Canoe
Object
2024.17.1
Fletcher Canoe
A red canvas covered canoe. There are stickers on either ends of the canoe reading the model of the boat: "Bill Mason Heavy Duty Special", as well as one on the front deck reading "Fletchers Canoes Lake Laberge Yukon". The canoe has 2 woven seats on either end, as well as 2 thwarts in between the 2 seats.
This canoe was built by Fletcher Canoes in 1988 for general usage, be it rougher rivers or calmer lakes
Purchased from an unknown original owner in 1995 by Angela Lehwald and Gord Duncan as a wedding gift for themselves, who sold the canoe to the donor, Mark Muckler, in May, 2018, who never used it due to age
Purchased from an unknown original owner in 1995 by Angela Lehwald and Gord Duncan as a wedding gift for themselves, who sold the canoe to the donor, Mark Muckler, in May, 2018, who never used it due to age
Fletcher Canoes was a company established by Paul Fletcher in 1984 on the shores of Lake Labarge, specifically near Deep Creek. Fletcher had previously worked for Studebaker as well as MacDonald Douglas Aircraft, and combined his moreso industrial-experiences in welding and woodworking there with traditional indigenous shaping, particularly from the Mikmaw in Maritime Canada, to make canoes.
Around the same time of his company's founding, paddling-guru Bill Mason was visiting Whitehorse and convinced by Fletcher to inspect his first canoe. At 17.5 feet long, 38 inches wide, and 15 inches deep, this canoe was agile yet safe, impressing Mason enough that he returned a second time to handle Fletcher's craft. Fletcher requested permission to put Mason's name on it, which was assented, but with the condition it be specified as the "Bill Mason 'Heavy Duty' Special."
Otherwise, Fletcher additionally created a smaller model for soloists or groups of two, with 15 feet of length, 35 inches width, and 15 inches depth. This one was marketed under the name "Fletcher's Fancy."
Paul Fletcher expressed a wish to retire in 1991, but the business was taken over by his niece, Thelma Cameron, and together with her husband and son, Randy and Michael, they mastered Paul's techniques and kept the business alive until Randy's death in 2021 and Thelma's retirement in summer the next year. Despite Thelma's hopes to pass the business to one of their grandchildren, none had interest, so Fletcher's canoes finally closed its doors that year, leaving behind a legacy of highly-regarded canoes across the Yukon Territory
Around the same time of his company's founding, paddling-guru Bill Mason was visiting Whitehorse and convinced by Fletcher to inspect his first canoe. At 17.5 feet long, 38 inches wide, and 15 inches deep, this canoe was agile yet safe, impressing Mason enough that he returned a second time to handle Fletcher's craft. Fletcher requested permission to put Mason's name on it, which was assented, but with the condition it be specified as the "Bill Mason 'Heavy Duty' Special."
Otherwise, Fletcher additionally created a smaller model for soloists or groups of two, with 15 feet of length, 35 inches width, and 15 inches depth. This one was marketed under the name "Fletcher's Fancy."
Paul Fletcher expressed a wish to retire in 1991, but the business was taken over by his niece, Thelma Cameron, and together with her husband and son, Randy and Michael, they mastered Paul's techniques and kept the business alive until Randy's death in 2021 and Thelma's retirement in summer the next year. Despite Thelma's hopes to pass the business to one of their grandchildren, none had interest, so Fletcher's canoes finally closed its doors that year, leaving behind a legacy of highly-regarded canoes across the Yukon Territory