Canoe Gus
Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor
When the temperature dips and other families are digging out their ice skates, Gus Wahl digs out his woodworking equipment. Stretched out along the back wall of the Wahl basement is a 16 foot cedar strip canoe under construction.
“This will be the fifth one. Each of the families has one so far,” said Gus Wahl.
Wahl is talking about the families of his four children.
Canoe-building is an art passed from father to child. This particular canoe is the handiwork of Gus and his son Doug. The work is meticulous. It starts with a strong back bench which holds the canoe. The canoe frame is built from plywood, which is measured, leveled length and width, spaced and blocked. The frame has no ribs so it must have just the right shape. Then the detail work begins. One by six or one by eight cedar boards, cut into strips. Strips are shaped, beaded and coved so the strips fit together, and thickness planed for smoothness.
“The smooth side goes to the inside of the canoe, because it is easier to sand the outside than the inside,” said Wahl.
One by one, they are applied over the frame of the canoe, nailed in place with finishing nails. When the canoe is completely covered, the nails are removed and strips glued with carpentry glue one by one back into place.
Sanding then begins. The outside becomes as smooth and beautiful as a natural wood grain floor. Some finish the canoe with shellac cut with thinners. But to be durable and water worthy, Wahl uses fiberglass with epoxy to hold the whole striped exterior together, which he says gives it strength. A finished canoe can take up to 120 hours to complete. Materials cost about $1,500.
His first canoe was made about 40 years ago and stemmed from his love of canoeing. The finished products are tested in the summer, when the Wahl family takes to rivers and streams. Wahl said that he has canoed for over 45 years. The family enjoyed taking in the sights of the Red Deer River, the Clearwater, Rosebud River, Milk River at runoff time and the North Saskatchewan. They often take a week trip from Innisfail down to Munson Ferry. He and his wife and family enjoy the summer sport. The Wahls have 13 grandchildren, so if tradition continues, there may be flotilla of canoes on Alberta waters in the future.
The Wahls have also entered in the Canada Day races at Kinsmen Park.
“We smoked them all for a couple of years,” said Wahl.
Wahl said to watch for them this year, when this canoe will be ready to split the waves.
Wahl also shares his knowledge to youth from the 4-H, where several children constructed a canoe and displayed it in the IGA and Co-op in Drumheller, filling it with food for the local food bank, which was matched by Encana. The canoe was later sold with funds going towards 4H projects. If anyone is interested in building their own, he cautions it is a large time commitment, expensive and it requires a large working space. He has helped others build their own canoes, which has gained him the nickname Canoe Gus.