Ditchburn Canoe!!!

[Paul Miller]

Product of the Chicago Boat show

I was recently contacted by one of the good folks that stopped by our canoe exhibit at the boat show and told us about a nice all wood canoe he had in his family. (and will remain in his family)

Peter and I were stunned to see the name plate on the canoe. It's a Ditchburn! As Michael Grace once mentioned on an early post this fine Canadian boat builder also made canoes. And Michael I am checking to see if the tags are "upside down".

The canoe "Canu" was purchased by the current owners Grand Father in about 1927 and thought to be built turn of the century. A lantern that came with the boat is dated 1910. I did find a reference to a 1908 Ditchburn catalog that mentions an 18' Varnished Cedar Canoe for $56.

This canoe also has a complete sail rig with a keel fin that looks strikingly similar to the one found on the Willits. I wonder if they stole all of their ideas from the Canadians?

I do have an invitation from the owner, only known to you now as Tom, (location undisclosed) to paddle her this spring and get more pictures.

SO for now eat your hearts out and wait for more updates.

Happy paddling,

Paul

 

[David McDaniel]

Paul;
There was a canvas covered Ditchburn at the Clayton boat show
a couple of years ago. But this is the first I've heard of a all wood one.
later Dave

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Very nice Lakefield indeed.
Dave, you should have come to Peterborough, Will Ruch brought a nice one. When you come to Killbear we'll go see the canvas one at Grace and Speed, and I've got remnants of the same behind the house here, both built by the Hamilton Canoe Company and badged by Ditchburn. HCC copied the OTCA and put keyhole decks on them. They had liveries adjacent to each other, and Ditchburn was known to purchase canoes from other manufacturers. John Hupfield has a nice Ditcburn rowboat he's been working on.

 

[David McDaniel]

Hey Andre;

The one at Clayton looked just like an otca.
later dave

 

[Paul Miller]

Andre,

Are you saying Ditchburn did not make any of their own canoes???

Paul

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Hi Paul,
not saying that initially they did not, when they first started they built skiffs, rowboats and so on but as they focused on mahogany runabouts my understanding is that they did not build canoes specifically. Dick can give you a better answer, however i believe they were agents for some brands, and put their plates on others and sold them as their own. For example, if Lady Eaton wanted a small fleet of canoes to accompany the Wanda III they would have ordered same, as they did not have a standard canoe like you would think. Their name plates turn up on different craft, such as the OTCA copies (that were Canadian built) as well as all wood boats. This is what I've got, there was another one that a fellow posted on here a number of years ago, also from Ontario.
Andre

 

[Rob Stevens]

Very interesting to see the Hamilton Canoe Company had an office in the Lister Bldg. It was one of the first indoor "malls", built in 1923-24. Now derelict, but still standing, object of ongoing arguments about whether to restore or destroy. More info here for those with an architectural bent;
http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/5CD8DC79-B50D-4A4E-AB8A-0AEE7E1CD66D/0/Sep27Item41b.pdf

Andre,
I don't recall in info about the Hamilton Canoe Company in the "Boatbuilders of Hamilton", published by the Wentworth Historical Society. Do you have any other info on HCC?

Rob