At the close of the 19th century, and for several decades into the 20th, canoes and guideboats represented some of the finest examples of American craftsmanship in wood. These "ladies of the lakes" are to this day unsurpassed in both quality of construction and openwater handling. Vintage Canoeworks is proud to bring you a wide array of watercraft meticulously restored with great respect given to original materials and historical accuracy. These master pieces are completely functional, insuring many years of paddling pleasure.
Our website features photos and details of all our meticulously restored canoes and guideboats. You'll also find information regarding upcoming projects, and details on our restoration process. For more information you can contact us by clicking here.
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Spring Update 2013
* The c.1903 J.H. Rushton Indian Girl is sold. We expect to complete the restoration by the end of January and will post some photos of this beauty shortly thereafter. This is the same old story relative to our work. Over the past decade about 90% of our craft have sold before completion. If you see something of interest that is in progress orpart of our unrestored inventory, please get in touch soon.
* The 1953 Penn Yan Rainbow is sold. This was our last Rainbow and we're now intently looking for one or more unrestored models to add to our stock. This elegant canoe has proven quite popular with collectors and is extremely stable on the water.
* In December we acquired a 17' c.1917 B.N. Morris Model A, Type 1 canoe. Right now we're trying to wrap up some contract restorations so it's still in the 'staring at it' mode. It's very nice to look at however. All of the elements are in great condition and the mahogany is stunning. Restoration is expected begin in March.
* Also in the restoration queue is a very early (1872-1877) guide-boat. We've yet to pin down the maker although some expert consultation has narrowed it down to three possibilities. Thus, there is an upcoming research project, the results of which we'll post here as soon as we can.
All of the canoes and boats that we've restored and listed previously on the website
can be found here.
For photos of many (but by no means all) of the craft that never made it to the site, please click here to view The Rogues Gallery. We'd like to think it's some interesting stuff.
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2012 Show Results
* On July 28 the 1897 Parsons & Co. guide-boat was awarded Best Rowing Craft and Best in Show - Restored at the 34th annual Finger Lakes A.C.B.S. Boat Show in Skaneateles, New York. Its score of 99.5 points was the highest we ever received and right at the top for the history of this show. Again, the judges are to be applauded for looking past all that big (and expensive) mahogany on the docks and bestowing two top awards on a small craft land display. This was a true honor.
* The following weekend, at the 48th Annual Antique Boat Show in Clayton, NY, the Parsons managed a 'triple crown' by winning the Blair Cook Memorial Trophy for Best Small Craft - Restored. This is one of the top awards at this show is named in honor of Blair Cook who was a genuine small craft aficionado and all around good guy. This guide-boat is now retired from the show circuit although we learned that last week it was being put through the paces on Forked Lake in the Adirondacks.
Awards
• All of our awards we've received over the years are now listed on one page and you'll find it here.
Materials We Use
• Over time there have been lots of inquires concerning the products we use during our restorations. So, we’ve decided to start a new page detailing our experiences with what we’ve found to be the best out there.
Lately we've been experimenting with some new products so the page has been updated. Please check back periodically as this will be regularly updated.
Customer Testimonials
• From time to time we receive nice letters from our customers (some are years after they take delivery). The very nice ones we've shown here.
Press
• The article is now a bit old but its ‘coolness’ hasn’t diminished with age (at least as far as we’re concerned). So check out the New York Times feature on us. Click here for a link to the article. (or download a PDF version- 40K)
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