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  2. Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims
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This is the story of the canoe, that singular American artifact so little changed over time. Featured here are canoes old and new, from birch bark to dugout to carbon fiber; the people who made them; and the adventures they shared. With features of technology, industry, art, and survival, the canoe carries us deep into the natural and cultural history of North America.

Follow author Mark Neuzil on Twitter: @mrneuzil

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Published: 2016
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
ISBN(s)
  • 9780816681174 (hardcover)
Subject
  • History
  • Cultural Studies
  • Literature
  • Native American Studies
  • Regional Studies

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  • Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes11
  • Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement4
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Canoes in a splash of colors await paddlers on Moraine Lake at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

Banff National Park

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

Canoes in a splash of colors await paddlers on Moraine Lake at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

The pioneering chemist Stephanie Kwolek holds the liquid crystal polymer that became Kevlar.

Stephanie Kwolek

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

The pioneering chemist Stephanie Kwolek holds the liquid crystal polymer that became Kevlar.

A close-up image of Kevlar fibers woven together.

Kevlar Fibers

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

Kevlar fibers are used in a variety of applications, perhaps most famously in bullet-proof vests.

A color photograph of Kevlar canoes hanging in a warehouse.

Kevlar Canoes

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

The Souris River Canoe factory in Atikokan, Ontario, Canada, produces several popular canoe tripping models made of Kevlar fibers and epoxy resin.

A color advertisement for the V'neer canoe.

V'neer

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

Around 1917, the Haskell Manufacturing Company of Ludington, Michigan, debuted a composite canoe called the V’neer.

A worker at Old Town Canoes puts the finishing touches on a fiberglass model.

Old Town Fiberglass Canoes

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

A worker at Old Town Canoes puts the finishing touches on a fiberglass model.

The old-line canoe builder Old Town expanded into the fiberglass market in the 1960s. This advertisement, for its Rushton model, claimed a weight of 18.5 pounds on the 10-foot solo boat. Cost was $195.

Fiberglass Rushton Canoe

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

The old-line canoe builder Old Town expanded into the fiberglass market in the 1960s. This advertisement, for its Rushton model, claimed a weight of 18.5 pounds on the 10-foot solo boat. Cost was $195.

Here a Nova Craft Moisie model tackles the rapids on Ontario’s Madawaska River.

Nova Craft Canoe

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

Here a Nova Craft Moisie model tackles the rapids on Ontario’s Madawaska River.

Sometimes canoe manufacturers went to extreme lengths to tout the quality of their synthetic canoes. In this case, Old Town dropped a Tripper model off of the roof of its plant in Old Town, Maine, to show it could take a punch and more-or-less snap right back to straight again.

Old Town Gimmick

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

Sometimes canoe manufacturers went to extreme lengths to tout the quality of their synthetic canoes. In this case, Old Town dropped a Tripper model off of the roof of its plant in Old Town, Maine, to show it could take a punch and more-or-less snap right back to straight again.

A color Coleman advertisement featuring a family paddling a fiberglass canoe.

Coleman Advertisement

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

The Kansas-based outdoors company Coleman was a formidable competitor in the low-end canoe market by the 1970s.

A color photograph of two canoeists paddling Wenonah Kevlar canoes.

Wenonah Canoes

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

The largest Kevlar canoe manufacturer in the world by the turn of the 21st century was Wenonah, with an annual output of around 10,000 boats in a good year (the company also owns Current Designs kayaks). Canoe campers love them for their light-weight, sleek design and durability.

A color photograph of two paddlers going through rapids in a synthetic canoe.

Synthetic Canoe in the Rapids

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

The manufacture of synthetic canoes enjoyed a boost from the increase in interest in human-powered outdoor recreation in the 1960s and 1970s, activities that also included bicycling and cross-country skiing.

A color portrait of Mike Cichanowski next to a group of Kevlar canoes on the shore.

Mike Cichanowski

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

Mike Cichanowski, founder and owner of Wenonah Canoes, by the early 21st century the leading manufacturer of Kevlar canoes in North America.

A black-and-white photograph of a canoe race in progress.

Sy Barash Canoe Races

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

Canoe racing, with both professionals and Sunday cruisers competing, remains a popular form of outdoor adventure.

Wenonah continually experimented with new models, including this solo canoe called the Vagabond, seen on the shore of Abel Lake in Virginia. Solo canoes became popular for wilderness trippers and day paddlers alike.

Vagabond

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

Wenonah continually experimented with new models, including this solo canoe called the Vagabond, seen on the shore of Abel Lake in Virginia. Solo canoes became popular for wilderness trippers and day paddlers alike.

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