Below is a 1940s Peterborough Champlain, finished in dove grey. Colour is achieved by mixing a tube of cobalt blue artist paint with grey enamel marine paint.
The paint on this canoe was an exercise in replicating the dove grey colour noted to have been created by Tom Thomson for his canoe. This colour set his canoe apart from so many green and red canoes, and is a fact that comes up when the events of his death and discovery are recounted. Of course the canoe differs from his, as it is almost 40 years newer.
We are always on the lookout for early Chestnut canoes, and would like to find a Cruiser from before 1920, and the subsequent fire that wiped out the original Chestnut forms. When everything was rebuilt, the boats changed significantly. If you think you have one or know of one, we would be pleased to hear from you.
