Hi All,
came across this site and wondered if anyone here had seen one of these boats close up?

http://www.navarrocanoes.com/


Thanks,

The construction looks much like canoes that were built in New England some years back. I think the company was Mansfield Canoes or something like that.

As I recall they were lovely to look at but a bit pricey. I don't know if they are still in business. Maybe Navarro is the latest incarnation of that company.

The web site mentions Bob Foote as the designer. If this is the same Bob Foote that I met 15 years ago then I would bet the boats are pretty good. The Bob Foote I knew had tremendous paddling skills and a good head on his shoulders.

_________________
Cheers,

John Winters

JWinters wrote:
[...]
>The web site mentions Bob Foote as the designer. If this is the same
>Bob Foote that I met 15 years ago then I would bet the boats are
>pretty good. The Bob Foote I knew had tremendous paddling skills and a
>good head on his shoulders.

it is that Bob Foote indeed,
I remember him telling me that one of those models
he designed for Navarro was his favorite tripping canoe.

Dirk Barends

The company was Merrimack Canoes of the Merrimack Valley in New Hampshire. The company was started by LH Beach. The company was moved to Crossville Tennessee and is now run by Randy Pew. Here is the history of the company http://www.merrimackcanoes.com/history.htm

Randy's brother Vernon seperated from Merrimack and moved to California and started Navarro. The two manufacturers build by essentially the same methods with a nice composite construction with cherry ribs inset into the interiors.

The Bob Foote is inded the same Bob Foote. Bob designed the Loon 16 and 17. In addition, he and is life partner Karen Knight designed the Whisper 13 which is not shown but is a common sight on the Freestyle rounds.

PK

Thanks for the feedback all and for the link PK.

Interesting marriage of building materials, makes for a good looking boat.

The weights seem to be reasonable too. They may be able to shave off a pound or two if they used infusion rather than hand laid.

The wood sure adds a nice touch to the finished product.


Cheers,

As a footnote to PK's history lesson, Merrimack of Tennessee may be closed, their phone is disconnected, and their web site indicates they are looking for financial partners. The Merrimacks are heavier than the Navarros that I've seen accurate weights on. I considered buying a slightly used Merrimack Baboosic that was advertised as 40# but was actually 51#. I think the Navarros, at the least the ones I've seen first hand, are quite beautiful, and the weight and price are within reason. Rumor has it that Navarro is also either for sale or seeking a financial partner. They are a Northern California company, located near the famous six rivers area.

Be a shame if either company ran into problems they both make some nice looking boats.

It has to be tuff for a small company to make a go of it these days with all the mega mergers in the paddling industry.

Cheers,