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40. Gus Barnett - 2010-10-18 04:14:32 |
| Hello and I’m glad you’re here. We attended an auction today at Oskaloosa, KS., (northeast, KS.) and now I’m the proud owner of a 16’ yellow fiberglass Trail Craft Canoe.I was the high bidder at $145.00. Included were three paddles of different size and condition and two life vests. Yeah it has been used and needs a little TLC....But we plan on having a great time with Kids and Grand kids. In fact, as soon as we got it home, my 9 year old Granddaughter, my wife and I launched it in our farm pond. What a nice fall evening!! NOW before bringing it home, as it was filthy and had many mud dobber nests. I took it to the car wash.and as you may guess, the old Trademark decals came off. Is there any chance to acquire New Decals of your beautiful Trade Mark. This one says Trailcraft Canoes Concordia and Glasco, Kansas, Please advise. Thanks, Gus Barnett |
 39. Peter Hrysko - 2010-07-29 22:34:51 |
Hi Ron.
Back in 1966, just about to graduate high school, I approached you with the possibility of traveling from Sarnia, Ontario to the Gulf of Mexico by inland waterway. "River Run ’66". You had graciously offered to supply the canoes and camping gear as sponsorship. Unfortunately, life got in the way of that dream of adventure. Four years later, I was married to Mildred and had re-contacted you regarding setting up a fiberglass operation in Penticton, British Columbia. Everything was progressing favorably, so I thought. My wife and I moved From Calgary, Alberta to British Columbia to spearhead the development of the operation. Then you had the unfortunate fire in Concordia and all plans of expanding operations into Canada came to a dead halt and I lost touch with you.
I was just a wet nosed pup trying his entrepreneurial wings back then and the lessons I learned from you formed a firm foundation for me. Over the past 40 years, I can count on one hand the years that I have been employed by someone other than myself. I’ve had good times and bad, but mostly good. I thank you for that.
It was really great to find you on the web and to know that you are still out there. I would love to hear from you.
All the best.
Peter |
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38. Steve Bennett - 2010-07-14 22:50:05 |
| What a wonderful webpage. I am the former owner of a 16 ft canvas Trailcraft canoe which I purchased as a kit in 1973. The day the kit arrived at my home in Harrisburg, PA was one of the most exciting and memorable days of my life. I was 13 years old, and had used my grass cutting and paper route money for the purchase. Over the next several months my Dad and I assembled the canoe in our basement. We spent many happy hours together working on that canoe. I can still remember how proud I was the day we launched her in the pond across the street. Over the next several years I explored the rivers, creeks and lakes in central PA. Before I could drive my Mom would drop me and my canoe off along some quiet body of water and then pick me up later in the day. I had many a happy adventure in that old canoe. I really can’t express the pleasure that canoe gave me over the years. Thank you for such a wonderful and high quality product that even a 13 year old boy could build (with a little help from Dad). |
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37. Tom Widney - 2010-05-07 15:23:18 |
I grew up in North Eastern Oklahoma during the 1960’s, I remember the first time I saw a canoe in the flesh. My patrol dad in my early scouting years was a confirmed John Bircher, although I didn’t understand what that meant at the time, I just assumed that my folks ment he was a little wierd. He built fiberglass canoes in his garage and it was one of these crafts he brought along on a patrol hike in the hill country of Osage County.
The patrol dad had only one canoe and several young boys, on that spring day on Sand Creek, so only two of the boys at a time could ride in the canoe with him at a time, while he paddeled stern. The rest of us had to hike along the stream bed until our turn came to get our ride in the canoe. I can still feel the anticipation and the urgent feelings of impatence that only a young boy can muster waiting for his turn for his first canoe ride.
Our family didn’t have much spare cash in those days, so I didn’t really miss what I never had, but what it meant to me at the time was that if I really wanted a canoe to call my own , it was up to me to make it happen.
So I went to work, mowing yards, caddying for the rich folks at the golf course, painting addresses on the curbs with my brass stencils and round paint brush that my dad had dug up for me, the only time I had any sucess at all selling door to door. This went on for months all the while I was pouring through the back end of magazines such as Boys Life and the Popular Mechanics subscription, that my Great Grandmother seemed to give me every year for Christmas, all the while searching for a canoe kit that even remotely resembled a canoe.
I finaly settled on a particular kit, it was from Trail Craft out of Levenworth Kansas if memory serves me right. It cost $48.00 of my hard earned dollars.
