Seated on a plastic chair, Faamatuainu Sa Vasa watches the men from his village as they work. From time to time he gets up to proffer advice or impatiently grasp an adze to help hollow out the trunk.

Left to right: Sandra Phinney, Norm Betts, Laura Gilks and Jim Lyons pose with Bella, Phinney’s canoe, handcrafted at Betts’ Miramichi Canoe Co. in Doaktown, N.B. (Photo: Sue Hutchins) At 9:20 a.m. on ...

I love the adventure and experience of canoe camping. Packing food and camping gear into a canoe and paddling to a wilderness campsite. I’ve taken many week long trips into Canada’s Quetico Provincial ...

The magnificent 26-foot-long Raven Spirit, or Yéil Yéik dugout canoe crafted by Douglas (above) and Brian Chilton was originally commissioned for the National Museum of Natural History in 2008. NMNH ...

Regardless of which playstyle you’ve chosen, it’ll only be a few minutes before you likely build your first boat. Just look for a small alter that has steps leading up to a conch shell-shaped opening.