13' Chestnut Model ID

[Chuck Cossaboom]

Recently gifted a 13' Chestnut Canoe
Went through the catalogues on the WCHA members site and could not find a match so I decided to post the dimensions and see if anyone had any ideas:
Length 13', Width 29" (from outside outwale), Depth 11 to top of thwart 12 to top of inwale,
Ribs are 2 1/2 tapered to 1 1/2, 1/4 thick and not rounded.
Rib spacing is 1 1/2
Decks are very small 3" wide X 6" long, the decal continues off the deck on to the inwale.
All hardware is slotted brass
Standard Keel (not the chestnut shoe keel)
Tried to clean the decal but stopped, don't thing I can do anymore without damaging
The SN for what its worth is 6873 13 then scratched in is OMAO
Over all in nice shape, I removed the original canvas - 1 broken rib - stem tip on stern needs work and outwales will need to be replaced.
Yes I will keep the original decal.

 

[Dan Miller]

The only 13' canoe Chestnut listed was the Solitaire model One Man Canoe, which was offered ca 1928 - ca 1955.

For more about Chestnut model identification, see https://woodencanoemuseum.org/builder-history/chestnut-canoe-company

 

[Chuck Cossaboom]

Thanks Dan I did see that but it was my understanding was that the Solitaire did not come with seats and that center thwart was set a bit forward of center. The inwale of this one does not appear to have been altered.
The seats are set very low and this looks to be a very tender.
The width is also off unless I'm measuring it incorrectly.
Wondering if we know of any other documented 13' Solitaire's out there and if so do they have the tiny decks?

 

[Dan Miller]

Chestnut managed to provide us with more enigmas than perhaps any other canoe manufacturer.

Regarding measurements:

• Chestnut played a little fast and loose with catalog specs, so don't hold the published dimensions as gospel
• Beam should be measured at the widest part of the canoe (below any tumblehome). For Chestnuts, measuring outside-outside of the outwales is usually a good approximation.

Regarding tiny decks - yes, I've seen a few where the decal overlaps the inwales.

Could Chestnut have built an uncatalogued 13' canoe? Certainly. Old Town did so with the early Molitor model.

Someone on the forums had a one-man Chestnut some time ago. I thought it might have been Fitz, but a search didn't yield anything. Perhaps Benson with his superhuman search skills can shed light. My recollection was that it was very tender canoe.

All that to say, I really can't answer all your questions with any confidence.
Dan

 

[MGC]

It seems hard to imagine pulling that beam in another 3 inches. The lines look right. Fast and loose must account for a some of the difference.
The thwarts and seats look right at home where they are so it was set up (or so it seems) to dump a pair of paddlers in harmony, as were the 14s' With that nicely rounded hull, it will be a canoe for skilled paddlers and even then......

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Looks like an early 14'er, if you measure to the outside of the stems its probaly 13'6 or 13'8, its older with a regular keel not a shoe, and without the characteristic flat run along the gunwale some many suffer with a too-short thwart. nice boat! doubtful its as old as that catalogue, take a picture of the stem head and gunwale joint

 

[Chuck Cossaboom]

Looks like an early 14'er, if you measure to the outside of the stems its probaly 13'6 or 13'8, its older with a regular keel not a shoe, and without the characteristic flat run along the gunwale some many suffer with a too-short thwart. nice boat! doubtful its as old as that catalogue, take a picture of the stem head and gunwale joint

Ball park on when Chestnut go from slotted hardware to Robertson square drive ?
I'll pull it down tomorrow and shoot the photos and check the mesurement.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

No ballpark, its anybodys guess when they were first used however lots of earlier canadian boats demonstrate a mix, like the 30’s-40s peterborough im working on now.

 

[Chuck Cossaboom]

I dropped a plumb line and it measures 12' 11 3/4" exact so the Stamped 13 on the stem is correct.
Poking around to get a good photo of stem tip that I thought was salvageable and the mortise joint dropped out, looks like stem tips on both ends will need to be replaced.
Have a couple of project infront of this one so im not going to open it up for a couple of months.

 

[Benson Gray]

Someone on the forums had a one-man Chestnut some time ago. I thought it might have been Fitz, but a search didn't yield anything.

Fitz had a 12 foot Peterborough. The link below has more details.

Benson

Thread 'Peterborough Shorty Trapper - for Andre'

Sep 23, 2006

Andre:

My trapper is a Peterborough Shorty. It has a 75th anniversary decal on it, so I think it dates from the 50's. It is a 12 footer. It is responsible for my severe case of canoe bug. We inherited it from my mother-in-law.

The boat, however, is cursed. My mother-in-law was quite the prankster. I think she is still pulling off some tricks every so often that end up throwing me in the drink. I've been swimming with this canoe more than any other combined.

It's a fine little canoe, but tender. Pretty much the only way I will paddle it is solo and kneeling in the center...

• Fitz
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Wood and Canvas

 

[Andre Cloutier]

the Trapper model is vastly different, and as tender as noted. Interesting boat for sure, probably 30s or 40s. Best of luck with it