2 – 20ft. Templeton Canoes for sale with long stem canoe trailer (inc)

The Moosehead Lake region of Maine has a great history of renowned builders of traditional wooden canoes. The 20-foot Templeton canoe fit the requirements of hunting and fishing the region’s great waters: it was lightweight, could carry a very heavy load, and ably managed swift waters due to its wide, steady beam. Many of the men who built these canoes lived along the Moose River in Rockwood. One of the best known wooden canoe forms was designed by Fred Templeton. Templeton was born in Willimantic on Feb. 15, 1876 and moved to Moosehead in 1898. He guided from Mt. Kineo through 1945. Over the years, his canoe forms were handed down from builder to builder. Merton Comstock purchased the Templeton canoe forms in the early 1960s, which included a 10-footer, 15-footer and 20-footer. Fred Reckards was Merton’s son-in-law. Fred Reckards had already been building canoes for some years. Fred was considered a perfectionist and became known for his own clear cedar canoes. Merton eventually decided to move back to Farmington and sold his canoe business to Fred. The 20-footer became known as the “Moose River Taxi” for all of its steady attributes in plying these waters.