Please Help Identify

Paul Bruce

Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hello,

Such great info on this site which I’ve been reading for years...

Hoping to identify my new (to me) canoe...

Here are some measurements as best as I could get.

Thank-you for any input offered.

Length: 15'
Beam: (inside planking, widest point, below center thwart) 32.5"
Depth: (inside planking to top of gunwales) 14 & 3/4"
Ribs: 1.5" (not tapered)
Spacing: 1.5" - although some of the spacing is not exact if you look closely (Is this normal?)
Cant Ribs: 4"
Planking: 3 & 3/4"
Weight: 66.5 lbs

Has all square head screws and a 3 number stamp on stern stem "267" if that means anything. There is no remnants of a deck sticker or plate.

My best guess from what I've read here and there and by the look of it, is a prospector of some sort.
 

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Welcome aboard Paul!
Nice to have another local Wood Canvas fan on board.

And that is a lovely looking canoe!

Interesting spec's you've provided. How thick are those ribs? The depth makes sense for a Prospector but the width and spacing of ribs put it more in the Chum range.
Prospector ribs are noticeably beefier when comparing Chestnuts side by side.

Perhaps Andre or Dan will chime in with their knowledge.

regardless, welcome aboard, enjoy the canoe and hope you got out for a paddle this past weekend!

Cheers!
Bruce
 
Yes, to the Andre or Dan chiming in.

To me, that end shape looks odd, not the usual C/P shape.
It looks more like a Ogilvy end, ie, pulled back more then a std end (though it could be the image angle) but the floor isn't flat enough to be an Ogilvy.

Waiting....

Dan
 
Thanks gentlemen. Dan M. and I connected over the weekend via his great website. I sent him some additional pics. He stated, which I greatly appreciated, that he thinks it's likely a Canadian Watercraft Ltd product and the 3 digit serial number might suggest it once wore a Canadian Canoe Co. decal. A prospector from the late 1950's was his thought, due to the 1.5" ribs. They're 3/8" thick (I just checked).

I took it out this weekend. Paddles like a dream both tandem and solo. One unfortunate thing is that, whoever did the restoration re-installed the keel incorrectly. Two problems from this are that the whole keel is shifted about 6" toward the stern (which looks odd) and some water was seeping through in some of the screw holes. Unfortunate, but repairable, so I'll be looking for someone to rectify these issues.

Thank-you again,

Paul
 
Canadian Watercraft was holding company for Chestnut, Canadian and Peterborough Canoe Companies so that makes sense- there is definitely a family resemblance.
The decks, planking and seats strongly resemble my 16 foot Prospector but the width does seem narrow- which may be why the lines look off as Dan Lindberg mentions.

Yup spent time in Chestnuts too this weekend - Saturday up in Kawartha Highlands, Sunday just poking around Little Lake.

Keep us in the loop as you find more info.

Cheers!
Bruce
Kawarthas.jpg
 
Pook is right that it is a bit narrow for a Prospector. But, it is too deep for a pleasure canoe (like Chum).

I just remembered that I had a Chestnut once that I bought assuming it was a 15' Prospector - it's dimensions, as I recall, were similar to Paul's canoe - i.e. 15" deep and 32" beam, more or less. It was also built with the 1-1/2" ribs. Never did figure out exactly what it was, and sold it off long ago.

Some possibilities is that it is a 15' pleasure model whose bottom rounded out, making it deeper, a pleasure model built extra-deep (a not unheard of option). or a Prospector model pulled in at the gunwales (I had a 14' Chestnut pleasure model once that had this done).

And Dan, you are right - 15x32 are magic dimensions in my mind. That is what both my Peterborough Minetta and Rushton Indian Girl are, and they are among the finest solo paddling canoes on the planet.
 
The knowledge here is impressive. Beauty pic, Bruce! Thanks ever so much, gents.
 
What Dan said. I had one as well, essentially a 14.5” deep chum. Sheer was odd and flatter ends. Had the inevitable tip rot so I hung new spruce rails to a new depth of 11.5” and cleaned up the sheer at the ends. Turned it into a double paddle solo for a customer. That thing is so round I thought it was a Cedarwood at first but its clearly not. Many of them are exceedingly round bottomed yet with no flat spot on the sheer it isn’t from a too-short thwart, as is common.
 
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