>>534380I don't think Finnish log stoves are practical as anything other than a cool gimmick (which might work if I was right in assuming you're two couples...) you can give it a try. An axe would probably do the job, but I've always found a saw to be more practical. I have one just like in this pic that's never failed me.
I'm torn because you said you want to add hikes to your trip, so how do you find the right balance between the comfort of canoe camping and the weight of hiking?
For canoe camping I'd recommend a propane camp stove. Coleman has some for 35-40 USD that would probably be a good compromise. Otherwise look into alcohol stoves. You can cut the bottom off of a can, punch some holes around the perimeter of the edge you made and fuel it with either rubbing alcohol or better yet bring high-proof drinking alcohol. I don't think I have one, but I'll sketch one for you.
Fire-starters aren't really used in Maine, I don't know why you couldn't just use shit from the ground. But going with the raining a lot theory, olive oil in cotton balls would work but liquid fuels tend to burn faster and I'd caution against them because you'll need to use the fire to dry out more wood