I picked up my first wood canvas canoe yesterday at a storage auction this canoe had been in storage for the last 18 years. It is 12 ft long, 37 1/2 in wide. The bow seat and center stretcher look replaced because they're ash. Everything else looks like oak and the caning is different. There are no serial numbers or markings other than a brass plate on both the bow and stern F. D. C. Wondering who make it and when?
First wood Canvas
- Thread starter mcurry47
- Start date
The list of Maine builders at http://wcha.org/catalogs/maine-list.htm doesn't appear to have any obvious makers to match the F. D. C. initials. It doesn't look familiar. Please let me know if you figure it out.
Benson
Benson
Michael Grace
Lifetime Member
I doubt the "FDC" has anything to do with you canoe's maker. It may be an owner's initials. The clipped rib tips should narrow down the maker, but a variety of builders did this to at least some of their canoes - Thompson, Skowhegan, Racine, Peterborough... That said, this may be a tough one to identify (unless maybe the decks point the way; they appear to be about the same ages as the hull and gunwales). The canoe appears to have been fairly well modified. It doesn't look at all like an Old Town but it has diamond-head bolts. The bow seat and thwart were probably added later, and the bolts near the center indicate that a thwart was once there. Not sure about the stern seat; notice that it is hand-caned while the bow seat has pre-woven cane. The brass at the tips of the canoe are like what you find on E.M. White canoes. All in all, it looks like this one was restored with the best intentions, and the restorer used some modern pieces and borrowed ideas from other canoes.
Not much help in identifying, but maybe this helps you understand the canoe a bit better.
Michael
Not much help in identifying, but maybe this helps you understand the canoe a bit better.
Michael
Last edited:
Interesting. I also believe the diamond bolts and pieces they attach are not original. All the round bolts look original. I do know the initials of the people I purchased it from and they do not match but I have no way of knowing if they're the original owners. It was from an estate. The answer to the question of who made it really doesn't affect its function. It was just a more of enjoying the knowledge. I'll still be able to catch brook trout with it, no matter who made it
Michael Grace
Lifetime Member
Excellent. You've got a nice canoe there. The little ones are uncommon and can be fun solo boats. Enjoy!
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