1905Gerrish
Loves Old Maine canoes
This is my latest E.H Gerrish restoration, measuring 17'6". The rough date reflects the early build construction with the mortised thwarts and the first style rear seat construction on any wood-canvas canoe I am aware of. It is restored to the best of my ability as it left the factory minus the original Dark Green paint. My daughter picked out this Kirby Pea Green. This is the earliest Gerrish in my collection. American Chestnut is used in for the seats, thwarts and decks which can be associated with early construction. The rear seat is the most interesting feature to me of this build and has been discussed in a previous thread. It's constructing starting off with a lapp jointed quarter thwart and continued with another copper riveted crosspiece under the rail. There were no screws used in the construction of the entire canoe. Steel nails and copper rivets were used where larger fasteners were needed and red brass tacks were used elsewhere. The canvas was filled with red lead filler as Mr. Benson Gray pointed out in our discussion of it. The stem bands were 1/2" by 1/2" half round brass. Not the 3/8" half oval that are used today. It had never been restored over the years. A canvas patch was added over the front stem from a tear at one point. I might add that heavy canvas duck was used originally. I would say # 6.
The canoe lived is last many many years in a barn in the lakes region of NH. The family was selling the property and sold the canoe to a local business who contacted me about it. I had purchased another from him about 10 years previous. He fortunately had another Gerrish for sale at the time and two went home with me for the day. A very helpful fellow to know as a Gerrish canoe collector! The photo, on the Lake Chocorua, after restoration is very close to where it lived for many decades before and is generally not far from where it resides now.
More photos can be found on the E.H Gerrish of Bangor Maine Facebook page.
The canoe lived is last many many years in a barn in the lakes region of NH. The family was selling the property and sold the canoe to a local business who contacted me about it. I had purchased another from him about 10 years previous. He fortunately had another Gerrish for sale at the time and two went home with me for the day. A very helpful fellow to know as a Gerrish canoe collector! The photo, on the Lake Chocorua, after restoration is very close to where it lived for many decades before and is generally not far from where it resides now.
More photos can be found on the E.H Gerrish of Bangor Maine Facebook page.
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