What's with these gunwales?
- Thread starter workingbadger
- Start date
H.E. Pennypacker
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Badger - At first glance it looked like an Old Town Otca with "double gunwales", but the decks seem too long and the coaming doesn't look right. Old Town did sometimes make canoes with longer solid decks. The ribs are also un-tapered. It might be a very early Old Town or perhaps some other maker. Yes, certainly worth a look; double gunwale construction is very nice. But it appears to be fairly well spread out from removal of the thwarts. Hopefully this is an illusion of photography, but it looks real.
Paul Miller
Canoe Nut
My 1913 has tapered ribs also.
It appears the outwales are attached from the outside not the inside as would usually be done.
My concern would also include the spreading of the canoe; you don't know what those gunnels will look like once pulled back together
Otherwise a nice looking canoe.
Paul
It appears the outwales are attached from the outside not the inside as would usually be done.
My concern would also include the spreading of the canoe; you don't know what those gunnels will look like once pulled back together
Otherwise a nice looking canoe.
Paul
H.E. Pennypacker
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Early Old Town Charles River canoes (into the mid-teens) and at least some sold as Ideal model canoes had untapered ribs. Very early ones of other models may have been built this way too; I just cannot remember specific examples right now.
OP
OP
H.E. Pennypacker
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Now it REALLY looks Old Town. That's the style thwart Old Town used in the early days, and rarely in early, nicer Old Towns you see that kind of spacer between seat and gunwale. The lack of diamond-head bolts is also consistent. In these early ones, bolts were flat head, countersunk, and capped with a plug of the same material as the gunwales (usually mahogany).
Greg Nolan
enthusiast
See my reply to your inquiry about number 1613574 in the serial number search thread.
It seems that either you don't have an Old Town, or another look needs to be taken at the serial number.
It seems that either you don't have an Old Town, or another look needs to be taken at the serial number.
MGC
Scrapmaker
Could be...mine is an 06 HW so if that is the case, that mine are tapered is meaningless. I'm pretty sure the 1916 Ideal we once had also had tapered ribs.
Whatever the case, this boat does look OTish. Perhaps it will be cleared in the light of day. I have seen that type of seat hanger on older OT's.
Dan Lindberg
Ex Wood Hoarder
MB,
Seems like you better go down and get it just so we can know for sure. (Plus you get a nice canoe.)
Dan
Seems like you better go down and get it just so we can know for sure. (Plus you get a nice canoe.)
Dan
The turned seat drops look like the ones shown at http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=10313&d=1270517074 and the long decks like the one at http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=5996&d=1221343743 are both consistent with an early AA grade Old Town. The double mahogany gunwales as shown at http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=5995&d=1221342418 were popular. The 1916 catalog is the last one to mention the "uniform width" ribs in the Charles River Model. A serial number should be able to resolve this.
Benson
Benson
OP
OP
I am told the actual serial number is... 16 13574. Can anyone help?
Greg has posted that number and some others at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?12128 but they don't seem to match. I just looked for 3574 and found that the records from 3574 to 3576 are missing so that doesn't help either. Please post some pictures of the serial numbers once you see it. Thanks,
Benson
OP
OP
H.E. Pennypacker
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Yep - just as expected. I don't have the records CD, but I'll bet this is going to turn out to be Old Town, early - pre-1910 or so. The thwarts are dead on, the "twist" seat spacers, the untapered ribs, the decks and the double gunwales - all point to OT. Glad you got it.
H.E.
H.E.
See the message at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?12128-1613574&p=62222#post62222 for the details about this canoe.
Benson
Benson
VallierOutdoors
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Don't know how to respond to the feed for the ads, so here goes here. Looks like the flagstaff sockets are missing, and so is the floor rack... true? And wondering about the "small nick" in the gunwale. It doesn't look so small, but worse it really looks like the gunwale is broken from the photos above (displaced fracture appears to go all the way through, and the long photo looks like the gunwale has an elbow right there). Thanks for any feedback. Jim
OP
OP
Jim,
You are correct about the floor rack and flag sockets. I have reposted the ad with a couple of photos of the nick. The rails are intact. (Those double gunwales are both very heavy duty.) There is no crack, or elbow.
I would be happy to answer any other queries.
And yes, it is interesting that they don't have a clearly marked way to contact the person placing the ad. I tried to find a member directory, but no luck. Hope you read this.
You are correct about the floor rack and flag sockets. I have reposted the ad with a couple of photos of the nick. The rails are intact. (Those double gunwales are both very heavy duty.) There is no crack, or elbow.
I would be happy to answer any other queries.
And yes, it is interesting that they don't have a clearly marked way to contact the person placing the ad. I tried to find a member directory, but no luck. Hope you read this.
