Chestnut Canoe identification needed

[bobw]

I'm looking at purchasing a chestnut canoe serial number C25640.

15'8" long, width 34" depth 13"

Can anyone ID this canoe with a model and year?

Thanks,

Bob Wagner

 

[Jan Bloom]

Chestnut serial numbers essentially are meaningless as there are no records associated with them. To help determine the model it would be helpful to also know the width of the rib. I have no listing for a Chestnut with a length of 15'8". Did you measure extreme length or just the distance between tips? If it is actually 16' then there are a few possibilities. Toward the end Chestnut was not very consistent and things are sometimes confusing. Give everyone a few days to get home from the assembly and I am sure someone will be of greater help.

JB

 

[bobw]

I'll find out the rib width from the current owner. No date on canoe, it has been in his family for 30 years. I'll try to get purchase date from owner.

Bob Wagner

 

[davelanthier]

Unfortunately Chestnut model/year can not identified by the serial number. With that serial # and those dimentions, factory is 33"W x 13.25"D, it is most likely a 1970's Chestnut Kruger cruiser model. [ See pictures ] There is a slim chance it could be a 1950's Chestnut Moonlight pleasure model which had a 34"W x 12"D. Both had a factory weight of 70 lbs. and 3/8" x 2 3/8" ribs spaced 2" apart. The Kruger had 4 thwarts where as the Moonlight had only 2. PS---- The canoe in the pictures is available for adoption if anyone out there is interested.

 

[bobw]

Canoe measurement length was tip to tip, so I would assume it is 16' at longest point. Has only two thwarts, with a carry yoke added. Another weird thing is that it has a keel? Would that be normal or added?

 

[Steve Lapey]

Sure looks like a Pal from here, 16 feet long with the 1 1/2 inch ribs spaced 1 1/2 inches. Lots of Pals and other Chestnuts were fitted with a shoe keel, ash or oak, about 2 1/2 inches wide, tapered toward the ends and 1/2 inch thick.

Steve Lapey

 

[davelanthier]

How do you know it is a Chestnut? I'm wondering if it might be a Canadian Canoe Company model due to the serial #. Depending on the year the Chestnut Pal has either a 35" or 36" beam so it's not a Pal. Keels were standard on most, but not all, Chestnuts. The dimentions meet a 1970's Kruger but they usually came with 2 hand thwarts and 2 standard thwarts in that vintage.

 

[WoodNCanvas]

I would agree with Steve Lapey.....keel would likely mean a Pal....chance could be Moonlight....but more likely Pal....

Re: Dave Lanthier's comment about the canoe possibly being Canadian Canoe Co.????....Canadian Canoe was bought out by Peterborough in late 1920s, then included under holding company Canadian Watercraft Ltd. under which most wood canvas canoes were built by Chestnut any way....so could be Peter/Can/Nut version of the Pal....possibly 'C' in serial number could mean 'Canadian Canoe Co.'....but didn't some later Chestnuts also not include some sort of numbering system at times that had a 'C' in it????

Also I believe most keels were put on Pleasure models like Pal....that very few Cruisers or Guide Specials built with keels....

And a final note....Dave Lanthier also mentioned Kruger had 4 thwarts????....there really are only two thwarts....and two deck thwarts....so I'm not sure that counts as '4' thwarts....Roger MacGregor included a line drawing of Kruger in his history of Chestnut

 

[bobw]

Canoe had a chestnut decal that looked aged. Also if measured to outside of gunwales the canoe measured 351/2". The owner remembers being in the canoe with his dad when he was young - in the 1965-1970 era. The canoe was up in the garage rafters so it made it difficult to inspect.

 

[WoodNCanvas]

So it's definitely a Chestnut then; does decal say Fredricton or Oromocto????....still agree with Steve Lapey regarding being a Pal....or possibly even a Deer....but most likely a Pleasure model any way.

 

[bobw]

I don't know what the decal read. Sounds like most people would call it a "Pal".

Thanks for all your help and interest.

 

[WoodNCanvas]

Only reason I asked about what the decal said: either Fredricton or Oromocto, was that would narrow down the era the canoe was built....Fredricton was where most Chestnuts were built....in 1974 the Chestnut Canoe Co. moved down the St. John River to Oromocto to a new plant....by 1978-79 the factory was closed