|
EllaRow
True Blue Farmgirl
64 Posts
Chantelle
Nevis
MN
USA
64 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 15 2013 : 10:14:00 AM
|
My husband's childhood dream was to always build canoes. This dream and fascination has followed him into adulthood. He has been piecing together a wood shop for our Caveman Woodworking and Crafts business we started last year. He was hoping to get into wooden canoes or any variation. We got a call out of the blue from his brother saying he had stumbled upon a man who used to make the Corecraft fiberglass canoes. The man was selling the mold for this canoe for only $400. He went out of business years ago when they tried to expand Corecraft too fast. My brother-in-law bought the mold knowing of my husband's dream and has agreed to help finance the materials needed to build a few canoes. In the end we'll end up paying him back for the molds plus a little extra for the help, but my husband is excited. After years of neglect, the mold needs to be cleaned but is in otherwise great condition. His dad has a heated garage he said my husband can work in until he can finally afford his heated shop. All we need now is enough money for materials. So we're hoping by Spring to have a few canoes done and ready for testing. My husband has to buy all the safety stuff that goes along with the materials. He hopes to get into canoes with wood striping and maybe even some entirely wooden canoes. Now we have a solid base to expand our lil business into another field. We even had a local store ask him about whether he had any made yet. The manager had been standing right behind him when he mentioned to my sister, who works there, that he was going to start building canoes. She said they prefer to buy bigger items like canoes locally if they can and to stop by next year once we have some made up. The store has 3 or 4 stores within an hour or 2 drive of us and provides farm and sporting goods to the area. Hubbie is really excited if we can just get through this winter and get those canoes made. He said the materials can be in over 200 colors. So special orders might become an option later. I'm happy to see the hubbie happy and I'm hopeful about our business. :) Hugs to all!  
Soaking in wisdom as the showers fall
https://www.facebook.com/CavemanWoodworkingAndCrafts
https://www.facebook.com/RowlandComputersPlus |
|
|
Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2013 : 8:37:08 PM
|
Very cool! I'm so happy for your husband that he gets to pursue this long-held dream. And better yet, that there is a market for it.
Your post reminds me that a long, long time ago (1997), when I was doing an internship at a museum in New England, there was a week-long workshop in which the participants built a traditional birchbark canoe. I'd never had any particular interest in boat building, but it sure was cool to watch these guys put it together. |
 |
|
Building Canoes
