I’ve come into the possession of a 16 foot Prospector model wood strip canoe, originally made in 1985. The builder’s son and his wife are seniors from the area.

 

I met with them in late June to pick up the boat. Very nice people, and very pleased to learn my plan was to fix up the damage from years of outdoor storage then gift it to a kids camp or group. I spoke with a friend and former firefighter from my fire department who is a leader with 1st Wolfville Scouts. They would be very happy to have it, and have indoor storage for it at the local Scout Camp.

 

Unfortunately, it's been outside for some time, so I’ve got a fair amount of work to do on it, all at my expense. I'll be rebuilding the front stem, replacing the outer gunwales, splicing repairs into the last couple feet of the inner gunwales, replacing the decks, fibre glassing both stems, repairing the keel, then a fresh coat of varnish overall.

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I'm putting this to the top of the project list, and hope to have it in the Scouts possession this summer. The original owner's father was a well known boat builder; Charles H. Stacey but always known as Charlie of Louisbourg. His family were boat builders for hundreds of years and produced many a fine schooner or dory for fishers off Cape Breton. So with the blessing of the family, this boat will be named Charlie.

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It appears to have been built as detailed the the boat builder's bible, Canoecraft by Ted Moores and Merilyn Mohr.