May 5-6.......Wal-Mart World
Walleye Championship
Red Wing, Minnesota

July 19-23...McKormick Place Chicago, IL
Bassmaster Classic & ICAST Show

August 11-13, 18-20...Game Fair
Armstrong Ranch
Anoka, Minnesota 

So...how’s fishin?

As I write this letter....Dave and I have not had the opportunity to fish out of  the canoe yet this year!  Hard to believe that last year we fished on April 1^st and had a tremendous day fighting smallies and trout that averaged about 18”. I guess we are resigned to living vicariously through those of you who have contacted us after baptizing your canoe.  We have heard stories of fishing success from many of you...thanks!  One of the things that we are hearing from all over the country is that the water levels in general are very low this year.

From Virginia to Minnesota and points to the south, many of our new customers are purchasing the canoe specifically because they can’t get to their favorite spots without it.  Remember that even when full of gear, you can float in about 4 inches of water. 

We hope that you will continue to share your stories of fishing glories with us as the year unfolds.  Sooner or later we will catch up with our backlog of orders and join you....  Speaking of backlog....if you haven’t ordered your new River Ridge Custom Canoe yet...don’t wait too long...good fishin’s around the bend!

Price increase on tax filing day... is it a coincidence??  

OK.... we warned you. Our canoes cannot continue to be sold at the price of $1295.00.

So...effective April 15^th, the price for a Sportsman’s canoe will increase to $1495.00.

Before you get TOO worked up, consider this..... Our new Sportsman’s canoe package will  include the following. 

2 paddles...2 drink coolies...a car carry kit...battery box... and accessory bag. Most customers now order the bag and the car carry kit anyway. So why not include it in the package?

The $200.00 increase breaks down this way...The extra’s mentioned above total about $95.00 if you were to buy them either from us or your favorite outfitter...that leave $105.00 to cover our increase in canoe material costs...an increase of only 8%.  

Remember...your canoe’s hull is hand laid fiberglass... the accessories all made by hand.... The price you pay for that kind of quality usually costs much more.  Our commitment to selling to you directly means no middleman.  AND... service with the sale :)

Our Japan trip was a success.  Dave and I spent 13 days in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.  We were on the showfloor in Tokyo and Osaka with the gang from Vagabond and Waterhouse company.  Securing dealers for the canoes and selling direct to hard core Japanese anglers was exciting!  Besides the business we did...it was great to be reunited with our good friends Yoshi and Hajime. 

Both will be coming to Rochester in July for ten days.  We will exhibit our canoes and their custom made rods, reels and hand made baits at the Bassmaster Classic and ICAST show in Chicago.  After the show, we will be filming on the Flambeau River with Ron and Joe of ESPN2’s Backroads show.  Ken and Michael of Basser Magazine  which originates in Tokyo will also be with us to cover the show for their publications in Japan.

We will be returning there in September with Ron Schara and Joe Harewicz.  At least 2 fishing shows for trout and bass will be filmed, and we will report on the fishing trends in Japan.

Our third container of 32 canoes arrived in Osaka about March 25^th.   The anglers in Japan are excited about using the canoe on their many rivers and lakes.  We can testify to the intensity of the fishermen there.....they take their fishing very seriously.  Just look at the quality of their tackle...........

New canoe facility to  be ready in October

June is just around the corner, and we will be breaking ground for our new manufacturing and distribution plant.

We currently occupy 2 shops in our Northeast Rochester location.  It has meant transporting the canoes back and forth between the shops three times until they are ready to sell.  Not much longer.....

By mid October we will be moving all of our operations to a brand new facility just south of Pine Island, MN.

Once there...we will be able to expand and add another mold to our operation.  We are excited and gearing up for the expansion.  Today is April 5^th and we have no canoes in stock and our mold is backed up.  By adding another mold and increasing our production, we will be better able to serve our customers and create and innovate with more freedom.

Mark Schoenmann, our fiberglass guru, has graciously decided to design and build our new facility on his beautiful country acreage...who better to make sure we are remaining on the cutting edge.

Duff is now the master

On Valentine’s Day this year we were fortunate to have Dave Schmiedeberg succeed Cody Bennett as our primary canoe maker.  Nicknamed “Duff”, we couldn’t be prouder of the quality level he has maintained in our fiberglass hull production.  Cody is moving on to pursue a career in Motocross racing.  We will miss his energy and enthusiasm, and are grateful for the training he has provided for Duff.  Duff comes to us from the Pepsi Company.  He was an employee there for 22 years, and has much experience in working with composites and in running an efficient and productive shop.  Also..... when you order a canoe, Duff will customize the interior of the hull any way you would like it.  Don’t hesitate to ask....we have had many of our customers incorporate their own ideas into the hull of their canoe.

What's New on the WEBSITE?

Well...to begin with, we now have customer testimonies from some of you.  If you are interested in submitting your testimony, please do so in the form of an e-mail to plantan@aol.com If your testimony is put up on the site, we will send you a check for $25.00 as a token of appreciation.

We have new pictures and of course our price list is now updated.  We are excited to report an average of 125 visitors a day since the beginning of the new year.  Thanks for visiting...a small company like ours can become global in a hurry....we even have price quotes out to companies in Alexandria, Egypt and Istanbul, Turkey!!!   Go figure......??!!

New Product Info..

You will notice in the attached price list that we now offer paddles...two sizes...4 and 5 footers.... battery boxes are  available too.

We are excited to introduce the coolers that we have been using over the last two years.  They will come in two sizes (24 and 36 packers) and in three colors (forest, brown and black).  These coolers are the best.

Made of heavy duty 600 denier poly, with nylon bonded thread...they are leak proof and will keep your food and drink iced longer than any coolers that we have found to date. We use one for the food and one for the drinks on all of our canoe camping adventures...Best of all, if you happen to have a tipping incident it is a blessing to have zippers rather than a hard top that can fall off and dump all of your precious cargo!

Don’t forget about our solar panel and mahogany wine and cheese trays.  Both have been great additions to our line of accessories.  Many of our customers are using the solar panel when on vacation and leaving the canoe at the waters edge...no need for a battery charger.  For those of you who lke a cigar while recreating...we now offer cigar humidors and cigar holders for the tray.  Take care, and good fishin!