canoe I.D.

[Phillip Izzo]

hi folks,
can anyone out there tell me the age and origin of a canoe with the following info: the planking looks to be of white cedar, the planks are about 3" wide from the keel for for about 3 or 4 rows up to the top plank (up at the gunwale) which is about 5'' wide. She had old canvas covering and under the front deck there is a metal tag stamped " J.E. Thropp 3rd" .. the most unusual thing is that the ribs are not the common flat 2" +/- wide bent ribs that the planking is attached too, they are 5/8'' diameter dowels that are ripped in half in a criss-cross pattern to cover all the seams in the planking. The squares that are formed are about 5" by 6'' rectangles.
Any info is appreciated,
and a special thanks to Dan Miller for all his help thus far!!

 

[Michael Grace]

I'm not sure if I can add to what Dan may have already told you, but here goes. Your description is puzzling. When you say "dowels that are ripped in half in a criss-cross pattern", do you mean that these are half-round ribs that run gunwale-to-gunwale with short sections running longitudinally to cover the plank seams between the ribs? If so, and the planking is only 3" wide over much of the hull, how is it that the squares are 5-6" on a side?

In any case, it sounds like you may be describing a wide-board Canadian canoe, but for the issue above. Wide board canoes are typically made with- yes, you guessed it- wide boards.

The nameplate under the deck may be that of the owner rather than the builder. It would be odd for a builder to hide the plate rather than to display his nameplate in a highly visible location.

Please post photos- these will do much to help your cause.

Michael

 

[Mark Adams]

Hi Phillip,

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Perhaps you could post some pictures of your canoe?