New project possibility/ ID help

Sootch

Curious about Wooden Canoes
Considering boat project #3. Can anyone ID just off the attached picture? I haven’t seen decks like that.
 

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A single distance photo isn't the best for identification, but I'm going to suggest B.N. Morris based upon overall look, the thwarts, and the floor rack. Perhaps a teens-era Model A Type 3 given the flat floor, tumblehome and what appear might be a pair of outside stems in the pile of parts. This should be a beauty with good restoration.
 
Isn't that a set of notches in the gunnel top surface at the deck ends ? I think it is a clue, but i cannot recall. It will be a nice boat and maybe some gold to come ?
Dave
 
I'm leaning towards Morris as well, and it appears that the decks are 36" and 24". If so, perhaps a Morris Molitor
 
Without a serial number tag or decal I'd say Morris like.
A Veazie I owned (number 320) appeared to be a low number A grade long deck Morris. I was only able to positively identify it as a Veazie when I found a very faded (and hard to read) Veazie decal on the bow coaming. There were other things that seemed "off" about it. Where the tag was located, the numbers of cant ribs all suggested a later build, but the incredibly low SN suggested otherwise. The original owners thought it was a Morris.
At this point, I never rule out the possibility that a long deck Morris might be a Veazie....so yes, Morris, but his re-branded alternative to the canoes offered through his normal distribution channels.
You should post more images including the brass tag (presumably located on the stem) and also mention how many cant ribs it has. Look very closely at the bow end coaming to see if there are signs of an old decal.
Read a bit about these builders here:
B. N. Morris | Wooden Canoe Museum
Veazie Canoe Company | Wooden Canoe Museum

That will be a gorgeous canoe after it is restored. Nice catch!
 
Scotch,
I agree with Morris. I restored a similar one a couple years ago with 36/24 decks.
If the ribs are pocketed, it’s a Morris for sure.
 

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Wow Benson! That canoe could pass for a Morris easily. I assume that there was an OT serial number on a stem not splayed for you to distinguish it as an Old Town? Are there other Old Town canoes with pocketed ribs?

Scootch,
Another Morris identification would be if the stem is “splayed”.
 

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Yes, Gil Cramer thought that it was a Morris when he first saw it in 1990. I did too when I first saw it many years later. The early Old Town Molitors had pocketed ribs. The stem and serial number shown below with the matching build record confirmed that it was an Old Town.

Benson



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First, thanks for all the help with ID. I finally got off the fence and acquired the boat. She’s 17’, only 31” at the beam, appears to be mahogany decks, seats, thwarts, and gunnels. The decks are the same, both 24”.
The rough pics below are of the bow and stern stems.
 

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Yep, looks like a standard mid-teens Morris (#12337 would be from about 1914). It looked like both decks were 24" based on the tack pattern in the planking. In any case it's a nice canoe. It would be great to see photos as you move forward with a restoration. There's plenty of advice to be had here, so read and ask questions whenever you need.

If you don't already have them there are some helpful items in the WCHA store. We may be out of stock of Kathy Klos' detailed Morris biography entitled The Morris Canoe: Legacy of an American Family (2015), but we have other important publications including a Morris catalog reprint and two excellent books on restoration:

https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/b-n-morris-catalogue-reprint
https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/the-wood-canvas-canoe-a-complete-guide
https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/this-old-canoe-how-to-restore-your-wood-canvas-canoe

And of course you need to show support for your original builder:

https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/morris-canoe-yellow-mens-t-shirt

The store, these forums and more are made possible by memberships. Hopefully you're already a member but if not, please consider joining the WCHA. As a Morris owner you'll be in great company!

Have fun!
 
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For a little inspiration, attached here are before and after photos of a Morris similar to yours that I restored not too long ago. It too was a pile of parts, but with care and diligence it came back to a thing of beauty that's a dream on the water. I've just now started on another Morris restoration so we might be on parallel paths soon.

Grace_Chamaeleon_before.jpeg Grace_Chamaeleon_after.jpeg
 
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