A model maker working for the advertising industry phoned me up and asked Paul Fisher to design a 10’x3’ (3.05m x 0.92m) open canoe for the Labetts Lager advert! Apparently Malcolm the Mountie was to appear in front of the canoe in the advert and anything longer would not get into the shot. The canoe also had to be made quickly and have a traditional round bilge shape. Strip planking was out because of the lack of time, so he designed the canoe with 10 planks per side, all to be cut from ply and stitched and taped together. 10’x3’ is an unusual but convenient size for car topping and she has a very good load carrying capacity for her length.