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The Canadian Canoe Museum has more that 100 canoes and kayaks on display – from the great dugouts of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to Adam van Koeverden’s Olympic kayak – you are sure to find a favourite! But did you know that we also have some re-purposed canoes? Our visitors have a great time using their percussion skills on our Canoe Kettle Drum or meditating in the “Sukkanoe” – read more about these great displays here.
Our latest re-purposed canoe was donated by Nova Craft Canoes and is an exquisite “Canoe Couch”. Visitors, volunteers and staff have all taken a turn resting their weary bones on its leather cushions.
Through out history people have had some great ideas that are canoe related. The canoe sidecar is very popular and was very prominent in our Canoes To Go exhibit. Below is a photo from the Birmingham Motorcycle Club from 1925 with their rendition.
The IE Weldon Secondary School’s canoe building class displayed a “canoe car” at the 2013 Small Craft Rendezvous that was a hit with all the visitors.
All you have to do is use your imagination and the canoe become an unique art form. The Strathcona Park Lodge has this canoe planter on display while a home owner in northern BC had the same idea but the local wild life found another use for the canoe!
But I think my favourite is the canoe pond – might be great at the entrance of our Museum!
Have you re-purposed a canoe? We would love to see your creation! Email pictures to marina@canoemuseum.ca or post on our Facebook page here.
The opening of our new exhibition “Can I Canoe You Up the River? – The Story of Paddling and Romance” has given our Museum’s Shop the opportunity to create our own unique merchandise. Designed to give our visitors a chance to take home a piece of their experience, you have many options. From miniature courting canoes to large canvas totes, our Shop has numerous items available. Visit the Shop after you enjoy the exhibition (opening today – April 23) and find the perfect memento! 
The holiday season is over unfortunately the cold weather is still here! Our latest product – The Neckie – is the perfect item to use for neck warmth as well as protection from sun, wind and snow. You can wear them as head gear, a hat or a headband. It is small enough to keep in your pocket or purse for a sudden change in the weather. Read the rest of this entry »
First of all, you might ask “What is a Limberjack?” A Limberjack is a loose-limbed dancing doll! One version of the Limberjack’s origins describes a seventeenth-century puppeteer having broken the strings to one of his marionettes while performing. Thinking quickly, he mounted a stick into the puppet’s back and used a wooden shingle for him to dance on, much to the delight of his audience. The rest is, as they say, folk history. Read the rest of this entry »
A visitor to our Museum came into the Gift Store to enquire about this print. She said she had purchased it at our Gift Store years ago and wanted another. I couldn’t find any record of it! It is a great print and I would love to have it available in our store.
The writing on the print is faded on the picture she gave me, but I could make out “Plan et Elevation dun Canot”. Google has let me down on this search so I thought I would take a chance that one of our readers would recognize it. Have you seen this print before? Does it have an actual title? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, 1845
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
I had originally planned to write a blog on “Cats in Canoes” which is how I came across this picture of George Bingham’s painting. I thought it would be the perfect starting point – a cat in a canoe as early as 1845. However after researching the painting I discovered that the animal in the boat is widely accepted as a bear cub and not a cat! I came across several blogs that questioned its identity Read the rest of this entry »
My nephew Jordan from British Columbia returned to Peterborough again this summer to attend our Paddling Camp and was thrilled to receive his Level II & III ORCKA Badges. We had great weather and Jordan couldn’t wait to get to the Rowing Club each day. He loves being on the water but also enjoys the one day at the Museum. Last year he made a great wannigan but was disappointed when it wouldn’t fit in his luggage – lucky for me – it makes a great jewelry case! This year’s project was a Fire Bow – which Jordan was very proud of as he gave us a demonstration at home. It did take quite a while to produce a spark but he finally got it to work. Read the rest of this entry »
In anticipation of the Small Craft Rendezvous on June 22nd, the Museum’s Gift Store has stocked up on books for small craft enthusiasts! Whether you are a skilled craftsman or a beginner we are sure to have material to assist you with your project.
One of our most popular books is “Building a Strip Canoe” by Gil Gilpatrick. This brand new second edition of Building A Strip Canoe includes full-size plans and patterns for eight well-proven designs, most of which are Gil’s own adaptations. Step-by-step directions are accompanied by more than 100 full color photographs, plus illustrations.
Ted Moores is also one of our featured authors. Known internationally as “the Bible of canoe building,” Canoecraft is back! Whether your goal is to build a general-purpose recreational canoe, an efficient modern tripping canoe or a full-decked fast-cruising canoe with walnut veneer, Canoecraft can help you make it happen. Another great book by Ted is Kayaks You Can Build which enables the first-time builder to assemble a kayak with truly professional results.
Different members of my family visit several times a year from out West and it is not surprise that they all want to visit the local tourist attractions in our area. As Peterborough is in driving distance of many attractions we have visited many of the places over and over again. I was worried that I would tire of the site-seeing but I think the trick is to observe the location through your visitor’s eyes. It is nice to watch the reaction of someone standing on the glass floor of the CN Tower and being just as scared as I was the first time I stepped on it! Canada’s Wonderland is another “have to go to” place and although I am mainly the purse holder it is a joy watching my company have fun. I have been to Niagara Falls numerous times with the most recent being a couple of weeks ago with my daughter; it was great having the last laugh after she realized why they give rain ponchos for the Maid of the Mist ride! So whether I was touring the Bird Kingdom or watching my daughter mingle with William & Kate at the Wax Museum – it never gets old! Read the rest of this entry »
The Canadian Penny was taken out of circulation on Monday, February 4th which has resulted in many businesses implementing the “rounding” of transactions. The Canadian Canoe Museum’s Gift Store is in the process of installing a new Point of Sale system that will feature tax-included pricing with the “rounding” feature configured within the system. So the price you see is the price you’ll pay!
The deciding factors for this new concept included the demise of the penny, but also to assist the “young” consumer. The forlorn look on the face of a young child when they find out they don’t have enough money to pay for an item because of tax also prompted the change. We will also be altering our Member Discount program to a “Member Pricing” format instead. There will be a few exceptions to the evenly rounded price though – customers entitled to an exemption of the Provincial portion of HST and certain percentage discounts will still have to be “manually” rounded for the lack of the penny. We are confident that this new system will be beneficial to you our Museum’s visitors and perhaps we will start a trend for businesses! And for those of you that would like a keepsake, the “Canoe Penny Scratcher” is still available in the Gift Store.
The Canadian Canoe Museum's Blog 