3 footer

[Tim Rowe]

Picked up this nice model/ sample canoe, no idea on make or how old.
Well made, looks like canvas, boy scout decal.
Thoughts or any other info would be appreciated.
Tnx
Tim R.

 

[Benson Gray]

Three foot models are very unusual so it is not clear who made it. Some of the details are similar to a White as shown in their 1940 catalog below. A 42" Old Town Boy Scout model from that era is shown on page 79 of Roger's book below which is available at the link on the bottom of this page. Nice find,

Benson

https://www.amazon.com/Little-things-that-matter-Collecting/dp/177792880X/wcha03-20?&linkCode=sl1&tag=wcha03-20&linkId=5bbc21c28ef452a74efb968201cf2ea9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

 

[Tim Rowe]

Tnx Benson.
That White sure fits the description, aluminum color, decal, thwarts Instead of seats.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

It always amazed me that considering the nice, available colors of enamel, the scouts chose aluminum color. Were they trying to create a fake Grumman or what?

 

[MGC]

Silver/aluminum color is not something I would want on a canoe, but it makes complete sense.
Grumman did not start making aluminum canoes until the mid-late 40's so a period canoe painted that color would stand out as a "scout" canoe. Consider that many Whites were leaving the factory with grey or green paint.
And, if you have ever swamped a canoe in a lake or rapids, a bright color makes it far easier to spot and hopefully recover.
A key element of every scout paddle is for at least one boat to go over and in doing so, drowning a few sleeping bags and at least one key breakfast ingredient like the donuts or bread.

 

[Benson Gray]

The 1940 White catalog page above and the build record at https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/28466/ shows that canoes painted with an aluminum color were being made before aluminum canoes existed. I think that it was just fashionable at that time.

Benson

 

[MGC]

canoes painted with an aluminum color were being made before aluminum canoes existed. I think that it was just fashionable at that time.

Benson

That is exactly the point. Grumman did not begin building aluminum canoes until 1944. The scouts were already well down the path by then. So again, an aluminum paint job would make it quite obvious that a canoe was a "scout" canoe...at least until aluminum canoes became more common.