Woodcraftsman and hobby restorer Boyd Emerson built a canoe that most likely will never see water.

Not that it wouldn’t be sea worthy, said Emerson.

“If someone wants it in the water, it could go. I have no intention of using it myself,” said Emerson, an avid fisherman.

After investing more than 400 hours in building the 16.-foot canoe and spending countless dollars in supplies, he envisions the vessel hanging on the wall of a forest private retreat or in a retail sports store, such as Bass Pro Shop or Cabela’s.

Emerson has not yet shopped for prospective buyers. The completed canoe is stored in his Clifftop Drive home garage where it has been for the last four years.

“I’m at a point now that I would sell it. I’m a lot better buyer than seller,” he laughed.

Finding a buyer might be difficult because Emerson estimates that he has spent thousands on the canoe, plus his labor.

In his early 20s, he built skimmers and duck boats “but nothing like this,” said Emerson, referring to the retirement project he started five years ago.

He finished assembling a canoe for a friend whose husband died halfway through the project.

“That gave me the interest. Hey, I can make a canoe that would look nice and be pretty. So that is when I started in on that,” he said.

“There are no metal parts in the structure of it.”

Before he layered on the 120 wood strips cut from 2 by 12 foot boards or 2 by 10 foot ones, he crafted 30 wood claps to hold the strips on the hull. He chose clear pine wood and redwood for the dark inlaid pattern.

All the joints were cut at a 45-degree angle, said Emerson, and fit together without a noticeable seam.

He applied three coats of six-ounce Fiberglas fabric -- two inside -- to the canoe. Emerson wove plastic canned seats on hardwood frames.

Emerson has dabbled in woodworking since his teen years, some 65 to 70 years, he said.

“It’s always been a hobby,” said the retired highway superintendent contractor.

Anyone wishing to make an offer on the canoe can call Emerson at (480) 215-9736.