ID on odd construction

[PAMike]

Browsing on Ebay I saw this canoe for sale. I'e never seen construction like it before -- no ribs. Instead there are several transomes to support full planking and canvas skin. Anyone know anything about who built this canoe and if it was a common construction technique. Pictures to be seen at
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-WOOD-WO...Z7183162117QQcategoryZ793QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Mike

 

[Dave Wermuth]

My guess is that it is a Herters kit. But that's just a guess.

 

[Dave Osborn]

It could well be a Trail Craft...........they were sold as a kit and were popular in the 40's and 50's I think.

 

[Greg Nolan]

It looks like a Trailcraft canoe, one of which I built from a kit around 1969-70. As memory serves, the three frames were sawn from plywood and the stringers and gunwales were some kind of mahogany. The instructions called for simply painting the canvas cover with a few coats of paint, without any filler.

I remember the boat being surprisingly sturdy, tender and a bit clunky; I gave it away after one summer's use, in favor of renting something better when I needed a canoe. I believe that the company making the kits was in Kansas.