help ID this canoe

[john holtz]

My 80 year old friend told me that her mother bought this used in 1912. It was covered in fiberglass in the 60's. There is one hole in the bottom covered with the epoxy. there is a numer, on a brsss plate in the bow, #320.

A guess on value would be helpful too

 

[Canerodz]

Can you post a pic of the number and the stems up under the deck?

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Yes

It's a Morris, but please do me a favor and double-check if there isn't a "1" before the "3", partly obscured by the brads. Doesn't appear to be, from the photo, but such information is of *burning* concern to those who collect data re these canoes.

A serial number that low on a BN Morris doesn't jibe with the data we have in the database. The database canoes with low serial numbers have an oval s/n plate on the left inwale, just above the first full rib. The rectangular s/n plate on the stem doesn't appear until the 6XXX canoes. Also, canoes prior to the 3XXX have only two pairs of cant ribs.

What I've said there doesn't mean you don't have a Morris canoe-- you do, but it may be one of Morris' factory-direct models--- a Veazie Canoe Company canoe. The Veazies had their own separate serial number series.

The Veazie canoes could be finished in any manner with the wood species the buyer chose, but the standard Veazie was trimmed in maple or ash. The standard B.N. Morris is trimmed in mahogany.

We have a Veazie with mahogany decks and maple seat frames and thwarts and spruce gunwales... all stained to appear like mahogany. So, if you can determine the wood species, that would say something.

It isn't a mystery who built this canoe... but it would aid our research on the Morris Company to sort out where this fits in the scheme of things. If I had to guess, I'd put this canoe in the 1910-ish era, give or take a few... not in the pre-1903-era that a s/n of 320 would indicate. Curiosities such as this are how we learn. Thanks for this information and anything else!

Kathy

 

[Kathryn Klos]

I'm curious about the decks, because other long-deck Morris canoes I've seen have a tapered king plank (the king plank is that strip of wood down the middle of the deck, covering the seam between the two deck pieces). Also, in one of the pictures it seems the deck-shape at the coaming isn't as rounded as what I've seen on Morris canoes... it may be the camera angle... guess I'm just wondering if something was replaced or if this is original to the boat, and if that's so, it would be one of those "interesting differences"!

Kathy

 

[john holtz]

I'm curious about the decks, because other long-deck Morris canoes I've seen have a tapered king plank (the king plank is that strip of wood down the middle of the deck, covering the seam between the two deck pieces). Also, in one of the pictures it seems the deck-shape at the coaming isn't as rounded as what I've seen on Morris canoes... it may be the camera angle... guess I'm just wondering if something was replaced or if this is original to the boat, and if that's so, it would be one of those "interesting differences"!

Kathy

i will be on vacation for the next two weeks. I will check on it then. thanks for your help.