Paul,
Surely you, as an insurance agent, should know more than most of us about what an insurance company would look for in appraising canoes for insurance purposes. As for insurance companies, Hagerty is the name that comes to mind immediately- they insure collector cars and boats, and are ever-present at larger antique boat and auto shows.
Regarding appraisers themselves, who could be better qualified to appraise antique canoes that the WCHA members who are avid watchers and traders in the marketplace? An insurance company might look for credentials, though, so a named "company" that keeps business records and therefore has a demonstrable history of involvement in the antique canoe market should be qualified and acceptable as an appraiser. We know what these boats are "worth", we know what they tend to sell for in the market, and we know the factors that influence the market and thus the values of canoes and similar small wooden boats.
The big recognized companies seem on the surface to insure only large high value boats (like runabouts, for example, though some people might think their canoe worth in the tens of thousands of dollars!). These companies also generally expect marine surveys to be conducted by recognized surveyors who lack obvious conflicts of interest (people working in boatyards, for example). But at least some of these companies do insure small boats including canoes, and at least some of them do trust the valuation of people who are not professional marine surveyors. In my experience, representatives of these insurance companies are very helpful- after all, they are delighted to sell new policies!
Michael
Riverboy Canoe
