Robertson?

This canoe was dropped off today and we assume that it's a Robertson as the thwart is stamped as such and the serial # conforms to the sequence that has been posted before. The other Robertsons that we have worked on did not have this heart shaped deck, and there was an old thread that suggested that a thwart could have been replaced in a Waltham or Arnold with a Robertson thwart.

Does this appear to be a Robertson? And the age old question - can anyone ballpark the date given the serial #?

Thanks,
Linda & Dan

Comparison

Hi Dan:

It looks similar to my 15 ft. "Robertson". I've attached some photos. Let me know if you want to compare details or additional photos.

The serial no. on mine is something like "125 33 15" in an open block letter stamp. I don't know how to date it. My canoe does have wide planks, copper tacks and tapered ribs that are narrow at the rails.

Not to complicate things, but your pretty deck reminds me of a Waltham.

Hi Linda & Dan,

Sure could be Robertson- they made closed gunwale canoes with heart-shaped decks. I have some photos somewhere... If you're in the neighborhood of Old Town, there is a tagged Robertson with heart-shaped decks in the Old Town Canoe Co. showroom.

From what I can see of it, the serial number style looks like an outline font, very similar to ones posted in the following thread:

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=624

Attached here is the serial number from another of these canoes. Note that the serial number is stamped on the rib (2 ribs, actually, plus on the stems). These are both long-decked canoes, so this may account for numbers on ribs.

The thwart may not tell you much. Robertson ran a large livery, and may have stamped canoes in the livery with the "wavy Robertson" stamp as a means of identifying them as his, even if they were purchased from another manufacturer.

Hope this helps,
Michael