Paluski Boats Limited, Lakefield, ON

Paluski Boats Limited was started in 1980 to manufacture and repair sliding seat rowing shells. Paluski was founded by Graham Wilkins during the years when he was a member of Canada's National Rowing Team and initial reflected his effort to develop recreational rowing in Canada. #Pat Smith joined the company in 1985 and Graham and Pat worked to expand the range of products they could manufacture as well as increase their manufacturing capacity. Paluski continued to develop new models that included new rowing shells designs along with a number of lightweight fiberglass and Kevlar canoes and kayaks. In 1987 Paluski purchased a small manufacturing building on the outskirts of Lakefield, Ontario. Over the years the facilities on the Lakefield - Bridgenorth Highway have been expanded to accommodate Paluski's growth as a manufacturing business. The building is also home to Adventure Outfitters - One of the areas busiest outdoor rental and retail operations that is also owned by Graham and Pat, together with the store's manager and Graham's wife - Adriana Wilkins. In 1989 Paluski's manufacturing headed in a new and exciting direction. Paluski obtained the rotomolding machinery and the aluminum molds for the original Spirit kayak that had been originally developed by the White Brothers of Niagara Falls, Ontario. Graham and Pat quickly embraced the new rotomolding technology as a better way to manufacture boats than the traditional hand laid fiberglass techniques they had been using. Rotomolding could produce products that were more durable and more cost effective to produce.