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HISTORY
Age-old woodcraft skills of the First Nations peoples provide the foundation for the development of the wood canoe. Faced with shortages of Native birch bark canoes, the European settlers resourcefully designed their own craft, borrowing heavily of course from the native designs, but adapting to their own skills with woodcraft to fashion the early wood canoe prototypes. Using their wood sense, available materials, and ingenuity, they transformed the one of a kind birch bark canoe into a practical craft that could be readily produced to exacting specifications.
In the 125+ years that traced the European influence on these canoes, evolution has made them faster, lighter, and more durable, yet preserving the fundamental elegance, simplicity and beauty of the original designs. Built of renewable organic materials, they are surprisingly robust, easily repaired if damaged, and built to last lifetimes.
CONSTRUCTION
Using custom-designed wood/steel forms, each canoe is built to a uniform shape, yet is individualized by the texture and grain patterns in the wood, along with the handiwork of our craftsmen. Once the cedar ribs have been steamed and bent over the form, the premium grade cedar planking is hand-nailed to the outside of the ribs with brass tacks. This creates a very strong and lightweight fastening system. When planking is completed, the canoe is removed from the form, 6oz fibreglass cloth and watertight epoxy coatings are applied to the hull (5 coats), then baked. Gunwales, seats, decks, thwart and yoke are installed, and the entire interior is seated with five coats of the finest UV protectant marine grade spar varnish. This "Clearglass" treatment is our most popular construction, but we do still offer the more traditional looking canvas cover construction technique.
MAINTAINING YOUR CEDAR CANOE
All wood canoes should always be stored upside-down and well off the ground whenever possible. Like any wood product, occasional maintenance is required. Minor scratches can be concealed with a light coat of UV protectant, marine grade spar varnish, both inside and outside the canoe. Deep scratches or gouges on the exterior can be sealed with clear epoxy resin.
RESTORATIONS
A well cared for cedar canoe will hold its value and in many cases, increase in value with time, like a fine piece of artwork. We are specialists in repairing and restoring all makes and models of Ribbed Cedar Strip Canoes. At Langford we restore your canoe with the same care and attention that goes into the making of our own family of canoes.
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