WI UFO ID, Please

[Joseph Breitenstein]

Hi,

I don't have much info about this canoe beyond the attached pics. The seller says he purchased it from an old lake cottage in northern WI. He says it is 14' long, but I'm guessing that measurement is from deck tip to deck tip. He said he could not find any identifying tags, serial numbers, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Not positive but your answer should come shortly, but WOW go get it. What a great early boat, nice find. (Assuming the price is realistic)

 

[Dan Miller]

Probably a Racine.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I was going to guess Rushton Indian Girl, and then I seemed to recall Racine had a connection to Rushton? Or am I all wet?

 

[Dan Miller]

I was going to guess Rushton Indian Girl, and then I seemed to recall Racine had a connection to Rushton? Or am I all wet?

Not an Indian Girl for a variety of reasons. There is tenuous evidence linking Fred Martin (who spent some time in upstate NY and was involved with several Racine operations) to Rushton all-wood canoes, but none (so far) for the canvas canoes.

 

[Dave Osborn]

Looks like Racine, Joe....got one in the shop right now.
Dave

 

[workingbadger]

Looks like a Racine as seen in the Dragonfly catalogs. Squarish thwarts, hand thwarts. For a while they charged $3 extra for open gunwales, but later offered them for no charge. Anyone know why? Seems to me that covered gunwales should cost more.....

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Joe,

Go get that thing.

And then stop off here so I can take a look at it. The only other one I've seen was literally falling apart.

Dan

 

[workingbadger]

Racine ?

Looks like the Racine I sent home with Jim King at Canoecopia.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Regarding the cost of open versus closed gunwales: My understanding is that open gunwales were more costly to produce because the inwale and outwale needed to be heavier. I know with Morris this was the case, as the outwale on an open gunwale Morris is always the fancier D-shaped mahogany type. But as folks became more accustomed to open wales and could see their practicality, builders began offering them for the same price and the closed gunwales were phased out.

 

[MGC]

Looks like the Racine I sent home with Jim King at Canoecopia.

Do you have any more pictures of that boat? How long are the decks, how wide are the ribs, are they tapered (or not) etc.
The biggish decks on this boat look like the decks on a Gerrish I own.

 

[JClearwater]

I'm thinking that maybe the canoe Jean & I saw at Mohonk is a Racine also albeit modified over the years. I've been wrong before though. Thoughts anyone?

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?11885-Another-Mystery-canoe

Jim

 

[Dave Osborn]

You were at Canoecopia?

 

[Joseph Breitenstein]

Sorry, I do not have any more pictures and measurements are going to be a bit hard to get for awhile. The good news is that it looks like workingbadger is going to buy it and will hopefully share the details with all of us. Thanks for all of the input.

 

[chris pearson]

Racine, but I thought the bow seat was cleated, not hung. Racine seats are a bit beefier as well, as shown.