Backcountry Custom Canoes

08/17/2022

An explanation..

For the last 3 or so years I’ve been suffering from what’s best described now as a progressively worsening brain abnormality. Debilitating anxiety, depression and hyper-focus compulsive behaviour are some of daily challenges. This has been terrifying for a person who has never been afraid of much. I seem to have a diagnosis now and a new brain med the Dr. seems pretty optimistic will help. Time will tell. The last two mostly just made me more sleepy and forgetful.

So, what about making boats?

Over the next two weeks I’ll be reaching out to all my backlog clients and confirming the dates of their builds. My long suffering apprentice, Alexander Savatti, is back in the shop and taking on a big part of the build under my careful and obsessive eye. He’s doing great and may ultimately take over building the bcc boats. My hope is that he perpetuates the evolution of these wonderful canoes. In the meantime I’m excited to be seeing the boats we build. The last few have turned out awesome.

I haven’t taken on any new clients in quite a while, so what’s next for me?

The last few years have ravaged my personal finances, so once I’m through the backlog, resolving any outstanding issues with BCC will take priority. In the last two years the cost of materials and the challenges of supply chains have made predicting completion dates and pricing a nightmare, only seeming to add stress and compound things when it comes my health. So, I have to move the bulk of my canoe work away from commissions and into more classic sales model, if my heath permits.

Mostly, I’m sorry to anyone my this has impacted. My family, my friends and my clients.

JB

10/11/2021

Some stuff I like to do. 📸 ,

10/07/2021

Free stuff is cool. This is a crazy awsome giveaway. You should enter.

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09/07/2021

What’s on your mind? Brook trout!!!!

Giant magnificent magnificent Nipigon Brookies that continue to remind me that we haven’t quite totally screwed the environment and that maybe it’s an important thing to think about how we can make it better. Also,

08/25/2021

Quick sneak peek of an upcoming YouTube series I’ll put together after ice in.

I’ve had quite a few questions about this boat. Here’s a bit of explanation.

I picked up this boat cheep during the lockdown. It’s what I suspect was a 16’ vee back Tremblay canoe and have been picking away at repairing it. I got it mostly to study the planking and ribs in it. I’ve probably got 25 hours into it over the course of 6 months and some of that I had a bit of help. It’s not a restoration, but rather a reno & patch job.

No I’m not starting to make motorboats 😂. I love the Backcountry Custom Canoes, but they are what they are at least in part because I spend most of my spare time playing with a whole pile of other canoes to learn what makes them tick. I kinda got into freighters a few years ago as a way to run my own shuttles on big water but they absolutely suck to paddle, the appeal of this boat was really its size, it’s about the same size a larger 16’ tandem so it paddles ok.

I’m for sure not recommending folks go out and follow this path to make a grossly overpowered canoe plane. I’ve spent a lot of time building and studying boats and if I had to recommend a motor for this boat it would be a 4 stroke portable under 4 horsepower which would give it more than double the range with the same fuel and payload. Don’t try this at home.

Performance stats with a 1979 evenrude 9.9

Top speed empty : 30km/hr
Top speed with 500lbs of fuel gear and bodies. 22kph
Fuel economy if run hard 6L/ hr
Fuel economy with a load at hull speed 3L/hr
Weight of the motor -72 lbs
Weight of the empty hull - 81
Range with 42L of fuel. - 110km+

I picked up this 16’ vee back sight unseen during the covid lockdown & will be (after tripping season) putting together a video series of all the modificatio...

08/16/2021

Check out All of Algonquin. He’s paddled half the lakes in Algonquin park and has a plan (and a new boat) to paddle the rest;)

Damn, that canoe makes Moccasin Lake look even better .

07/15/2021

A recently renovated zoom zoom canoe.