Voyage of the Paper Canoe: 2500 Miles from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico, 1874-5

Technical overview of the invention and manufacture of paper boats in this chapter: https://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/nhb/paperc/c05.html

I guess that they were a sort of intermediate technology between wooden canoes and fiberglass?

Quick Google says that the lightest modern canoes are made of carbon fiber and weigh as little as 20 pounds.

I was reminded of this children's book, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddle-to-the-Sea

I have not thought of it for many many years.