UFO

mccloud

"Tiger Rag" back on the tidal Potomac
In Memoriam
I have this unidentified old, open gunwale w/c canoe and see that it was extensively rebuilt, as there are 7 consecutive miss-matched ribs near center. I'll describe only what I believe to be original. 14 1/2' long, 34+" wide (though center thwart is probably not original, so may have been stretched, thwart held in with L-shaped bolts sunk into inwales like Morris did, with square nuts), no other thwarts or holes in the inwales except for where the seats were hung. Depth 12", 42 ribs which are not tapered, very heavy, 1/4+", planking is 3 3/4” wide, brass screws are all slot head, a screw thru every rib into the keel and staggered slightly L-R-L-R, cone washers quite small, stem not splayed but unusually long extending over 7 ribs. Only the forward 2 ribs are true cant ribs, while the remaining 5 are 'bent-over' with some cracking. The decks may or may not be original, wood possibly spruce?, not thick or carved, but with considerable upward curvature to the stem tip, attached to the inwales. So far I've not found any serial numbers, remains of decals, etc. Any thoughts on who the builder might have been? View attachment 37026 View attachment 37027
 
My impressions....can't see the seats clear but if they are hand caned through holes (vs pre-woven patterns) it is likely pre-WWII. Decks remind me of some Old Towns also pre-war. That is an extra and perhaps unnecessary strip of wood around the rear of the deck. Along with the upturned design of the ends suggests it was also marketed for looks as well as workability. It appears the deck has had the stem bang strip bent and inset into the tip of the deck. This to me suggests Canadian. As well the dimensions 14 1/2 by 34" would also suggest Canadian or perhaps Maine. Those short and wide canoes (and I've go a few) are made to work. A trapper may have used it. A one person boat with the extra seat for the occasional visitor/helper. Center thwart looks to be original to me. Seems to match the rest of the boat. Nice boat. Good solo worker. I'll take it. ....That's my two cents.
 
"seats hand caned through holes, it is likely pre-WWII. That is an extra and perhaps unnecessary strip of wood around the rear of the deck. It appears the deck has had the stem bang strip bent and inset into the tip of the deck. This to me suggests Canadian. As well the dimensions 14 1/2 by 34" would also suggest Canadian or perhaps Maine. .

Jim, I don't disagree with anything you've said. I didn't describe the seats or center thwart in my post because the wood of both is much lighter in color than the rest of the canoe, suggesting they may have been added when the rebuild was done. The seat frames have smallish holes drilled, and these were strung with light rope when I got it. The thwart has one peculiar feature: dead center pointed toward the stern is a bump-out, flat on the end, that was clearly left there for some reason, but I have no clue what. I'll post a photo, but doubt the bump
STH71944thwart.jpg
will show well.
I wonder whether someone liked the appearance of the OTCA so added the coming strip to the rear of the decks. One other peculiarity, which probably wasn't done at the factory: this canoe did not have a brass stem band, but there was a groove cut into the keel, inset with probably some kind of hard wood. I'm thinking this was a substitute for a brass stemband. Lots of questions. T Mc...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tom Greetings, I know you love this challenge, YOU KNOW MY THOUGHTS ON WHAT TO DO????.. .Have fun with the old girl.. Stay thirsty my friend...
 
Jersey Jim says this canoe is a prime candidate for bookcases. I say that it is in such poor shape that it has to be restored BEFORE it will make nice bookcases. Stay tuned in for further developments.
 
Hi Tom,

I meant to comment earlier on your canoe find. Interesting - I wonder too of those decks are original. The deck shape along with the coaming are reminiscent of the O.T. Otca, but the coamings aren't inset into the gunwales like O.T. did. It's possible this was an emulation of the Otca deck style, whether original or part of a restoration. Your rubs appear to be untapered but that doesn't narrow down the possible makers much. Is there any evidence of a tag or a serial number?

The biggest issue I see is that the canoe looks like it's planked with iron fasteners. I once restored an O.T. 15/50 that was iron-fastened. The tacks were so degraded that the planking was literally falling off the canoe! To add major injury to the insult of iron, there was a hole in one side large enough to put a basketball through (canoes are sometimes turned into bookcases, but this one could have been a basketball goal). I finally got up the courage to tackle it, replacing quite a few ribs and a good bit of planking, and I replaced every single tack in the entire canoe. Lots of work, but it turned out to be a beauty and a great paddler. So don't cut this one in half just yet!

Michael
 
Hello, Michael, The 8-9 ribs both front and rear are fastened with copper or brass, but a red brass, not a light color like we buy from Rollin. But thru the middle, where a major repair took place, those are all steel, and you are right, they are very rotten, and I wish they would fall out. I've found no evidence of a number or tag. The inwale tips are pulled together, so must have sat on top of the stem, unlike Old Town or White. Uncertain whether decks are original, but there is not a lot of damage to either the edges of the decks or the inwales, and interestingly, rather than bending the wood upward, 2 pieces of wood were laminated to the 5 inches near the tip of flat deck, then trimmed to give the upsweep. That's a new one on me. The coming is nicely bent around and tapered to fit tightly against the planking, but the planking is not notched. Time will tell how this project develops. TM...
 
Nope. The truck is already full. Maybe next year. TM...
 
Tom Greetings, I know you love this challenge, YOU KNOW MY THOUGHTS ON WHAT TO DO????.. .Have fun with the old girl.. Stay thirsty my friend...
Greetings Tom. We have had numbered talks of this canoe. The tightening in the stomach of where logic to even figure out the origins of this wooden mixed , mish, mash.. 10 years of looking and staring didn't help me with this discussion on direction to proceed. iron nails,,, iron tacks ,brass tacks,,, roofing nails.copper boat nails ,,,screws bolts and butchered and sliced up wood parts. bent to fix chopped up sawed off and quick fixes. OOOKKK. I'm done. .. it,s 15 ish. ugly and blended.. Enjoy it. ponder it. GIVE IT THE OLD ROMAN try.. I'M THINKING A GOOD LOOKING " RATTED OUT " BOAT RIDE... SEE YOU AT ASSEMBLY... SMOOTH JOURNEYS TO ALL...
 
Back
Top