Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (July 21/99) - A new Old Town bed and breakfast, being built by Lothar Ebke and Regina Pfeifer, may not quite be on the water, but that won't stop guests from sizing up some neat boats on the property.

First there's the old landlocked RCMP boat overlooking Wyley Road. Ebke, who first came to the North for a canoe trip, plans to spruce up the front lawn ornament.

But guests won't be able to take the RCMP boat out for spin. It's destined to spend the rest of its days right where it is, he said.

But Ebke hopes to develop his canoe/boat building repair business - also located on the property - so guests will get a chance to go for a paddle.

What makes this B and B a bit different from most is the fact that guests will get to watch Ebke at his canoe and boat work.

They will no doubt quiz him about the history of the boats he's repairing and the techniques he's using to restore them.

As well as work on the RCMP boat, Ebke is building an 11-foot cedar strip feather-light canoe from scratch. Ebke has also restored an 18-foot cedar-strip canoe.

Ebke, who replaced the 18-footer's rotted wood as well as the canvas covering, said this canoe "almost ended up a yard planter."

Now, at the hands of Ebke, the blue beauty, built years ago by Fredericton, N.B., company Chestnut Canoe Co. Ltd., is water worthy. Much of the original Chestnut label remains intact.

Ebke is also restoring a Geisler cedar boat built in the 1960s in North Bay, Ont.

Originally from Germany, Ebke, who first came to the North in 1984 on a canoe trip, started Lothar's Workmanship Solutions four years ago in Yellowknife.

While he's building away in the boat shop on the property, he's also working on renovations to the house that will include living quarters for the owners and the new guest accommodations.

The property was bought earlier this year from construction company owner Reginald LaFleur. LaFleur acquired the RCMP boat from a Hoarfrost River resident who had bought if from the Mounties.

Bed and breakfast owners Ebke and Pfeifer have yet to register the name of the business, but they are hoping to open as early as next month, Ebke said.

When it does open, it will bring the number of bed and breakfast businesses in Yellowknife to at least 20.

Bed and breakfast accommodations have proved popular in the city, offering a different and often more personal way to visit Yellowknife.

Many boast strong occupancy numbers, a spokesperson at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre said.