Hey guys, I rescued this boat from a basement in San Francisco from a Craigslist ad, and I simply can't keep it. It was recanvassed about 12 years ago by the owner that had it in his family for about 100 years or more. It even has the original centerboard attachment, extra seats, and a a post slot for a sail (no sail though). I'm a bit in over my head here with how to sell this properly, so I came to this website. Any pointers or questions you may have will be appreciated.
18' Kennebec
- Thread starter Chris M
- Start date
Welcome and congratulations, the Kennebec canoe with serial 5640 is a 17 foot long Kennebec model as shown on pages 180 and 181 of volume one in the Kennebec ledgers. It was built with spruce rails, cedar stems, and cedar planking. C. Branch planked it on January 27th, 1912(?). The 54 inch, number ten canvas covering and first filler coat were applied by Roy on February 3rd, 1912(?). He also applied the second filler coat on June 29th, 1912(?). The keel was probably birch with maple for the braces (thwarts), and seats. It was railed by Coro on July 13th, 1912(?). The original medium green paint color was applied by Levasse on July 13th, 1912(?). It appears to have been originally shipped to "W NY" on May, 5th 1913. This location is probably Wanamaker's department store in New York City.
The scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below. These original Kennebec records are reproduced through the courtesy of the Maine State Museum.
The microfilms and scans of these records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA). I hope that you will donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/pricing-plans/join to donate or join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. The fastest way to find a good new home for a canoe like this is usually with a listing at https://www.woodencanoe.org/classifieds in the WCHA classifieds. The page at https://www.woodencanoe.org/ad-instructions explains the process. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the sale,
Benson
The scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below. These original Kennebec records are reproduced through the courtesy of the Maine State Museum.
The microfilms and scans of these records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA). I hope that you will donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/pricing-plans/join to donate or join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. The fastest way to find a good new home for a canoe like this is usually with a listing at https://www.woodencanoe.org/classifieds in the WCHA classifieds. The page at https://www.woodencanoe.org/ad-instructions explains the process. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the sale,
Benson
Worth Gretter
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Chris, the seat in the photo is clearly not original. It uses pre-woven cane, held in place by a spline pressed into a slot. This is a technique that came along much later than the date Benson gave you for the canoe.
