewarding, so thank you sincerely for watching. As ever, we'd be happy to hear about your own building experience or see photos of the finished product if you'd like to get in touch. Lastly, thank you and congratulations to the contest winners - we hope you enjoy these stories as much as we did. Sincerely,

The Bear Mountain Team