Peter Breen-Master Wooden Boat Builder and Restorer A one hour drive NW of Toronto, Ontario is where I found...
Peter Breen-Master Wooden Boat Builder and Restorer
A one hour drive NW of Toronto, Ontario is where I found Peter Breen’s workshop, where he builds original wooden boats bearing his name, and refurbishes a variety of antique and classic wooden boats. Classics such as Ditchburn, Minet, Barnes, J.J. Taylor, Mullins, Dowsett, Shepherd, Aimes Brothers, Minett, Duke, Clive Brown, Davis, Duke, Greavette, are only some of the work Peter has restored at his company, Peter Breen Antique & Classic Boat Co. Ltd, over the past 35 years.
Peter’s skills regarding wooden boats goes beyond his work as a master craftsman building and refurbishing wooden boats at a level that has earned him the title, “the Leonardo da Vinci of boat builders” by a writer for a Toronto newspaper. Breen is a Historian of antique and classic boats, master mechanic, an authority on high end woods used in boat building, wooden boat designer, excellent businessman and manger, and top salesman for his company.
It was my great fortune to make frequent visits to his shop for about two years, recording Peter at work. The frequent long term visits allowed me to record boat projects as they progressed from sticks of lumber to full blown floating beauties bearing the builder’s name. The Breen wooden boats are in great demand and there is a waiting list of several years to obtain one. In addition, my visits to his shop documented the painstaking refurbishing that Breen completes on antique and classic wooden boats. His work resulted in the boats leaving his shop looking better than when they were new.
Visit www.broadcaststories.com often to view the short and informative segments dealing with all aspects of antique and classic wooden boat building and refurbishing. Also included will be visits to Peter’s cottage area, the mecca of wooden boats, Muskoka, Ontario.
Peter Breen-Master Wooden Boat Builder and Restorer
Peterborough Canoe
Peter Breen specializes in refurbishing many historic wooden boats. This segment features a look at a unique Peterborough canoe built in the late 1800′s. The canoe was in Peter’s shop to receive a fresh coat of protective varnish. Breen specializes in restoring old boats to a new luster. This boat is unique in that it was built as a tongue and groove and laid width wise instead of length wise. A beautiful boat featuring a historic report by Breen concerning the origins of this beautiful canoe makes this segment worth watching.