Toppan Canoe

[smallboatshop]

Pretty exciting to find an new, old canoe. Like a birder adding a rare one to add to his life list. Apparently Toppan manufactured many different boats in Boston but we couldn't find any references to canoes.

Any more info out there??

 

[MackyM]

Hello,

That is really interesting. Who knows what else might be out there. Did you measure the length, width, or depth? Do you have a guess as to when it might have been made?

Macky

 

[smallboatshop]

Hi Macky,

Just getting started with the history. Google has some references to ads that indicate that the company was in business before 1900. Measurements - the canoe is 17 feet long. We didn't measure the breath. If you look hard at the photo you'll see that pieces have been added inside the rails and the bow seat bolts and thwart bolts have been re-positioned through these pieces. Hard to know what the the original width was at this time.

Dan

 

[Andre Cloutier]

This concerns me greatly. 2hrs 2min and nothing from Dan. Perhaps he's fallen and cant getup. Shall we mount a search party??

 

[MackyM]

Andre,
It is Saturday night. Maybe he drinks?

 

[Andre Cloutier]

[QUOTE Maybe he drinks?[/QUOTE]

 

[smallboatshop]

Now, Now. What would Mr. Toppan say? (Other than pass the flask.)

 

[Dan Miller]

Andre,
It is Saturday night. Maybe he drinks?

I did have a big glass of milk...

Toppan is a well known builder of larger boats (catboats, power dories, and the like). Not sure I have heard of canoes by them. It is certainly possible they tried to get into the canoe market. The Boston area was rich with builders - Partelow, Brodbeck, Ted Shea, and, of course, all the Charles River builders. It is also certainly possible they applied their tag to a canoe built by someone else. It kind of looks like a Kennebec...

Dan