So You Want to Buy a Canoe
By G. T. Mermagen
Do you know that you can buy a handmade laminated canoe in Hemlock, New York? You can even have it made to order. Dave Curtis and his wife, Carol, have been creating canoes made from fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon fiber and trimmed with native ash and black walnut for over 20 years.
The business is currently known as Hemlock Canoe Works and is located about two miles south of the hamlet of Hemlock on the east side of Route 15A. The Curtis's previously started and ran Curtis Canoe, a business they sold in 1987.
You may recall the days when Mad River, Sawyer and Curtis canoes brought informed paddlers to beautiful downtown Hemlock. Dave is now concentrating on his own brand of canoes, each one laid up by hand in molds he builds himself. The boats cover the needs of almost all discriminating canoeists whether they are searching for a superior whitewater boat perfected in the Grand Canyon's Colorado River, the Shaman, or a diminutive sixteen pound ten foot six inch featherweight pack canoe, the Nessmuk. Other models in the full line of canoes include the Eagle, a tandem tripping canoe and two new for 2001 solo canoes, the Peregrine and the Kestrel, a his and hers set. My personal favorite is a solo downriver tripping/expedition boat, the SRT, fifteen feet long weighing just forty two pounds in Kevlar. The design came from world class whitewater paddler, Harold Deal and has seen service since on the Winisk River, Everglades and remote lakes in Temagami.
To this writer who has bought three or four canoes from Dave and Carol and has hung out at the shop watching them fabricate these beautiful boats from rolls of fabric, pails of resin and hardwood boards, I am always amazed and pleased by the aesthetics, attention to detail, and the fact they are created by hand right before my eyes. Even more amazing to me is the fact that Dave also builds each mold into which the Gel-coat is sprayed and then covered with layers of fabric and resin. I like to see the stacks of ash boards air drying out behind the shop which will in time become the gunwales, seat supports and thwarts of the boats.
The other insight I might share with the readers of this article is how amazing is the depth of knowledge Dave has regarding types of boats along with their design and construction. Without getting into all the specifics of length, width, waterline, flare, rocker, weight or types of materials, I have to say I do not know anyone locally who has so much information at his/her fingertips and is so willing to share it with the customer to guide their canoe purchase. In addition to knowing the technology of canoe construction, Dave and Carol have years of experience paddling canoes all over North America. Dave has facilitated several of my own lengthy excursions into the interior of the Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada by sharing his experiences and pointing out good, bad and better routes.
If I were planning to add another boat to my already foolishly large collection of paddle craft, I would go straight to Hemlock and check out the boats made by hand in the Canoe Works shop. Happy paddling everyone!
The business is currently known as Hemlock Canoe Works and is located about two miles south of the hamlet of Hemlock on the east side of Route 15A. The Curtis's previously started and ran Curtis Canoe, a business they sold in 1987.
You may recall the days when Mad River, Sawyer and Curtis canoes brought informed paddlers to beautiful downtown Hemlock. Dave is now concentrating on his own brand of canoes, each one laid up by hand in molds he builds himself. The boats cover the needs of almost all discriminating canoeists whether they are searching for a superior whitewater boat perfected in the Grand Canyon's Colorado River, the Shaman, or a diminutive sixteen pound ten foot six inch featherweight pack canoe, the Nessmuk. Other models in the full line of canoes include the Eagle, a tandem tripping canoe and two new for 2001 solo canoes, the Peregrine and the Kestrel, a his and hers set. My personal favorite is a solo downriver tripping/expedition boat, the SRT, fifteen feet long weighing just forty two pounds in Kevlar. The design came from world class whitewater paddler, Harold Deal and has seen service since on the Winisk River, Everglades and remote lakes in Temagami.
To this writer who has bought three or four canoes from Dave and Carol and has hung out at the shop watching them fabricate these beautiful boats from rolls of fabric, pails of resin and hardwood boards, I am always amazed and pleased by the aesthetics, attention to detail, and the fact they are created by hand right before my eyes. Even more amazing to me is the fact that Dave also builds each mold into which the Gel-coat is sprayed and then covered with layers of fabric and resin. I like to see the stacks of ash boards air drying out behind the shop which will in time become the gunwales, seat supports and thwarts of the boats.
The other insight I might share with the readers of this article is how amazing is the depth of knowledge Dave has regarding types of boats along with their design and construction. Without getting into all the specifics of length, width, waterline, flare, rocker, weight or types of materials, I have to say I do not know anyone locally who has so much information at his/her fingertips and is so willing to share it with the customer to guide their canoe purchase. In addition to knowing the technology of canoe construction, Dave and Carol have years of experience paddling canoes all over North America. Dave has facilitated several of my own lengthy excursions into the interior of the Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada by sharing his experiences and pointing out good, bad and better routes.
If I were planning to add another boat to my already foolishly large collection of paddle craft, I would go straight to Hemlock and check out the boats made by hand in the Canoe Works shop. Happy paddling everyone!
Copyright © 2001 G. T. Mermagen
