Brian has been woodworking and building paddles for over 50 years. He has repaired and refurbished cedar strip canoes, canvas canoes, all-wood boats, and sailing dinghies. Smith Paddle and Canoe began formally in August 2013 in response to the overwhelming number of requests for custom built paddles from voyageur canoe enthusiasts. Recently, Brian has used hardwoods like oak, maple, walnut, bloodwood, yellow heartwood, padauk and wenge to create a variety of functional pieces.