The following post was kindly written by Woodlore customer Tim Farrington, seen below in his finished birch bark canoe:

Having first seen Aaron York’s Abenaki canoe in Ray Mears’ book Bushcraft, and then watching the César’s Bark Canoe documentary on the National Film Board of Canada’s website, I was eager to find out more about these amazing crafts.

After visiting the Canadian Canoe Museum and meeting Kirk Whipper and Jeremy Ward, I got in contact with two American birch bark canoe builders, and they agreed to mentor me and supply some materials like the bark. It was very difficult to get a seasoned birch bark canoe builder to supply me with the materials, as they are in such short supply.

In my free time over four summers, I built this 16 ft Maliseet canoe. based on the nineteenth century design that is found in the book Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America, by Edwin Tappan Adney and Howard Chapelle. I am extremely pleased with the end result.

– Tim Farrington, 2014