By day, John Bontrager, 32, assembles RVs on a factory floor. By night, he handcrafts canoes, just like his father before him.
“My dad built his first canoe when he was a kid—nineteen, I think,” Bontrager said. “He used that same canoe up until 2010 when he built another one. After 2010, he started building one every year.”
Like his father, Bontrager is dedicated to building canoes whenever he has the free time to do it.
“It was a hobby for him,” Bontrager said. “He would work on them when he had the time. He couldn’t just sit inside the house or hold still; he always had to be doing something. He always loved canoeing and anything to do with the water. I believe, at one point, he saw a canoe, and from there he just decided to try making one.”
Before marrying, Bontrager helped his dad build canoes and manage the family pet kennel. However, Bontrager admits that the pet kennel “just wasn’t [his] thing.”
Bontrager grew up in Shipshewana, Indiana, with his three brothers and four sisters. Today, he lives on the same property with his wife of 12 years and their five kids.
“My dad kept all the canoes he’s ever built, so we technically don’t need any more,” Bontrager said. “We use them about once a year when we go to our local river. Sometimes, we’ll even use them on the lake near our home.”
Bontrager began selling canoes in 2021 after discovering one of his father’s unfinished projects.
“My dad had started [building a canoe], but didn’t finish it. So, I decided to finish it,” Bontrager said. “I liked it. So, I built another one after that—and that’s really where the passion for it began for me.”
Bontrager’s main reason for selling his canoes is that his workshop has become too full lately, housing both his and his father’s canoes.
“I want to build more [canoes], but I have to get rid of some to be able to do that,” Bontrager said. “So, I decided to see if I could sell some. It’s more the fact that I have extra canoes, and not really that it’s a full-blown business.”
To craft a canoe, Bontrager starts with a plank of wood, which he then cuts into strips. From there, he glues the strips together on a jig—a wooden framework that provides a stable and precise foundation for shaping and assembling the canoe’s hull.
“The canoes are built upside down,” Bontrager said. “After getting all the strips glued on, I sand it down so that everything is smooth. Then, it gets coated with clear-coat fiberglass. That’s what seals the canoe and gives it its strength.”
One of Bontrager’s favorite parts about building canoes is the different types of designs he gets to implement.
“The designs we put in are different kinds of wood,” Bontrager said. “Each wood has its own unique color. One time, I used a diamond mahogany inlay, and I loved it. I really like to try different designs and see what I can come up with.”
Bontrager first learned about inlays from his father.
“[My father] built plain canoes in the beginning, but eventually he started to put in inlays and designs because he didn’t want all of them to be the same,” Bontrager said. “That way, they all have their own unique differences.”
When it comes to building and selling canoes, Bontrager said there is nothing that satisfies him more than seeing someone’s expression of excitement when they come to pick up their canoe.
For now, building and selling canoes remains a hobby for Bontrager. But, in the future, he’s hopeful that his hobby can turn into something more.
“My dad still helps me [with the business] a little bit,” Bontrager said. “Hopefully, at some point, my boys will be old enough to help me more with it all. And hopefully one day I can sell enough canoes for my dad to stay home and not have to work, since he’s getting older. It would be nice for him to be able to stay home and only work if he wants to.”
If you’re interested in buying one of Bontrager’s already-made canoes or commissioning a customizable canoe, reach out to Lakeside Canoes at 260-350-0481.
