I miss being on the water in my canoe as it relaxes me as much as my gardening.
As a kid I’d fish with my Father, but I’m allergic to them so I stopped when we both stopped going. I’m not so much a catch and release type so it worked out as anything I caught was consumed by my family at home.
Last year I got a steal of a deal for $150 cdn; a Raddison (aluminum body, made out of aeroplane grade materials) that was beaten up and from the 70’s. The only work the former owner did was soak the outside in green paint. These types of boats are 4ft wide, have sponsons, and are ribbed and lined with foam; so the replacement foam needed wasn’t a fun thing to order but this canoe can now be FILLED with water and still make it back to shore no problems.
It took over a solid week of effort, but in the end I stripped it down and then rebuilt it back up
It’s now call it “The Black Swallowtail” because the moment I said out-loud “you need a name”, a Black Swallowtail butterfly landed on the canoe right in front of me. The canoe is painted matte black and I use lime green pool noodles over the gunwales for transport so it was beyond poetic.
Sadly the pollen has been so high that’s it’s difficult to get going without feeling fatigue; that and the lockdown in my Province has made getting into the water more awkward than usual where I am.
My boat is “only” 12’ long and double pointed with no keels; so it’s a lot of fun on the water but can get frustrating when it’s very windy. (I usually go onto Lake Ontario). It came bare bones, so since I got it I’ve had fun crafting:
- Oak webbed seats,
- an outrigger for big wave play, (made out of PVC and pool noodles),
- a kite rig to literally “Waterworld” my way when the wind is 20-30kmh.
- an Oak motor mount for my 38lb thrust trolling motor.
- a shade canopy (made out of a few clamps, pvc pipe and old tent parts)
I know i’ll get on the water soon enough but it’s still frustrating. 
Hoping there’s others here that have done similar exploits with their water-bound vehicles and I’d love to see everyones creativity!
Soon…
. I looked for one not very heavy as I carry it from home to the shore.
