Roger Young
display sample collector
When traveling around flea markets and antique shops, it is not unusual to come across 'builder's models' or 'half-hull' depictions of old ships. Much more rarely seen (at least in my experience) are builder's mock-ups of canoes. In fact, I've only ever seen a couple. Here is one such piece, currently a curiosity seeking more identification and/or background information. Can you help???
The pictures below show a 16" builder's model, made of a soft wood. There are 5 pieces, seemingly sawn from the same block; the bottom four are flat, the fifth, top-most piece contains the rise of the sheer. It is scribed so as to appear 'planked'; the bottom 4 sections are 3/8" thick, with the scribed planking having a similar width. The five sections are held together with three bolts/nuts. It can be taken apart. The upper section is also scribed with cross-ways pencil lines 1" apart. One could presume this is a 1:12 model, which would lend itself to a 16' canoe. Width of the model is 3-3/8"; height at ends about 2-1/8" (from ground to top of stem). That would result in a canoe with roughly 40" of beam, and likely ends about 22" deep. I would guess the model to be about 100 or so years of age, perhaps a bit more. placing it around 1900 +/-. Note that the stems are quite vertical. The entry is quite fine; the overall lines fairly graceful. It bears no identifying marks, nor are there any clues as to its origins or use written anywhere on the inner parts of the sections (I opened it to check).
It puts me in mind of early Lakefield canoes. Chris Pearson shares the opinion that it is of Canadian origin. Anyone else care to voice some thoughts?
Thanks for your input.
Roger
The pictures below show a 16" builder's model, made of a soft wood. There are 5 pieces, seemingly sawn from the same block; the bottom four are flat, the fifth, top-most piece contains the rise of the sheer. It is scribed so as to appear 'planked'; the bottom 4 sections are 3/8" thick, with the scribed planking having a similar width. The five sections are held together with three bolts/nuts. It can be taken apart. The upper section is also scribed with cross-ways pencil lines 1" apart. One could presume this is a 1:12 model, which would lend itself to a 16' canoe. Width of the model is 3-3/8"; height at ends about 2-1/8" (from ground to top of stem). That would result in a canoe with roughly 40" of beam, and likely ends about 22" deep. I would guess the model to be about 100 or so years of age, perhaps a bit more. placing it around 1900 +/-. Note that the stems are quite vertical. The entry is quite fine; the overall lines fairly graceful. It bears no identifying marks, nor are there any clues as to its origins or use written anywhere on the inner parts of the sections (I opened it to check).
It puts me in mind of early Lakefield canoes. Chris Pearson shares the opinion that it is of Canadian origin. Anyone else care to voice some thoughts?
Thanks for your input.
Roger
