what does the other half look like??

[Bill O'Neill]

hello everyone,i've been reading and enjoying your posts for a year now.up til then i thought i was the only one interested in old wood canoes,
while looking for rebuild supplies for what i believe is a pre 1920 16'chestnut i've owned since i was a teen .i ve collected 2 more, both in better shape than my original.
#1 very good condition needing canvas only, built like a tank 16',2 seats,3 thwarts,2 deck thwarts/handles,ribs 2 3/4" with only 1"of planking showing between them ..why so strong??
#2 this is the one i'm questioning the most,,the story is , it was bought with a camp in Nova Scotia, by the uncle of the man i bought it from in 1910,
the original owner was a New Brunswick family''that could be a hint''
16 ft/sponsons,,originally was equiped for sailing, and rowing .i have what he says are the oars that come with it , leather wrapped with collars at each end..the name is still on them''H W Embree and son Port Hawkesbury Nova Scotia''all i could find out about that builder was that they operated from 1880 to 1899.
no markings on the canoe but i can see where some interior acessories were removed over the years...does anyone have a picture of the other half of this oarlock? is it something i might still find?
i cant find a cracked rib or plank at all but it sat deck down for some of its life...
...............................thanks for your time Bill

ps.. is there a way to search this site to find other members by area

 

[Dan Miller]

Those are "Patent Swivel" oarlocks (though I've never been able to locate an actual patent for them... They are the typical style used by Old Town, and appear regularly on Ebay. They are also available new from Shaw and Tenney. One issue you will have in searching for replacements is that the horns and bases don't always match, so you may need to test fit a few, or spend some time filing judiciously. May be better to replace your bases with a matched set.

Cheers,
Dan

PS, is that a splayed stem in there? If so, your canoe is likely a Morris.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

early chestnut

Bill, close ribbed canoe certainly sounds like an Ogilvie Special
This will provide lots of information, and is a good read
http://ivyleashirtco.com/products/books/index.html
Andre

 

[Morley Pinsent]

Yo fellow maritimer!

Hi Bill

I live in Rustico, on the north shore of PEI - If I wandered across the Island to the Strait we could probably wave to each other on a clear day! Sounds like you have hit a local wooden canoe jackpot! I have several wood/canvas canoes and a few good wooden canoe contacts in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick I would be happy to share. Email me direct at moe.pinsent@pei.sympatico.ca

Cheers, keep warm, won't be long 'til that hard stuff on top of the water goes away.

Moe

 

[Kathryn Klos]

re your possible Morris

The Morris Research Group of Upper Michigan picked up on that suspicious-looking stem, too... please read the B.N. Morris identification info on the dragonfly website--http://dragonflycanoe.com/id/index.html-- (scroll to Morris on the left side of the page) and see if that's what you might have. American canoes rarely made it across the border, so it's likely a Morris would evade detection. The early Chestnuts were based on the Morris, so your Chestnutty deck is also a Morris-type.

Just making you aware of the opportunity for your boat to join our list of known Morris canoes... even without a serial number, this would be a nice addition. Check both the stem and the inwale (on the left, a bit past the bow deck) for telltale tack holes. If you can determine whether the cedar planking is red or white, that can help our research as well.

(I guess you know you're a nut of some kind when you get excited about someone else's canoe.)

Thanks--
Kathy

 

[Dan Miller]

re: close ribbed

Also, along with Andre's suggestion of being an Olgilvy (which has a pretty distinctive look of its own), you close-ribbed canoe could also be a Guide's Special, which is the same as a Cruiser but with the close ribbing. Both have grab thwarts near the decks.

 

[Bill O'Neill]

''information overload'' i ve been out to the garage 3 times since getting off work looking at my'' treasures'' as my better half calls them.
thanks for the oarlock info.i'll start looking..
possible olgilvy ''orange'' robertson screws , aluminum stem band,doesnt appear very old..
morris?? i dont think it has the stem you speak of,,slot screws ,robertson only ,holding the oarlock base wood ,possible addition,brass stem band screwed on with solid''full/ not hollow thin'' round front ,flat back...the top 1 inch of the ribs do taper sharply i can't really see how they fit in.no sign of tag tacks,very dark wood.even where the varnish is off

howdy neighbour.

i can see your bridge to the island from my home.
thanks again everyone Bill

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Morris Stem

Hi Bill--

Will attach pictures of a Morris stem and the picture you posted which appears to show a similar construction detail... just so you know what the fuss was about.

My garage hosts similar treasures-- rather than my car. Nice to have the priorities straight.

Kathy

 

[Bill O'Neill]

Hi kathy
in post #7 the first 4 pics are of the ?olgilvy the orange one
the last 2 pics, the red one .are of the old one you like , the stem is only one inch or less wide i didn't think it looked like yours.does the top of the stem tell you anything??
my original canoe i started with i was told was a pre 1920 chestnut .it doesnt have a heart shaped deck .it has a nice arch ,but just a beveled curve. inside gunwales are a tapered shape top to bottom.
thanks Bill

 

[Dan Miller]

With that deck and the detail at the tip of the stem (pic #5 in post #7), your red sponson canoe would be a pre-fire Chestnut.

Not sure about the close ribbed one, but it doesn't really look like a Chestnut to me...