looking for ID info #6980

[knudsenj]

Sorry, I'm a new user but here it goes.
Purchased a new boat. 16 feet x 33 inches wide x 14.5 inches deep. wood and canvas. was considered old in 1920 per seller. Ribs and thwarts are 2.5 inches wide. planking is 3 inches wide. 6980 stamped on inside stem with 16 stamped vertically towards the end of the stem. ? Carlton. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[Benson Gray]

It could be a Carleton but they issued serial number 6980 before Old Town purchased them in 1910 so no build record is available for that number. A Carleton from this era usually had a brass tag like the one shown at http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=8359&d=1250354271 so check the bow deck for two nail holes. Is the bow seat suspended from the gunwales like the stern seat? The Carleton number 16980 went on a 17 foot long canoe. Kennebec did not issue this number and their number 16980 went on an 18 foot long canoe. There are also many other builders who might have made this canoe. Some of the possibilities from Maine are listed at http://wcha.org/legacypages/maine-list.htm for example. Can you supply any additional pictures with a higher resolution? Some showing the serial numbers from each end along with both decks, stems, seats, thwarts, and other interior details might help. Thanks,

Benson

 

[knudsenj]

Thank you Benson for your reply. I do see the remains of a deck brass nail on one side of the deck and a corresponding nail hole about 3 inches apart. The deck finish does not show any different coloration so the tag has not been on for some time. The bow seat is suspended by round dowels approximately 3 inches; the stern seat is flush at the front and hung down about 1 inch in the rear. I purchased this canoe from a friend. The story is that her Grandparents use this canoe for courting in 1920, it was considered and old canoe then. I have the back rest that came with the canoe that is in great shape as well. The owner in 1920 had a camp on Lake Keuka in New York. The canoe has remained in this family since. on the top inside bow stem is a metal plate with a round groove, any ideas? Also on the both side of the bow are metal arrows tacked to the sides? It also appears as though a light was placed on the boat, there is a switch located on the stern seat and a wire running to the bow under the inside gunwale. I have not taken the canvas off yet. Also on the bow on each side is a round metal disk with a hole in the center. This hole is cut through the canvas and planking, for painter line?