Rollin Thurlow
member since 1980
I have an old canoe in the shop and I'm hoping for some help in identifing the builder. the profile and sheer and over all apperance is very much like an early E. M. White, guessing around 1890. The planking is not beveled as the Whites always had and the stem had a regular stem band and not the traditional wrap aound stem band and there is no indication that it ever had a wrap around stem band. The stem is 7/8" sq, 13 degree bevel and has a distictive bevel on the end at the foot of the stem.
The original planking tacks are very fat steel clinch nails that are still in decent shape. the planking is 2.5" wide, 3/16" thick, and is white cedar. The tacking pattern was just two tacks per rib. The finish on the planking is rough but they are good quality and of long lengths.
the ribs are white cedar,5" on center, average 2.7" wide, 13/32" thick at the center, tapered in width and thickness starting 12' from the top of the rails. the top of the ribs are 1.75" wide and 3/16" thick. the taper in the width is just on one side, facing the center of the canoe. the sides are beveled at 25 degress and it is a flat bevel and not a rounded one.
Their were no seats except for a sten and fwd seat thwarts which were half laped into the inside rail. the center and quarter thwarts were bolted to the bottom of the rail.
The ash deck is very small and narrow with no sign of any lashings. the rails ran past the tip of the deck like the whites and the rails are notched to receive the top of the stem like on the early Chestnuts. No sign of a decal or name plate on either stem or deck.
the whole boat looks professionally made so I would assume there would be a few others out there. Any guesses? I thought it might of been a "second " by the White company but even then it would of still had the beveled planking and more standard size ribs and planking.
The original planking tacks are very fat steel clinch nails that are still in decent shape. the planking is 2.5" wide, 3/16" thick, and is white cedar. The tacking pattern was just two tacks per rib. The finish on the planking is rough but they are good quality and of long lengths.
the ribs are white cedar,5" on center, average 2.7" wide, 13/32" thick at the center, tapered in width and thickness starting 12' from the top of the rails. the top of the ribs are 1.75" wide and 3/16" thick. the taper in the width is just on one side, facing the center of the canoe. the sides are beveled at 25 degress and it is a flat bevel and not a rounded one.
Their were no seats except for a sten and fwd seat thwarts which were half laped into the inside rail. the center and quarter thwarts were bolted to the bottom of the rail.
The ash deck is very small and narrow with no sign of any lashings. the rails ran past the tip of the deck like the whites and the rails are notched to receive the top of the stem like on the early Chestnuts. No sign of a decal or name plate on either stem or deck.
the whole boat looks professionally made so I would assume there would be a few others out there. Any guesses? I thought it might of been a "second " by the White company but even then it would of still had the beveled planking and more standard size ribs and planking.
