What is a Merrimack Canoe and what makes is special?
The original Merrimack Canoe–a wood reinforced composite canoe was developed by L.H. Beach more than 60 years ago. Today the hull of a Merrimack canoe is built with a layup of fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber much like other canoe makers. But what makes a Merrimack special is that it is then reinforced with actual wood ribs running the full length of the hull. It’s a marriage of modern technologies and old school sensibilities.  Each is handmade: trimmed out with wood gunnels, seats, decks and thwarts and inlaid with a brass medallion on the front deck. Making a Merrimack both a thing of beauty, and a lightweight modern performance canoe.

The story of Merrimack Canoes
The original wood-reinforced fiberglass hull was developed by L.H. Beach more than 53 years ago. He grew up in Maine and moved to Merrimack, NH where he started the company. When fiberglass started to be used in boat building, he didn’t like the looks of the all fiberglass hulls. He came up with the idea of combining tradition with the new fiberglass technology. So he made a thin fiberglass hull and instead of reinforcing it with fiberglass he used wood ribs one-sixteenth inch thick. This gave the hull the stiffness it needed with less weight and great looks. In 1967, Doris and Lem Beach, took over the company and started building the canoes when Lem retired from the Navy. They built canoes in Merrimack until the fall of 1972 when the business moved to Crossville, Tennessee. Merrimack stayed in the family until only a few years ago when it found a new home and owner in Travelers Rest, SC.

Earlier this spring we negotiated bringing Merrimack Canoes into the Sanborn family. We moved everything up to Winona, Minnesota and we’re looking forward to crafting these exceptional canoes for years to come!