Moores giving a demonstration in his Peterborough workshop
Ted Moores (born June 25, 1943) is a Canadian boat builder, author, and educator. His book Canoecraft has sold over 300,000 copies worldwide.[1]
Moores is best known for duplicating a method of building canoes first developed in Minnesota by Irvin C. Peterson, Karl Ketter, and Eugene B. Jensen using woodstrip epoxy techniques, a style well-suited to the home builder.[2] By applying thin layers of fibreglass to either side of a wooden hull, Moores' canoes employ the principles of core-composite construction in a design that is both durable and lighter than traditional rib-and-plank construction.[3][4]
Life and work
Moores began his canoe building career in 1972, working with Greavette Boat Works of Gravenhurst, Ontario.[5] He opened his first business, Sundance Canoe Company, in 1972. He sold Sundance a year later and founded Bear Mountain Boats in 1977.[6] Initially based in Chisholm township, the company eventually moved to Peterborough, Ontario, before relocating to Westport, Ontario in 2017.[7] It continues to operate under the management of Moores and his partner Joan Barrett, selling boat building materials and hosting educational workshops.[8]
In 1983, Moores released Canoecraft, a how-to manual for home canoe builders, which has been called "the definitive guide to wood-strip canoe construction."[9] In 2010, woodworker and actor Nick Offerman appeared in the video Fine Woodstrip Canoebuilding, a visual companion piece to Canoecraft.[10][11] Other instructional books by Moores include Kayakcraft and Kayaks You Can Build. Writing as a historian, he contributed a chapter on the evolution of canoe manufacturing in Canada to the anthology The Canoe: A Living Tradition.[12] He has also worked as an instructor for WoodenBoat School[13] and the San Francisco Maritime Museum.[14]
Moores has been an important figure in the development of the Canadian C4 and C15 racing canoes, supplying over 85 sprint canoe clubs nationally.[15] He has experimented with solar-powered designs on his 30' fantail launch Sparks[16] and worked on some high-profile restorations, including a hydroplane speedboat, Tempo VII, which had been owned and piloted by Guy Lombardo.[17] A canoe built by Moores was presented as a wedding gift from Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau to celebrate the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.[18][19]
Selected publications
Canoecraft: An Illustrated Guide to Fine Woodstrip ConstructionISBN1552093425
Kayakcraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak ConstructionISBN0937822566
Kayaks You Can Build: An Illustrated Guide to Plywood ConstructionISBN1552978613
The Canoe: A Living Tradition (chapter, "From Forest to Factory: Innovations and Mass Production") ISBN1554070805
