Holy Cow Canoe Company: rediscovering the craft of canoe-building

Holy cow! Canoes have come a long way ... and thanks to experimentation allowed during the off-season, that's bound to continue.

Early settlers along the water routes of Canada used to build birch bark canoes for local travel, hunting and fishing. 

Today, Holy Cow Canoe Company in Guelph manufactures lightweight recreational canoes and kayaks with advanced new age composite materials such as ultra-glass, kevlar and carbon kevlar for added strength and durability, while remaining very light weight. 

“When we first started building the lightweight composites, people would come in, see the canoes, lift them up, and the first thing they would say is, 'holy cow!'” said Holy Cow Canoe Company co-owner Gulam Baloch. 

"They could not believe how light they were."

Founded as Trent Canoes in 1978, and purchased by Baloch and Naomi McQuade over two decades ago, the craft of canoe-building is supported and kept alive by years of experience. 

“Originally, we did build cedar strip canoes, but we don't do it anymore. The quality of the cedar was just not the same as it used to be,” Baloch said. 

“Today, we strictly make canoes with fiberglass and composite materials. We have two here that are made of kevlar, a ballistics grade material, not that you could shoot bullets at it. But I have actually, personally pulled out small calibre rounds out of the side of some canoes, and they didn’t get through. So, it is amazingly strong stuff.”

In his shop located at 7890 Highway 7, Baloch currently works on a 14-foot design. 

“This one has a good capacity for it so you can use it, tandem or solo. And it’s only 44 lbs. So, it’s very light weight,” he said. 

Holy Cow Canoe Company offers a number of versatile designs suitable for first time paddlers seeking a safe, stable, easy paddling craft to enjoy with family, to advanced paddlers who would like a sleeker craft for speed and efficiency in the water.

“We are a smaller shop that offers family/recreational canoes that are lightweight and composite builds. They are a stable design and very easy to paddle. We don’t build anything specifically designed for racing or for extreme white water,” Baloch said. 

What does it take to be a master canoe builder today? 

“I actually began doing this by accident. Originally when I started, I was working as a sales person. I realized that I really enjoyed it and the fantastic people that would come in,” Baloch said. 

“But this isn’t in my field of study, which is business. I worked in Toronto. I would hop on the subway, and go downtown, everyday. But I was miserable.”

When Baloch noticed a job posting at a canoe shop, he jumped at the opportunity.

“I thought I’ll try it. At least it’s something different. I soon found out that I really really liked it. I’m a firm believer that if you actually enjoy what you do, you will naturally do a better job at it,” Baloch said. 

And building canoes soon became his passion. 

I love the engineering aspect of it. And composites are up and coming. For example, 30 years ago, if you said we are going to build a plane out of fabric and resin, people would have probably looked at you like you were nuts. And now, there are aircraft out there made completely out of fabric and resin,” Baloch said. 

“The engineering aspect really intrigues me because different materials have different properties. Kevlar material is designed to remain flexible so it can absorb impact, rather than resist it.”

A canoeist himself, Baloch said the busiest time of year, is of course, during prime paddling season in the warmer months. 

“The current time is the quietest. What I enjoy about that, is that I am free to experiment, especially in the winter time,” Baloch said. 

“Working with emerging technology, I get to try different processes.” 

With Kevlar and composite boats, Baloch said the process is actually 'part engineering and part art form.'

“Overall, you do have to consider all variables because you never know how people are going to use the canoe,” Baloch said. 

Typically, a canoe could take about two to four days to build.  

“It depends on how many people are working on it. Some of that is curing time because you have to wait for certain things to set in before you can move on to the next level. In total, we have four people who build here,” Baloch said. 

Holy Cow Canoe Company has supplied canoes for various organizations including the Canadian Armed Forces, church groups, provincial and private rental programs and facilities, schools, charity functions, youth camps, Scouts and Guides and various adventure groups. 

“Clients are from all over. We ask a lot of questions when people come in. Where will they use it? How much weight are you going to put in it? We try to ensure that if you are looking for something specific, then we want to make sure it’s the correct boat for what you plan on doing,” Baloch said. 

For Baloch, it's also about building memories for those with a keen interest for being on the open water.

“They are interested and I love it because I can show them the shop and how canoes are built,” he said. 

“They come in with an open mind, they enjoy being out in nature, and they have a deep appreciation for the outdoors."