Over the years I have owned a fair number of boats. Nothing really fancy – mostly just plain little utilitarian fishing boats.
I enjoy being out on the water, just sitting there, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face, breathing in the fresh air. Having sold my last boat two years ago, I have been looking for just the right watercraft to suit my needs.
The other day I stopped to talk to an old friend of mine who was standing at the end of his driveway chatting with a neighbour. As we talked about what we’d been up to, the upcoming fishing season, the weather and politics, my eyes wondered to a 12-foot Sportspal canoe atop a vehicle a couple of driveways further up the street. I mentioned I wouldn’t mind owning such a unique little watercraft. The fellow who had been chatting with my friend said it was his and asked how much I would be willing to pay. A few minutes later I was the proud owner of a Sportspal.
Sportspals cannot be described as fancy. They are constructed from light-gauge, marine-grade aluminum and painted to look like an old-style birchbark canoe. Now if the birchbark paint job isn’t hokey enough to turn most people off, there are also two six-foot by five-inch strips of heavy black floatation foam (sponsons) bolted onto the sides. The interior of the canoe is also lined with a layer of floatation foam. Which brings us to the Sportspal’s one truly redeeming quality – it is virtually unsinkable.
The fact that Sportspal canoes have an almost cult following is an altogether different subject.
Since it’s humble beginnings in 1947 in Cedric Summers’ small North Bay, Ont. garage, the Sportspal Canoe has grown to become a Canadian icon “born of Canadian waters” that are used by thousands of enthusiasts around the world.
Originally built in 12- and 14-foot pointed models, there are now eight models, pointed and square stern, with five colour options and a whole whack of accessories such as specially designed oars, webbed seats, a fitted foam seat with backrest, a carrying yoke, collapsible anchor, replacement sponsors, a specially designed foam roof rack and a portable repair kit. While the Sportspal comes with oarlocks for rowing, it can also be rigged with an optional motor-mount bracket that attaches to the transom for a small gas or electric trolling motor.
One really neat feature of the Sportspal is that it can be rigged with an optional sail kit. I can just see myself cruising along on a breezy summer’s day with the sail billowing in the wind. Weighing in at 34 pounds, with a 38-inch beam and 13 inches of depth, my 12-foot Sportspal should be a great little watercraft for fishing or cruising the shoreline of any small Interior lake. I also like the idea that at 34 pounds, I can easily lift the canoe by myself, which means getting it on and off the roof of my vehicles and lifting it in and out of the water.
It’s funny how I noticed my Sportspal that day when I stopped to talk with a friend. Come to think of it, I have always noticed Sportspal canoes whenever I have seen them atop vehicles passing by or out on the water. And if the truth be told, I probably always wanted to own one – inspired by their hokey birchbark paint jobs and ‘unique’ appearance.
All I know for sure is that this coming season I’ll be spending a lot more on the water in my new Sportspal, revelling in just being out there. Maybe I’ll cruise around, trolling a line and take in all the sights and sounds around me. Maybe next fall, when the autumn winds begin to blow, I’ll be able to head out on the water with one of those optional sail kits and be the master at the helm of my own ship.
I know I’ll probably never own a sailboat (not that I have ever really wanted to) but I do own a Sportspal – and that’s good enough for me.
