Tatem Honeymoon Canoe Restored

July 11th, 2022

The red canvas canoe at Beaver Point was taken up the Allagash River by Pal and Dot (my great grandparents) on their honeymoon in 1923. From what we can tell the canoe itself was bought the year before (1922) so Pal could explore the route with a guide. If our timeline is correct, next summer would be this canoe's 100th birthday. This family treasure has been in desperate need of repairs for many years. My hope was to return the Tatem Honeymoon Canoe to its original glory so our family can enjoy it for another 100 years.

The folks at Island Falls Canoe in Atkinson Maine have been building and repairing this style of wood and canvas canoes for 45 years. It just so happens we already had the book they authored on the history of this style of canoe in Lazy Beaver. After an amazing tour and with many board members in camp, we loaded the Tatem Honeymoon Canoe onto the boat trailer and brought it to the shop to begin its many months of restoration.

Some fun facts about the Tatem Honeymoon Canoe.
- Purchased in 1922
- Manufactured by E.M. White Canoe Company eventually bought by Old Town Canoe in 1984
- This boat was preferred by the local guides of the northeast to the Old Town Canoes of the early 1900s as it could be more customized.
- The canoe has a keel on its spine (not a typical option) so it could be better kept straight in open water
- The canoe is "lightweight" (also not a typical option) meaning that the ribs are 1/4" instead of the typical 1/2". This makes it lighter but also more fragile.
- Its original color was blue and we are still deciding if we should return it to blue or the red I have always known it as.

In the Summer of 2022 the Tatem Honeymoon camp was returned to Beaver point.