Mystery Canoe-- anyone recognize it?

[Kathryn Klos]

Someone emailed these pictures to Denis, thinking it was a Morris, but it isn't. It's always fun to figure out a mystery. I'm thinking someone here may recognize the remnants of the decal on the coaming and on the thwart. The owner didn't give the length of the canoe.

No apparent serial number.
Appears to have tapered ribs.
Narrow king plank tapers to the tip.
Long decks with decal on bow coaming.
"Regular size" thwarts, one with possible decal remnant.
Open gunwales with outwale wider than inwale.
Outwale tapers alongside deck, to the tip of the canoe.
Keel attached at every other rib.

I'll post more pictures in a second posting...

 

[Kathryn Klos]

A few more pictures...

The last of the pictures...

Kathy

 

[bredlo]

No idea - neat canoe though.
I especially love how that coaming comes to a gentle point in the center, hopefully that'll be a helpful clue for one of our in house experts.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

It's also neat how, if you look at the deck, the king plank and outwales seem to taper at the same rate as they reach the tip.

 

[Michael Grace]

Kennebeck...

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Well, that's what I was thinking! But the owner says there's no serial number. I guess we've run into that problem before though. I'll ask him to look harder.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Kathy,

Are those rib tips chamfered on the sides at the ends?

If so, I'd lean toward Thompson, I haven't seen or heard of any other manufacturer that did that.

Dan

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Dan-- Denis is running that question past the owner. Do you mean the sides, as they sit in the open gunwales?

 

[Dave Osborn]

I'm with Michael......Kennebec.
I have a Kennebec 3A Deluxe that has similar styled decks and tapered and chamfered ribs. Thompson ribs don't have as narrow of a taper as this canoe.

Thompson did make a really cool looking long deck, though. Not many around....

 

[Dan Miller]

My vote, pending better photos, is for RacineWis...

 

[JClearwater]

My vote

My vote is for Kennebeck.

Ralph Frese has a long deck Racine for sale on the Chicagoland Canoe Base website, listed in the "Used Canoe" section. The stem profile is not the same as the one Kathy started this thread with.

But I've been wrong before - just don't tell my kids.

Jim

 

[Dave Osborn]

I've changed my mind based on the decal remnant. Looks like it could have been Racine (Wisconsin). Check out the photo that I stoled from Dan's website.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Thanks Gil,
I didn't know Kennebec did that, the chamfer.

With that, even though Dave's/Dan's image of the decal is tempting, I retract my quess and step aside and wait for a consensus.

Dan

 

[Fitz]

Look

I don't think it has that "Maine Native" look to it......also what about that apparent peak in the coaming?

How's that for vague?!

 

[Paul Miller]

Thompson long deck,

I just had to take the opportunity to post a picture of a Thompson long deck.

I have the pair and there are in great shape, but the canoe is a basket case.

Paul

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Made a video a while back of a long deck RacineWis, and it seems to me that the red canoe we're wondering about has some different aspects. The curve of the stems seems, to me, to have a slightly different angle. Also, the inwales and outwales of the RacineWis in the video appear to be equal... the red canoe has a wider outwale that tapers along the edge of the deck to the tip of the canoe. The decks of the canoe in the video were replaced and it's unknown how accurate a restoration it was... well, they were replaced with cherry, which isn't what was there originally. The original coaming could have been different too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6mPh68GcI4&feature=channel_page