Boats of Many Colors

       It all started in an unlikely way.  Three years ago we had that
freak heavy snowstorm on Oct. 13th .of 2006.   Much of the area was
without power two days later when I drove before dawn to the Buffalo
airport to fly to Los Angeles to do some contract work for the week.
When I returned at the end of the week I noticed several good sized
trees had fallen over from the snow on the leaves, wet ground, and
ensuing high winds.  At the time I figured that I would use it as
firewood.

       A year later in October of 2007, as I was getting ready to cut
it into firewood, I mentioned it to a good friend, J.D. Barrett.  I
half-joked with him that while the logs were not huge, they were
relatively straight,  and that maybe I should make some canoes from
them.  He has either made for himself or helped others in making 9 or 10
wood strip canoes and kayaks over the years.  This is the same J. D.
Barrett that made numerous fly fishing lures through the years.  As he
closes in on his 85th birthday in a few days, he is quite an inspiration
to all those who know him.

       A couple that I am good friends with (Russ and Trudy Dawson)
said that we could work out of their garage to do the project.  After
doing some research and with the encouragement from J. D., the project
began.  One of my neighbors helped me get the logs (which I left at
18'6”) to the local sawmill to have them sawn into boards, kiln
dried, planed to thickness, and then ripped into strips that were just
over ¼” by ¾”.  We then planed each of the roughly 200 strips to 1/4”
and then put a bead and cove on each with a router.  After going through
this process, especially handling the 18'+ strips while putting the bead
and cove on them, I began to understand why the cost of the strips are
so expensive if you buy them ready to go.

       In the Spring of 2008 we bought a few materials to set up the
strongbacks to use as our work platforms and then made the forms that
attach to it.  Over time we began putting the strips in place a few at a
time and attaching them with staples and wood glue to the forms.  The
pattern that we ended up using was a takeoff of a "Bob's Special" that
we made a few modifications to (mainly stretching the pattern from 15'
to 16'2").  They slowly began to take shape, but then summer came and
went and we still didn't have them enclosed and it was too cold to use
the glue until the following Spring.

    

       In April, when the canoes hadn't hardly been touched over the
winter, another figure came into the picture.  Our good friend Tony
Cassidy was interested and became a fixture during the couple hours that
we would gather each week to work on the canoes.  His timely arrival and
enthusiasm to help and learn through the project made a huge impact.

 

       During the summer we put the rest of the wood strips in place
and then did quite a bit of sanding.  After that we put on the Epoxy
Resin and fiberglass on the inside and out and then more sanding. 

 

 

 

     Then we put the seats, handles and yoke in place.  A final coat of varnish
and three years after the trees fell down, two years after they had been
taken to the sawmill, and after occupying a bay in the Dawson's garage
for 18 months, the canoes were ready to launch.

              Throughout the project we had an incredible amount of fun.  We
developed a new unit of measurement--a nicwidth is the minimum amount of
distance that canoes on workbenches can be spaced apart and still allow
me to squeeze through (a measurement that I am planning to decrease over
time).  J.D. shared many amusing and interesting stories of his life,
including his lovely wife of 62 + years who has had some physical
ailments of late.  J.D. also told us that he "is too old for green
bananas because I wouldn't want to waste my money in case I don't make
it until they're ripe."  His wife Dorothy, tells us that "growing old
isn't for wimps" and continues to inspire us even as she struggles with
severe pain.  Russ always amazed us with how he could look at something
that needed work and then he could walk away with it and come back with
a perfect fit.  Trudy inspired us with her steady demeanor.  Tony's
enthusiasm was infectious.  My wife Holly's patience was evident
throughout the project and I thank her much for that.

       Following are a few pictures of the launch.  What struck me most during the project is that without J.D., Russ, and Tony all of this wouldn't have been a possible.  Each of them proved to be a crucial catalyst in the project.  It reminds of Barnabus coming alongside Paul in front of the followers of Christ.  The early Christians had seen the persecution of many and martyrdom of Stephen and knew that before them stood a man who took an active role in it.  Barnabas did his part and reassured them that Paul could now be trusted and that was vital to Paul's ministry.  (Read Acts 7-9 for more info)  Without Barnabas doing his part it would be hard to imagine Paul's ministry (or in my case without JD, Russ, and Tony this would have only existed on paper and in my dreams).  We can all have an impact on others as we move through the paths we travel each day.  I'll be trying to do my part to "pass it forward" to those I meet along the way.