Help ID? #1

[Dave Osborn]

I bought a couple canoes yesterday. Haven’t seen them yet, but these are the photos.
Need help with ID.
This one has no seats, wide planks and mortised thwarts.

 

[chris pearson]

Looks short? 14’? Very early Morris? pocketed ribs? Can’t wait till you have eyes on her!!

 

[Dave Osborn]

The rise in the sheer at the decks looks dramatic.

 

[1905Gerrish]

Stop messing around and go get them would ya

 

[Dave Osborn]

Thursday

 

[Dave Wermuth]

not a clue. But interesting for sure.

 

[chris pearson]

Ribs spaced a ways apart as with very old canoes…

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Very kool, and thats one wild planking pattern, looks like it repeats?

 

[MGC]

Some pretty wide boards there......

 

[Dave Osborn]

Here is some more detail.
This canoe is 12’ long. There are copper flat head tacks with larger than typical canoe tacks. There is a bracket that attaches the stem to the gunwales. Oak trimmed, with spruce caps. The thwarts are not mortised. They are attached with screws through the gunwales. The ribs meet the inwale in the typical way. Not pocketed.

 

[chris pearson]

Is that a splayed stem under the initial stem?? Curious also the stem stops at the first rib…..

 

[Dave Osborn]

Chris,
I guess there is a little splay under the typical stem. Didn’t really scope it out.

 

[chris pearson]

This thing is so interesting

 

[Todd F]

Look forward to see this progress

 

[Dave Osborn]

I’ve scoured many of the catalogs on Dan’s page and have not seen anything close, except Detroit Canoe And Oar Company.
I did a forum search for 12’ canoe and came up with no photos similar to this.
It’s a petite little craft. Like for a child.

 

[chris pearson]

Most likely a Detroit….

 

[chris pearson]

Gil might be able to help ID it….

 

[Gil Cramer]

No help here. Notice the ribs are not much thicker than the planking. Planking pattern is distinctive, but don't recall seeing anything quite like it. Thwart attachments are also unusual, as is the stem at both ends. I would not guess Detroit, but would tend to lean towards a Wisconsin built canoe.

 

[Michael Grace]

I've been thinking home-built the entire time - a good job but maybe a one-off. There just seem to be so many things different from the fundamentals common among a great many builders. Very odd planking pattern, thwarts installed in a way that may be less than ideal structurally, the very thin ribs, the dramatic upsweep of the ends with decks fitted very simply (they don't appear to be either steamed or carved to fit the sheer curve), etc. It's still an interesting canoe, but just doesn't seem like one that was commercially manufactured.

 

[JClearwater]

The stem, inwale and planking construction is very odd. Copper sheeting wrap around the stem and inwales under the planking is very odd. I'm thinking the "splay" under the rear end of the stem is a separate filler piece to give the edges of the garboards something more substantial to nail into. The inwale/thwart attachment is weird and not something a commercial builder would likely employ. So I'm with Grace on this one. A homebuilt. Still a cool little canoe though with some age to it. Just my 2 cents worth and I could be way off - wouldn't be the first time.