GRB canoe brand to move inside Blue Line

New owner shifts operations from Canton to Wilmington

By Zachary Matson

After his kids started school, Max Eaton was in the market for a new canoe, something he didn’t need to tow little ones in. He pulled up a list of boats used to paddle in the Northeast and stumbled into a brand he wasn’t familiar with but had been under his nose for years: GRB Newman Designs. 

A common sight at the Adirondack Canoe Classic (aka the 90 Miler boat race), the sleek, carbon canoes are made by brothers John and Gene Newman out of their family dairy barn in Canton. While in college in Canton, Eaton paddled in a canoe race the Newman brothers helped organize, a fact he would later learn.

Eaton purchased one of their classic designs, a lightweight solo touring canoe. When he went to pick it up, he peppered the Newmans with questions about their designs and construction process and fell into an unexpected apprenticeship and regular commute from Wilmington to Canton. For more than 18 months, Eaton has been working alongside the Newman brothers, attempting to download more than 50 years of boat building wisdom. 

“It was crazy that some of the best composite boats in the world are coming out of an old dairy barn,” Eaton said. 

Soon the boats will be built inside the Blue Line.

Eaton, who is also a children’s book author, is taking over the day-to-day boat building duties later this year. 

After working out final approval with the Adirondack Park Agency, Eaton plans to set up a workshop at his Wilmington home, relocating a couple dozen old GRB boat molds and producing canoes under the name GRB Max. 

The Newmans will keep making paddles and contribute new canoe design ideas. Eaton said his first task will be assuring customers of the same quality and consistency the boats have become known for. 

A sign at the foot of his driveway on Route 86 on the way to Lake Placid will serve as an enticement to the hordes who drive through the Wilmington Notch each day. A new home for lightweight canoes.

“Bringing GRB to the Adirondacks specifically, not just the North Country, will help broaden the reach,” Eaton said. “These are the lakes and rivers these boats are designed for.”

Taking a test run

I met up with Eaton at the Franklin Falls Flow to try out one of his boats and make my first paddle across this section of artificially-enlarged Saranac River. Paddlers enjoying the broad reservoir and views of Whiteface Mountain — though often shrouded in clouds — have Paul Smith to thank; he built the still-running hydro plant at the foot of the reservoir to power his growing enterprises.  

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Eaton was lifting a Monarch, GRB’s 18.5-foot-long tandem, off his truck. Weighing in at 34 pounds, the boat’s composite carbon construction and rigidity increases its paddling efficiency and makes for simple work unloading. The boat was only a few weeks old, young enough Eaton was still keeping close watch of boulders hiding just below the water level.      

“It still has that new boat smell,” Eaton said.

These boats are definitely an investment. The one we paddled costs $4,100. But Eaton said the prices are still competitive with comparable Swift and Wenonah models — and the boats are locally made and repaired. The Monarch, Eaton promised, has the capacity to hold a couple paddlers, a couple kids and a couple of weeks of camping gear. 

“It’s good for everything from paddling after work to camping for two weeks,” Eaton said. “And it’s ideal for the 90-miler.”

Despite choppy waters, the Monarch’s narrow bow sliced through the water with ease and kept a straight track. GRB also produces lightweight carbon paddles designed to maximize the power each stroke transfers to the boat. The adjustable, padded seats offer a touch of comfort, and the personalizable production allows for the addition of bench seats, carrying yokes and other optional components.

The 20 boats under construction by the Newmans are likely among their last. Eaton is starting an informal waitlist. He said he hopes to have his workshop up and running by the end of the summer and the first boats under the new “Max” brand ready to launch on the water next season. 

Eaton, who competes in local canoe races, said he likes to test his wares on a 3-mile loop around Lake Everest in Wilmington or on Franklin Falls and Union Falls Pond, where an out-and-back paddle can top 10 miles. In the summer, he and his family will venture into the St. Regis Canoe Area or up the Raquette River. Sometimes it’s about putting in the miles ahead of a long race. 

“We’re getting ready for the grind, so it’s just going and going and going,” Eaton said.