That winter I was in the 9th grade and my dad and I spent it in the garage building that little 12 foot craft.
We lived less than a quarter of a mile from the Caney River, a brown water high clay banked stream that meandered for miles through the wooded bottem lands of North Eastern Oklahoma and almost every weekend all through high school one or two friends and I would pack our gear Fridays after school was out, throw that little 12 footer on my shoulders and head for the river.
We would have the adventure of our lives, traveling through time in our minds to the days of the early explorers, as we paddeled down that muddy little river til Sunday afternoon would be upon us and we would start looking for a bridge for take out. We would hike out of the river valley and start looking for a farm house from which to call the folks to come pick us up and haul us home. In those days fear did not prevent folks from letting some ragtag boys into thier home to use the phone. I do remember several times we had to knock on more than one or two doors just to find a home that actually had a phone, making me realize that our family had a lot more financial resources than some along that little river and that I had a lot to be grateful for.
So from my boyhood point of view, 12 feet is plenty big enough to supply a young child’s life with plenty of room for gear and friends to an avenue for limitless adventure and coupled with a little of the youngs imagination, the experiance far exceeds those original 12 feet.
And from an adults point of view, those winter nights in the garage working side by side with my dad remains, after some 15 years since dad passed, one of my most cherished memories of a fathers love for his son.
Hope this helps with the realization that some times it’s the small things in life that bring us the greatist reward.
Tom Widney
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36. Keith Everett - 2010-01-19 03:43:16 |
Hello, everyone. I am a former trailcraft "Scout" builder/owner. I purchased the kit in ’71, summer, with money I made working in tobacco fields around Fuquay, NC. It was a pivotal experience for me and gave me confidence in myself like no other project ever had. I will always cherish the memories of building and then using the canoe for 10 years afterwards. My dog and I spent many happy hours fishing, exploring, and learning canoe handling in that canoe. It saddened me to find that you had to shut down and I wish only the best for you and thanks for a great experience that has touched my life even now.
Sincerely yours
Keith Everett |
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35. JoEllen (McConnell) Dare - 2009-12-02 03:54:10 |
| Hi Overstreets... Teri, Sue... what a fun website! Thanks for sharing much more than I ever knew! JoEllen (McConnell) Dare |
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34. Tony L. Green - 2009-08-19 12:44:08 |
| Hello I was searching for canoe kits and came across your website and was wandering if it is possible to get plans for your canoe kits yet. The reason i would like your plans is when i was growing up my dad built three canoes a 10,12,14 foot and we had a great time using them but as he got older and we did’nt go camping anymore he sold them do to health reasons,now my youngest son found some old pictures and would like to build one. So i’m hoping i can purchase the plans. Thank You for your time,Sincerely Yours TONY L.GREEN |
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33. C.Neil Wray - 2009-08-05 14:58:56 |
| Hello.I remember a friend of mine built one of your canoe kits back in the later 60’s.We used to take it and run limb line on the Smokey south of Salina .There was a place where the river made a big loop and came back to within a city block of itself .A perfect place to canoe .I wonder if you still have any info on your canoes.I would like to get my grandson and build one for him.Do you still have plans for sell?Please e-mail me Neil |
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32. Robert Breault - 2009-07-24 04:03:42 |
Hi Ron; You were my scoutmaster. Leroy Breault was my dad’s brother. My dad’s name was Laurence. Barbara Roche Gaines recently told me about your web site. I have kept in contact with Mike Roche too. I live in Grand Junction, CO about 2 miles from your daughter Susan. I met her once and gave her a book about "Our Lady of Perpetual Help".
On a camp out I put rocks and cactus in your sleeping bag. That was my last day in scouts. I’m retired from the USAF, and still hunt and fish. Your paintings are nice. I still have 2 still lifes that Joan Roche painted for us in 1967. Sincerely, Bob Breault |
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31. Sam Adams - 2009-07-06 13:04:15 |
Hi Ron,
Working on our barn recently, I dug out my kayak and thought I’d check out Trailcraft on google search.
Thanks for the wonderful history and photos of Trailcraft!
Too bad your company didn’t survive longer, but thanks for making the plans
for your canoes available for so long.
I ordered plans for the touring kayak and built it about 12 years ago.
The canvas skin proved not up to the job on it’s first trip on the Shenandoah river and we had to hike back several miles and recover the boat a couple days later!
Since I covered the hull in fiberglass it’s been a fine performer and very nice
looking too! Thanks for many fun journeys! Sam Adams
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