This Winisk has many unique features, starting with the 'no-staple' hull, with dark stained western red cedar. The hull is built with 6 oz. fiberglass and MAS epoxy resin inside and out. The inside of the hull is finished in Sikken's anti-skid deckpaint in a cream colour, which really shows off the fancy trim. There are four kneeling pads installed, with longer ones for the bow position to accommodate the adjustable bow seat. The stems are perfectly grain-matched black walnut inside and out, and on the inside, the stems are varnished, and not painted, to contrast with the hull finish. The stems are about 12" longer than usual to add to the looks of the canoe, and are protected on the outside with brass cove-backed stem bands. All of the screws which attach the stem bands are filed to perfectly match the contour of the band, and all of the screw heads are turned exacly the same way. The outer stems have 1/8" brass pins through them at about 1" above the design water line as a visual guide to trimming the hull.
The gunwales are white ash, and are fully grain matched. These fancy-grained pieces were custom cut from one choice board with each piece in it's final orientation and position so that all four pieces match up. The gunwales wrap right around the end of the hull, another of my trademark touches, and there is a black walnut inlay all the way around. At the decks, the screws in the gunwale are plugged with grain-matched plugs. For the rest of the gunwale, the screws are countersunk brass, square socket (or Robertson's, as we Canadians refer to them) with every screw turned exactly the same way. The gunwales are fully glued and screwed to the hull for a very strong, permanent joint, and are varnished also. Just aft of the kneeling thwart there is a stainless steel loop attached to the inner gunwale as a tie-down point for any valuable items like a camera case, for example.
The decks are western red cedar with book-matched black walnut veneer on top, and fiberglass underneath. There is a white ash strip along the inner edge to match the gunwales. The bow deck features a beautiful 'mother-of-pearl' inlay of what will become our new logo, the sun setting over Lake Superior. For tie-downs, both decks have a stainless steel ferrule through them, which holds a knotted loop of rope. Easy to use or replace, these loops are very strong, but can be pushed down out of sight so that nothing spoils the sleek lines of this canoe. Underneath the bow deck there are two small high-strength rare-earth magnets imbedded in the wood. These will hold an emergency knife very securely, yet be right at hand when needed. These will not affect your compass unless you are very close to the bow.
The seats are my own 'Agawa Bay' design in white ash, varnished finish, and synthetic cane. The bow seat is a slider, and is supported with a custom laminated cross-member of white ash, in which the laminations are virtually invisible. There is also a matching laminated kneeling thwart just aft of the center. (A lot of folks ask how I could bend such a thick piece of wood!)
The portage yoke is curly maple and black walnut, custom made by Slipstream specifically for this boat. Like almost all of the woodwark on this canoe, the yoke is varnished. The thwart is also made from the same curly maple, and features a mast hole. There is a walnut mast step directly below. The mast would be braced with two back stays, which would pass through holes in the gunwales aft of the kneeling thwart, which are lined with stainless steel ferrules. The stays attach to small jam cleats on the undersides of the gunwales. This setup is intended for use with a spinnaker only, but the sail, mast and rigging are not included wth this canoe.
The seats, thwarts and yoke all attach to the gunwales with my exclusive 'hidden hardware' system. Stainless steel socket-head screws fasten into blind holes in the gunwales from underneath. Stainless Steel Heli-Coils in the gunwale ensure that the screws will never pull out, however, all parts can be removed with a 5 mm Allen wrench. This system is perfectly secure, and maintenance free.
Just ahead of the stern paddler there is a Silva marine compass mounted under the port gunwale, also using the hidden-hardware system. This can be completely removed if you are not so inclined.
Lastly, this canoe is also equipped with my exclusive high-intensity LED running light system, with green and red lights on either side of the bow in stainless steel bezels 1/2" in diameter, and a single white LED set into the stern stem. These unobtrusive lights are very tiny, yet are easily visible at over two miles. The system is waterproof, with hidden wiring inside the gunwales, and runs on AA cells. In some of our favourite camping areas in Algonquin Park, we have to share the lakes with cottagers with motorboats. There have been many times when we're out paddling at dusk or later, when we hear a motor boat approaching. Rather than scrambling for a flashlight, I just flip on the LED's.
This Winisk has just had the hull completely refinished. It was only lightly used as a demo canoe for Green Valley Boat Works, with only a few signs of use inside.
This canoe can be picked up at my location in Kitchener, Ontario. Also, I would be willing to deliver it myself within a 300 - 400 mile radius for a reasonable fee. If the canoe has to be shipped, I would likely work through a moving company or trucking line, and I do not have any cost estimates of this at present.