Issue #48 - Ottawa Outdoors Magazine

Page 43

Craft your own wooden paddles and canoes

LOTS OF COURSES TO TEACH A HISTORIC CRAFT By Jenna Thompson

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HERE’S SOMETHING special about canoeing with a handcrafted paddle. Very cool, very expensive looking, you might think. But you don’t have to buy one from a master woodworker. You can make your very own with one of these craftsmen teaching you. It’s a perfect activity while waiting for the weather to warm up. And you could graduate to making an entire canoe or stand-up paddleboard. The Ottawa City Workshop (https:// ottawacitywoodshop.com/) and My Urban Workshop (http://www.myurbanworkshop. com/) both offer paddle-making courses, with sessions ranging from six to 16 hours. Andy Convery of Echo Paddles, who teaches at the Ottawa City Workshop, says participants range from experienced cabinetmakers to people who have never picked up a hand plane. He covers basic shapes and design, choice of wood for strength and weight, and all the skills from

cutting and planing to jointing and laminating. Results range from stand-up paddleboard (SUP) paddles, and touring, whitewater or flatwater canoe paddles. Over at My Urban Workshop, participants carve a solid cherry wood canoe paddle. Lee Valley has offered paddle making courses in the past – check its schedule for upcoming offerings. The extra ambitious can learn to make an entire canoe or paddleboard at Algonquin College. Teams of six students work together to build a 17-foot cedarstrip canoe. Then there’s a raffle with the prize being an opportunity to buy the finished product for the cost of the materials; but everyone leaves knowing how to make their own. My Urban Workshop, founded by Greg Anderson, will run an eight-day canoe-making course with a similar format this summer. Since stand-up paddleboarding has become so popular in recent years, he will offer a four-day SUP-building course. Pairs of students construct SUPs using computer controlled cutting technology, marine plywood and fibreglass.

Keep an eye on the websites as they tend to offer these courses yearly and whenever there is sufficient demand. You could end up with a one-of-a-kind piece that’s guaranteed to get attention on the water. Φ

Country Luxury Locally Inspired Menus Recreation on the Mountain, Lake & Land

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Camping challenges add spark and variety to life in the woods

3min
pages 48-50

Outdoor business spotlight: Dave Urichuck (The Adventure Coach

1min
page 47

Community spotlight: Todd Morin

2min
page 46

Staycation adventures for all types

1min
page 45

Easy paddle-in sites for first-time canoe trippers

3min
page 42

Craft your own wooden paddles and canoes

1min
page 43

Mud, sweat and gears

3min
page 39

Getting to know some summertime critters

5min
page 44

How to hang patio lights

2min
pages 40-41

Paddling the Chats – with care

7min
pages 36-38

How to hit the trail, running

6min
pages 34-35

Elevate your camping experience and get high with a suspended tent

4min
pages 31-32

Survival and camping skills manuals have hundreds of tips

2min
page 28

Take the ouch! out of your bike saddle

3min
page 19

Intrepid duo takes on ‘bikepacking

3min
pages 21-22

Cycling with others – play nice

2min
page 18

The Adirondack Century

5min
pages 16-17

Catch the eco-spirit of Grasshopper Island

4min
pages 14-15

How to tie a clove hitch

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page 20

Cool Gear Hot Stuff

4min
page 30

Survival 101: Avoid the deadly ‘vacation mindset

2min
page 12

Why backpacking works

1min
page 11

Muskoka River X

3min
page 9

Backpacking basics

4min
page 10

Paddling the route of canal explorer

3min
page 8

Huck Finn campfires you’ve got to try

1min
page 7

Publisher’s letter

2min
page 6

Hiking for fitness

2min
page 13
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