History and construction

[woodworker]

Hi. I just got a barn find. This old wooden canoe and I am looking for information on it. It's 17 ft long, serial# is 198 17. I think it was built by Kingsburg. It is missing some pieces - like the rub rail, cap rail, bow and stern pieces, keel pieces and not sure what else. If someone can offer help with sizes and types of wood of missing pieces, what year it might have been built, anything about the metal strip around the bow and stern, and dimensions and types of wood under the metal, I would appreciate any input. Pictures attached.

 

[Dan Miller]

It is a Kingsbury. Sadly, any records were disposed of after Alden Kingsbury died.

 

[Benson Gray]

Congratulations and welcome, it certainly looks like a Kingsbury as Dan mentioned. The stem ends, serial number font, deck shape, and planking pattern all match. See https://wcha.org/classified-archive/Kingsbury.html for some other examples. Alden Kingsbury lived from 1878 to 1958 as shown at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134891876/alden-rutherford-kingsbury but the date of your canoe can't easily be determined. The "metal strip around the bow and stern" is known as the stem band. Replacements are available from https://www.wooden-canoes.com/canoes/materials/hardware/ and other sources. The missing wooden pieces you listed were often hardwoods which probably matched the seats and thwarts. Good luck with the project,

Benson

 

[woodworker]

Thank you both for your quick response and resource information.

 

[1905Gerrish]

Seeing you are in NH life myself, you might want to reach out to our local chapter for some hands on help or suggestions if you plan on restoring. I'm in Farmington.

 

[woodworker]

Yes I am going to restore the canoe . How do I find the local chapter? I live in New Boston .

 

[Benson Gray]

How do I find the local chapter?

The page at https://www.woodencanoe.org/chapters lists the chapters. The Chocorua Chapter is based in New Hampshire but you are also close to the Norumbega Chapter in Massachusetts, the Vermont/Lake Champlain Chapter in Vermont, and the Northeast Chapter in Maine. Many people belong to more than one chapter.

Benson

 

[woodworker]

Thank you Benson . At sum point I would like sum one to look at this project and give me there feed back. Tom

 

[Benson Gray]

Hi Tom, Zachary (1905Gerrish) may be the nearest so I would encourage you to contact him.

Benson

 

[woodworker]

Thanks I will do that.