Mystery Canoe

Fitz

Fitz

Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
In Memoriam
I would like to know if anybody has additional information on this maker. It is a heavily built Quebec canoe, much like the Hurons, Bastien Brothers, Picard etc. It is built like the proverbial brick outhouse. 15 inches deep, 37 inch beam, no seats, some planking is nearly 6 inches wide, half ribs, half inch wide brass stem bands, and maple thwarts. It was reportedly built in the early 1920's or so the story goes. It has a deck decal, but I can't make much out of it. I think the canoe name may be, "Le Chibougamoo", manufactured by "Galarneau & Morin Percival"? I do believe there is a lake in Canada by the name of Chibougamoo.

I have not been able to find any info. Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks,

Fitz.
 

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Ah, come on fella! This canoe is a fine example of Canadian craftsmanship and utilitarian form!

It has a little rocker and I bet it can carry a huge load. I am anxious to see how this BHC paddles. I am not that thrilled to carry it.
 
Many Thanks to bluedcanoed and Murat V! I should have mentioned that the length is only 16 feet, so it is a manageable canoe. I also think it has decent lines for a load carrier! Thank you for the winter reading. The canoes in the photos seem to show a similar stem profile, but appear to have much larger decks.

Cheers,

Fitz.
 
Hi Fitz! Do you still have this canoe? Galarneau and Morin were canoe makers in Roberval Quebec. My mother-in-law's parents were Morin, and Galarneau of the same clans. They will be so thrilled to hear that one of the canoes survives! I have a photo of a print ad from them somewhere...
 
Pcherna:

I restored this canoe for a friend a couple of years ago. I did not find any resemblance of what was left for a decal at the time, so I didn’t reproduce it. I am traveling today, but I will see if I have some photos of the finished canoe.

Cheers,

Fitz
 
Hi, I came across this forum during an online search. I purchased a canoe from my friends father who collected wood canoes. It is a genuine 1920's Galarneau and Morin. The decals are aged but all there and are legible. This canoe seems to be rare and very collectible. I would like to find a good home for it, someone that cab appreciate and preserve its history.
 
Evan,
Lac Chibougamau is in "northern" (relative to population) Quebec.
I would be very interested to see photos of details of construction.
 
Hi Evan, great photos. The builders were Napoleon Morin (1894-1984) and his father-in-law Isaï Galarneau (1869-1920). My wife's grandfather and great-grandfather! They were in Roberval Quebec but parts of the family were in Massachusetts (Napoleon's wife who was Isaï's daughter was born in Amesbury, Essex County). If you have any other information about this canoe, either directly or via your collector friend, we would be very interested to hear. If you are still trying to place the canoe, we can ask around the family -- it certainly would be a treasure to some of them.
 
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