Kennebec

[crosscuts]

I recently found an old canoe with beautiful recurved bows. Benson Grey identified it for me from his mysterious sources of canoe history. It is a 1940 Kennebec "Katahdin". Thanks again to Benson.

Now comes the fun of getting to work on it and putting it back on the water good or better than new.

Does anyone have some good photos of the long deck model? A view looking down at the deck would be very helpfull.

Thanks for any help in advance.

R.C. Cross

[martin ferwerda]

Dick,
Check this thread out, it is a Kennebec Torpedo Model, very similar to the Katahdin:
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=641

I currently have this canoe, and have been working on it for the owner. I can take any additional photos you may need. It has been altered a bit, I believe it orignally had outside stems that are no longer there, but all in all a neat canoe. Here is a picture of the bow deck.

[crosscuts]

Martin,

Thanks for your reply and photo, also the reference to the other mystery canoe. You photo is very helpfull. Does it appear the deck was an after market addition over the original deck and gunwales or perhaps done in the factory? Maybe if the serial number is visible Benson can answer that question from the original build record.

Thanks again, R.C.

[martin ferwerda]

It looks to me like the long decks are original, the sub decks (what was left of them) looked like typical unfinished subdecks and supports. The last foot or so of the interior (ribs and planking) of the bow and stern were never varnished, possibly an indication of long decks preventing access to varnish up in the ends. The coamings look like replacements. It does seem like the outside stems were left off and maybe the tips of the long decks were nibbed off to deal with the disappearance of the outside stems. The serial number mentioned in the mystery canoe thread is correct, 13817, it is the 1920 Torpedo model, perhaps they just did not fill out the build record correctly that day.....