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Phone: 1-807-597-6801
Fax: 1-807-597-6801
E-mail: fletcher.canoes@sympatico.ca


Fred Bruney

January 15, 2005

Dear Thelma and Randy,

I've been paddling and fishing in a variety of boats for most of my life. I've paddled ABS and kevlar canoes for 25 years, but that changed when I visited Fletcher Canoes in Atikokan on one of my many trips to Quetico. After researching wood and canvas canoe builders, I came to the conclusion that Fletcher Canoes are second to none.

I bought a Bill Mason Special last year and paddled it for two weeks on a group trip in Quetico Provincial Park. My friends, who were paddling kevlar canoes, joked at the beginning of the trip that I wouldn't be able to keep up with them. They soon realized they were wrong. My Bill Mason Special tracked well across large, wind-swept lakes and ate the miles up easily. Its capacity for hauling is superior, providing space as well as security. During the trip, I was impressed by the durability of the canoe. It was pulled over beaver dams fully loaded without damage, and gave me stability enough to stand and pole up the river. The beauty of the wood and canvas is exceeded only by its strength. Judging by the many compliments I heard from people during the trip, I am not alone in my opinion that the Bill Mason Special is an extraordinary craft.

My experience was so favorable, I returned to Fletcher and put in my order for a red Fletcher's Fancy. I took it on a solo trip to the Boundary Waters and discovered that it has all the exceptional qualities of the Bill Mason Special in a smaller package. The capacity is large enough for a two-plus week trip, tracks well and is beautiful on the water.

The wood and canvas canoes have a substantial feel that simply cannot be matched by a kevlar or ABS canoe. Even more important for me, the wood used in making the canoe gives me a deeper connection to the land and its ancestor, the birch bark canoe. The Fletcher Canoe is a great example of a thousand years of evolution in canoe building. Thelma and Randy are truly artists, and I want to thank them for making canoes that I will enjoy for many years and one day, pass on to my sons.

Sincerely,
Fred Bruney
Glen Ellyn, Illinois