Morris Model A - Side rail specs?

[Howie]

I've started restoring a 16' Morris I was given a while back. There is no ID plate - perhaps it was lost when the first 24" of both front rails were hacked off in a previous restoration attempt. It does have mahogany seats, decks, and thwarts. And three cant ribs. From its dimensions (31-3/8" width to rails, 33-1/4" max width, and 24" height at the deck's tips) I'm thinking it's a Model A Type 1.



The rail caps don't appear to be in too bad shape so I'm thinking I might be able to reuse them. But the outer rails look to have been replaced as they are notched, not steam bent, to get them to conform to the rail's curve (see above pic), so I'm not sure what size they were originally. Can someone tell me the outer rail width & thickness?

Also... The planking ends at the bottom of the inner rail, and is tapered in width to just about zero thickness. I'm worried that someone will poke their fingers through the sides! - though I suppose the canoes has obviously lasted this long. Perhaps the side rails were wide to protect this area.

 

[Maxtoon]

I am working on virtually the same boat. On my boat, the cap and the outwales are replaced, AND I don't have original seats. If you do come across a set of dimensions, please share with me. If you have the time, could you capture some dimensions of your seats and caps please?

 

[Howie]

Hiya Maxtoon. Thanks for your pics.

Wow... your Morris looks to be in SO much better shape than mine. Seems every time I repair a crack in an inner rail I find a new crack a few ribs over the next day.

I'm not a big fan of the Morris construction method of milling a pocket for each rib tip in the inner rails. Makes replacing ribs a real pain in the ass - not only do you need to get the rib length right but you need to maneuver both ends into the pocket AND have the rib lie flat to the planking at the same time. Avoid replacing any ribs if you can! Also, looks like your planking ends a bit above the bottom of the inner rail. That makes more sense. I'm wondering if mine was an early model and they made improvements by the time yours was made.

Your seats look original to me. Here a pic of one of mine. Only distinguishing feature seems to be that sweeping rounded edge on the outer side of the spacers. All measurements are from bolt-to-bolt - including the spacer spec.
Front 21" & 23-5/8" x 8-3/8" spacing
Rear 17-3/8" & 13-1/2" x 8-1/2" spacing


You rail caps look exactly like mine too, so I'm thinking they're original. Mine covered the top of the rail almost completely - maybe indented 1/16" from the edge on the inside & flush with the outside. Same thickness too.


I see from your pics that your outer rails come to maybe 1/2" below the inner rails. That'd make them about 1-1/2" tall, right? That's about what I figured. The ones that were on my canoe when I got it looked too wide - they looked clunky.

 

[Maxtoon]

The inwales on my boat are not pocketed. They have a continuous rabbet cut in them, and the frame tips sit in the rabbet. There is just one set of nails in the rib tops, no extra holes. I assume this construction is original to the boat. The outwales should be tapered at the ends, and mine are not. The wale caps, according to the catalogs, were fairly thin and chamfered. My are just rectangular cross-sections.

 

[Paul Scheuer]

Howie:
That double caning looks unique for a Morris.

Here's one of my redone seats. Copy of the original pattern.

.

 

[MGC]

Once you work on a Morris you start to wonder why there is so much hype about what a great builder he was. Perhaps the quality of assembly/construction deserves that praise but some of the actual design elements are really puzzling. Take the pocketed rails as one such detail. The inside rails are the backbone of the boat. Why would anyone want to remove so much material from them to hide the rib tops? The addition of the outside rail caps doesn't do much in terms of reinforcing the comprise of the mortised rails. Still poking at the rails these older boats with closed gunwales could not outlet water. The pockets become perfect places for water to sit and cause rot. Many Morris canoes have some inside rails problems.
The stem made from cedar? Why? The shape aside why use a wood that is so structurally weak that you could not put screws in it to hold the stem bands. It's easy to bend and shape....was that the reason? The rivets that are used to secure the stem bands have become a "signature" Morris element. But, if another type of wood had been used rivets become totally unnecessary. Anyone that has had to deal with these rivets knows they are a PITA.
In contrast, Old Town canoes made in that period are equally well built but they don't suffer from these odd design choices.
In my view, that makes them superior to the Morris boats. Gerrish canoes from the late 1800's also seem to be better built and more logically designed as do early Robertson's.
I wonder if our wooden canoe community overhyped Morris at the expense of some other equally skilled builders? I wonder what other restorers think about that? Is the Morris construction really all that stellar?

 

[Howie]

Maxtoon: FYI, my rail caps are 5/16" thick.

Paul: Right, I tend to not use the typical octagonal caning pattern unless someone asks for it. I prefer to use a pattern I call the Old Town Weave 'cause I found it on an old OldTown some years ago. I find it a bit less tedious to weave. And with 12 lengths of cane per grid vs 8 it's 50% stronger too.

Mike: I'm so glad you opined on Morris canoes. I've been thinking the exact same thing but was too timid to speak up. I've just repaired another two cracks in an inner rail - that makes 7 or 8. And of course all the cracks occur right at the rib pockets. I admit they do look sharp - mine has a wonderful tumblehome.

O - can someone help me date my Morris? 3 cant thwarts and one-piece inner rails with rib pockets ought to help narrow it down.

 

[MGC]

Without a serial number you can guess (based upon the cants, the decks) that it's between 1906 ish and 1914 ish. With the SN you'd be able to get just a bit closer if you drink the Kool Aid I made. You don't mention if you have found mounting plate holes in the stem or the inside rails...that could narrow it down a bit more.
They paddle nicely...The hull lines are good. We love to paddle ours. We've done a lot of canoe camping with it. It is one of my favorite canoes. That said, these odd construction methods are puzzling. It doesn't surprise me that you are finding rail issues. They almost always have them. My Veazie has inside rail rot...a reason it's down on my list for repairs. I'm not looking forward to working on it.

 

[Howie]

Thanks Mike.