Double Ribbed White Canoe?

[Dan Lindberg]

I'm being asked if I've ever seen or heard of a White canoe that is double ribbed.

Apparently there is a FB page that deals with White canoes and pics of one are posted.
Reportedly it is a 17 ft with no space between the ribs, they are not 1/2 ribs, they are full length ribs.

Anybody heard or seen such a thing?

I've got no pics, just this brief description.

Dan

 

[Benson Gray]

Chestnut and Fraser made canoes like this but I'm not aware of White ever making one. Pictures or a link could help.

Benson

 

[mccloud]

I have seen a 17' OT that had been 'repaired?' by adding 10-12 full sized ribs thru the middle of the canoe. I told the owner that I doubted that OT had done this job. It didn't look bad, just made for a heavier canoe. Any evidence that the White had been damaged and then the hull strengthened by doubling up on ribs?

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Still waiting for additional info and/or site link.

 

[Fitz]

I did some poking around on Facebook. There is a White canoe posted on Sunday at the Northern Minnesota Farm and Livestock Exchange page. At first I thought it was an optical illusion, but then I saw the full size photos. Maybe someone monkeyed with this one.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Fitz,
you're the MAN, this is it.
Note that the additional ribs stop as they get close to the seat.
And it looks like they were just slid between the inner rail and planking, and not nailed in.
Clearly not factory.

Dan

 

[Michael Grace]

Note that the two sets of ribs are two different colors, suggesting that they were added at different times. The same is suggested by their condition: the dark ones are in much better condition than the light ones (look at their ends showing between the inwale and outwale on the near side of the canoe).

 

[MGC]

Also note the keel screws........

 

[Andre Cloutier]

i think if you look again, the lighter ones are the newer ones, and i dont think many whites would have a keel, my late teens/early 20s doesnt - likely got one when they monkeyed the new ribs in to "improve" it. If im wrong, drum me out of the continuum..... ;o)

 

[Michael Grace]

I don't care if I'm right or wrong, Andre, but I do wonder if my eyes are gamboling about in my head properly. I thought the lighter ribs would be the newer ones too (lighter and less scuffed), but looking at the opposite end of the thwart, it seems the thwart is associated with a dark rib, and then on the near side it would be the lighter ones that are rotten. But maybe rot doesn't mean older... Maybe the new ribs were made of a very rot-prone wood. Maybe I'm too bored or sleepy to do anything productive so I'm staring at rotten rib tips when I shouldn't be...

 

[samb]

I started counting at the far end where there is just on set of ribs. counting following them bac to the centre of the boat suggests to me the dark ribs are the old ones. I imagine the screws through the light ones are to hold them down to the keel.
Sam

 

[Michael Grace]

Duh! Thanks Sam for seeing what's right there. Dark ribs are original; light ribs were added later. In any case, hopefully this nice E.M. White will get a new lease on life. It would be great on the water, and it could be beautiful again without too much trouble. I just love the scalloped E.M. White short deck's reverse-heart shape. Small and simple but one of my favorite deck styles - elegant simplicity.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Mike,
It's just a short drive up for you, you should get it.

Dan