two Thompson Brothers canoes at a Scout Camp?

[glhoffman]

I am new to this forum so I am not sure of the edict yet, but I have a question that hopefully someone will be able to help me with.

Our local Boy Scout Council has two wood/canvas canoes that seem to be identical except for the color. One of them has a Thompson Bos. brass data tag. They both seem to be about 16 feet and seem to be in good condition. No broken ribs and the wood and canvas all seems to be solid.

The Boy Scouts want to sell these two canoes because they have a very large supply of aluminum and fiberglass canoes and do not want to deal with the maintenance on these two.

I have expressed an interest in the boats so they have asked me to make an offer on one or both. The problem is that I have no idea what they are worth. I realize that condition is important (I am currently restoring a wooden dory) and these two canoes seem to have been well cared for and kept inside during most of there life. I do not think this will be a hard restoration (famous last words!)

Can someone help me with a fair price? I am on the Board of Directors for this BSA council so I want to make sure that they get a fair price, but I also want to have a wooden canoe.

Thanks

 

[Dan Miller]

Start here: http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57-How-much-is-my-old-wooden-canoe-worth

 

[Mark Adams]

Pictures are good too. As the link Dan provided will indicate, it is entirely subjective. I am in Reno, and I purchased a '45 OT war canoe with the express intent of restoring it with a local BS troop, and then donating it to the local council. I got blown off 3x, and decided I was going to keep it. That's about a 7-8k donation. So, don't go overboard.

 

[glhoffman]

Mark,

My youngest son was in Troop 15 in South Reno.

Unfortunately most Scout Councils cannot handle or care for classics unless someone volunteers to take it on as a project. I help our local council and we are all about utility and low maintenance. When you have a bunch of high energy adolescents it is not a great idea to give them anything that you would upset with if they scratch it or drop it off a truck. Our cam uses mostly aluminum canoes and they are not in great shape.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Denis Kallery would have jumped in at this point to talk about his Boy Scout troop leader, who rented a bunch of Old Town wood/canvas canoes one afternoon for the boys to use. Denis decided wooden boats were the way to go, and they became part of his life. I'll add that YMCA Camp Widjiwagen in Minnesota has used wood/canvas for years. Granted, "boys will be boys", but I do believe young people have a sense for things that are wonderful and might show more respect for a beautiful wooden craft than they would for an Alumacraft. Bill Mason didn't baby his Chestnut... he knew how to read the river. Perhaps young people learn to be better paddlers in canoes when hitting a rock truly matters. I do love the fact that young folk still go into scouts and attend YMCA camps, no matter what they paddle!

 

[Mark Adams]

One additional note, I was a woodworking merit badge councilor, so they would all have added that too, doing something that I can guarantee no-one else in the area would have been capable of. It isn't really my loss, but it does rankle.

 

[glhoffman]

I will see what I can do to get some pictures and see if I can find a serial numbers so that I can try and get some reference on their age.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

If the canoes are Thompson Bros, there may be no serial number-- and even if there is one, it would not help to date them as it does with Old Town Canoes, where the build records still exist that can match a number to an exact shipping date. The best way to date canoes where no records exist is to post pictures and let some of the eyes of those who have worked on these canoes chime-in with their opinions. The Thompson catalogs exist and are available on CD, and those of us with this CD might be able to match your canoes with a range of years. This is like a treasure-hunt-- better than a video game... so please don't feel you're putting anyone to task.

 

[thompsonboatboy]

Probably NO hull ID or serial number on the Thompson Bros. canoes. Does the metal tag indicate Peshtigo or Cortland as the Thompson location?

Thompson sold many canoes to boy scout groups. In 1948 three canoes were sent via "air mail" to a Boy Scout camp someplace out west (west of Peshtigo). Someone knew someone who knew someone else and a military aeroplane was diverted to pick up the canoes at Menominee, MI (six miles from Peshtigo) and dump them off wherever their destination was.

Value is relative. They are not worth much monetarily. I guess a few hundred dollars to $1,000. Others on this forum are much better versed on canoe prices.

Mr. Andreas Jordahl Rhude
President & Founder
Thompson Antique & Classic Boat Rally, Inc.
a non-profit corporation

 

[glhoffman]

The one canoe does have a nameplate that says Peshtigo, WI.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

there ought to be a merit badge for that.