: The young prince is looking at a canoe made by Walter Walker. That
: particular boat is on exhibit at the Canadian Canoe Museum. That
: again was produced using a somewhat mass-production commercial
: based process that was relatively common at one time. Walter
: Walker was the last living builder who had produced canoes in a
: factory using that particular technique. It makes a very nice
: boat and would be fun to try some time.

Walter used to make the wide board and batten style canoes and I watched them being built a few years ago at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. Walter worked on canoes well into his late 90's and died 2 years ago aged 102 years, a testimonial to a life well spent.

The guys at the museum still make canoes the way he taught them: when I was there they were making the step of shaping the wide bass boards in 3-dimensions look simple but I didn't believe that for a moment - it looked too much like magic to me! I don't know the age of the mold they were using, but it predated the introduction of the iron bands used to clinch the copper nails and that invention goes back over 130 years. Despite their commitment to preserve tradition, I found them interested in the experimental ideas that I like to try out.