Those who appreciate exemplary boat craftsmanship are in for a treat
from Johnson Outdoors UK at this year’s 2007 Southampton Boat Show. For
the first time at any UK Boat Show they will be showing a top of the
range hand built wooden canoe from Old Town. The Molitor 17 is a
traditional craft which epitomises grace, elegance and practicality and
defines the remarkable heritage of Old Town.
The company derives its name from Old Town, Maine, New
England, USA where it is based. For centuries this has been the home of
the Penobscot tribe of Indians and members of the fourth generation of
the same family still work for the company. It was their forefathers’
birch bark canoes which inspired the first wood and canvas canoe built
by Old Town in 1898 behind the local hardware store. They proved highly
popular because records show that by 1906 they were producing between
200 and 400 boats per month. By 1910 the town was calling itself the
Canoe Centre of the World producing 3,500 boats that year. They have
now produced well over a million boats
Old Town
produces a whole range of canoes and kayaks in a variety of modern
materials; classic designs are also available in advanced composites.
But there is undeniably something special about the wood and canvas
models still made by hand. The Molitor 17 has a pronounced
tumblehome making her easy to paddle. Her sleek, sweeping sheer gives a
dry boat with a fine entry and the long decks, outside stems and oval
mahogany gunwhales create a frame so strong that no thwarts are needed.
This graceful classic is also enormously stable and offers great
manoeuvrability.
Molitor 17
specifications: Length 17′ (5.2m), width 35†(88.9cm), width
at 4†waterline 35†(88.9cm), bow height 22†(55.8cm), depth 12â€
(30.4cm), weight 84lbs (38.1 kg), capacity 624lbs (283kg).
The Molitor 17 and other great new
recreational products from Johnson Outdoors UK will be on stand B054 at
the Southampton Boat Show 14 – 23 September, 2007.
