Canoe Model kits has grown from a small garage project to a large wood working facility producing beautiful small scale canoe and kayak models, lights and kits. Enjoyed by all ages and skill levels.

Superb 40″ Lobster Boat!

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John Curtin of Bloomfield Hills, MI did a jaw dropping build from our 40″ Lobster boat kit. He added many extra accessories to get it ready to actually catch some lobsters! Great work John, and thanks for the photos.

72″ Natural look Kayak Chandelier

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I had an order for a 72″ Kayak light but the customer wanted no lights, no holes, and unstained or finished. I was very pleased with how nice it came out with the natural look. The customer said they were going to install pendant lighting. Will look forward to the finished pictures. This will be a new option for anyone purchasing the finished product.

Jack Simmon’s Indian War canoe

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Jack did another beautiful job on a 36″ canoe. He emailed me saying “Well, here it is. After finishing my 36” canoe I decided to convert it into a  Haida Indian War Canoe. After doing a little research I came up with the features you see in the photos. Long and short spears, bow and arrows, and defensive shields. These shields are not fixed in place, just in a handy position to grab when needed. At the stern I also added a red pennant (danger) and a crescent moon (night raids with little moonlight), a blue zig zag symbol midships (they traveled over rough seas), and a triangle at the bow (the Haidas often joined forces with two other tribes, the Nootkas and the Tlingits). I finished the basic canoe at the end of August then added the Indian artifacts in September. It was fun working on, I like the way it looks. Well thank you for the nice work Jack. Very inspiring and a fun addition to the line of EM Guide canoes.

Canned spray paint. Why the shortage?

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I often get customers that want their canoe chandelier a custom color. A color that is hopefully available in an oil based spray can, like Rustoleum, which has proven to give an excellent, smooth and durable finish. Recently the customer wanted a blue color that I had used on one of my older postings, Global Blue, which had been in a spray can. I went to three hard ware stores only to find the shelves of spray cans cleaned out. I asked the paint guy about it and he said there was none even on order, NA. Shortage nationwide. Why? He did not know. So I had to have a sample size color of Latex semi-gloss mixed. I have used these paints before. I have sprayed them with an additive called Floetrol, by old time favorite company of Flood. It helps with leveling out. So I brushed this on the finished canoe. You can get excellent results using a good brush or foam, but the key thing is that you have to make every stroke perfect. Not to much paint so that it sags, but enough that it covers and levels out. You have a few minutes to be able to fix a spot you missed but not much more than that. If you try and go back after it has tacked over, it will be ruined. I know, because I did. So even though it was one small spot that was crappy, I still had to sand it all down and the next time put the paint on as thin as possible but still covering. It did come out good. It actually looks like the real full size painted canoes that used oil base brushed on paints. For spraying I used the Floetrol and thinned it alot with water. It is tricky though and takes some experimenting with it until you get the desired finished. The good ole days of oil based finishes is unfortunately going to the way side.