While it is true that you could rebuild a canoe from a single rib, it's not practical.
The man I bought this from had 2 other canoes in better shape and I'm the only one who even made an offer on any of them.
The canoe had sat on the ground for decades when he got it. The bottom was so badly decayed that pieces fell off when it was moved. The only ribs that did not crumble were in each end of the boat.
I needed a section of the outer gunwale and the diamond shaped bolts to replace the ones used when the seats were replaced on my Yankee. Someone else needed the inner gunwales and the decks for a project canoe. The seats will end up in another canoe.
The guy still has 2 more canoes in need of rescue - that CAN be saved, but has had no offers in the months he has tried to sell them. He's rebuilding one.
They can't all be saved. It if was a rare or historic canoe, maybe I would agree with you. But considering how far gone this one was, I salvaged what was good and burned the rest in a pryre. No way was I going to put the remains in the trash.