marti

[marti]

I am researching canoe history for a book on some early 20th century wilderness journals.
In a book on Wisconsin in the 1880's, I found a reference to a "Racine canoe" as something new on the Madison lakes, and an implication that it was quite tippy.

Any thoughts? Brand name or type of craft?
Thanks -

 

[Dan Miller]

1880s Racine Canoes

In the 1880s, "Racine canoe" would refer to canoes built by the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Company (1879-1893) and sold through Thomas Kane in Chicago. The earlier ones were built using a patented process involving birch veneers. See attached images for a couple of advertisements. Wooden Canoe issue number 112 (August 2002) has an excellent article about the company, and is available through the WCHA Online Store: http://store.wcha.org/Wooden-Canoe-Journal-Back-Issues.html

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Interesting open-ended lateen sails. I like the idea that you could build a horizontal bulge into the forward end of the boom, bore a hole in it for the mast to pass through and have a built-in gooseneck (it might also be a fork, but it's hard to tell from the drawings). Remind me to make a couple of them.