Friends of the Brand: Trevor Hoselton
Updated: Dec 1, 2022
Throughout our travels, we have had the privilege of connecting with some really cool folks that we now call friends. They have become a part of the Sea Culture community, which for the most part, is pretty tight-knit. It's always inspiring to meet people who love their craft as much as we do. From creators to innovators and everything in between, our series Friends of The Brand highlights the incredible stories and experiences they have had along the way.
We had the pleasure of meeting our new friend Trevor Hoselton. When we were dreaming up our next window display idea, we heard from friends that someone local made these extraordinary canoes, and being the boaters that we are we knew we had to meet him. Trevor came down to our flagship store to talk canoes and we knew we had found someone who loved what they did as much as we do. Trevor is a lifelong Skaneateles, NY resident with some time away serving our country as a Marine. In his time back in New York he picked up the craft of building canoes, paddles, and cutting boards.
After seeing pictures of these beautiful canoes, we had a lot of questions about how he made them and where he got his start.
The Beginning:
Trevor was golfing with a friend who was a master carpenter, and they got to talking about woodworking. It sparked an interest in Trevor and he knew he wanted to start building something. They went down the list of things he would be interested in building. He entertained the idea of a rowboat but finally concluded that a canoe was where he wanted to start. Soon after Trevor and his friend started building two canoes. It was perfect, A master carpenter to help guide and teach him and someone with all the tools to get him started. But not too long after they began building their canoes Trevor's friend's wife got deployed. Trevor was left with two bare-bones canoes and the only two tools that his friend could spare 1. A table saw 2. Plainer. The list of tools for canoe-making is a lot longer than these two. Trevor was now on his own to self-teach himself and gather the equipment he needed to build a canoe.
Here’s the list of what it takes him to build the incredibly detailed canoes he creates:
C Clamp
Ban Saw
Chop Saw
Jig Saw
Table saw
Router Table
Hand Router
Hand Planer
Coping Saw
Blow Torch
Like most of us who need to find information quickly, Trevor turned to the internet to find help to get back on track so he could finish his canoes. He found guidance in online forums and a personal favorite of his, Nick Offerman's woodworking videos. Nick's detailed videos gave Trevor the insight he needed to continue. His first canoe was the gateway into his fantastic work today. With a few rough patches, he learned how the wood curves, what tools he needed, and how a finished canoe should look.
After Trial and error and starting to master his craft, the canoes began to mold into beautiful works of art that many people enjoy today. Trevor has built four canoes and is in the process of refurbishing another one.
It takes him one month to finish a canoe. Gluing takes the most time because everything needs to be smooth. Then when finishing each canoe, the fiberglass and epoxy go over the top. There are a lot of time-sensitive materials. Epoxy after it is dry will look wet forever.
He also loves making cutting boards & paddles which he then donates to charity.
Trevor has entered his canoes in the Skaneateles Antique Boat Show and won Best Finger Lakes Built Boat.
He has also sold a canoe to John Walsh from Americans Most wanted.
Give him a follow @poquoson_Canoes