TAIGA WILDERNESS TRIPPER CANOE

John Paul Burke grew up playing with friends Bob, Tony, and Linnie Streit. Now he has built a boat for the parents of his childhood friends, Rob and Charlie Streit. The Streits have a log cabin on the banks of the Manistee River and John wanted to build a boat with similar wood tones to match their cabin: the Pygmy Taiga Wilderness Tripper canoe fit the bill. The Taiga is a John Lockwood design, 17' long, 35' wide, and weighing 61 lbs. Launched on September 1, 2002 in the Manistee River, the Streits plan to use it for fly-fishing among other things. The boat is unchristened, but referred to as THE-BOAT-THAT-JOHN-BOY-BURKE-STREIT-BUILT.