chestnut canoe 15 feet ??

[gringo]

Hello ,new on the forum,I would like to known, what model of chestnut is ,bob special maiby,
mesure 36 inchs outside (ext. of gunwale) and 11.75 inchs from the top rib to top center thwart,but faberglass in outside,he said it was built in the 1950' s and there is a number on the stern : 3540 whick is rare I think , chestnut don't have tracability or few I tkink,is it thrue.
Thank to give me info about it.He said that the canoe comes from the club lasalle before they create the reserve Mastigouche in Quebec,I knew that they had a few chestnut there .

Serge

 

[Pook]

Salut Serge!

Yes that looks like a Bob's Special. Original seat frames too by the look of it though the caning has been replaced. Too bad about the fibreglass.

I'm not sure how rare serial numbers are in Chestnuts- both mine are stamped; Pal 23241 and Bobs Special 12286, as is every other Chestnut I've inspected. I think the difficulty is that no Company records have survived that relate the Serial numbers to production dates or models.

Bruce

 

[gringo]

thanks for the info ,the mesure I give was the closes to the bob special in the reference note on dragonfly site , but I was wonder how they figure the year about the number ,

thanks

 

[Pook]

Serge,

My Bob's Special was purchased 1970 so its a 1969 or 70 build with S/N 12286. If numbers are sequential, that puts yours a lot earlier.

I'm more interested in the decks- are they original? Because if so, that is the original style Chestnut deck which puts that canoe earlier than the 1950's...

Bruce

 

[caleb]

the original style Chestnut deck which puts that canoe earlier than the 1950's...

Bruce

I wasn't aware that Chestnuts could be dated by the decks. Can you elaborate?

 

[Pook]

Serge,
Others are much more knowledgeable on Chestnuts than I am, but one of the distinguishing features of the early Chestnuts was the "heart shaped" decks that were quite popular in the early 20th Century.
Following the Chestnut factory fire, the molds and manufacture was revised and the decks became simply curved semi circles.

See http://dragonflycanoe.com/wood-canoe-identification-guide/features-decks/

Now how to determine if those are the original decks?

Bruce

 

[Pook]

Hi Caleb,

I don't have a copy of "When the Chestnut was in Flower" at hand but I seem to recall that the original factory burned down in 1920 or 21. It was replaced with a larger brick factory on York Street in Fredericton that was the home of the Company until they relocated to Oromocto in 1974.
The fire was a total loss and all the materials, molds and product were burned. As a result the molds and some of the manufacturing methods changed.

Bruce

 

[gringo]

Thank for the info,I brought the canoe with me friday nigth,and the seller said that in the time of club lasalle ,they had bought 50 chestnut different lenght ,brobably during the fifty,or maiby before we don't know,as they show in the book,I think they might have start making bob special during the fifty ??? but there is a bob special(looks like a bob) for sale in new-brunswick like mine with heart chape deck. I am anxious to try my new bob special in water,

bye

Serge

 

[Pook]

Serge
The Bobs Special dates from well before the 1950's.
Apparently the name comes from the telegraph order codes that Chestnut used for their orders. Originally built as a 15 foot 50 lb special light canoe, "Bob" was the shorthand code used to order one by telegraph from the Chestnut factory. And apparently "Bob" came from Lord Roberts, one of the British heros of the Boer War. Eventually the model became known as Bob Special light canoe or Bobs Special.

Knowing the origin of the name would seem to indicate model was developed in early 1900's. While it doesn't appear in a copy of the 1905 catalogue it is there in the 1934 catalogue.
Check out Ken Solways "The story of the Chestnut Canoe" and Roger MacGregors "When the Chestnut was in Flower".

And yes, get it in the water. They are great fun to paddle solo!
Bruce

 

[Andre Cloutier]

1950s sounds about right given the build characteristics, so i'd trust that. Decks wont date a Chestnut, the earliest Cruisers had circular cut-out decks, while the pleasure models modeled after Morris canoes tended to have heart decks. In later post-fire years they interchanged often. With the wide, thin cant ribs up front your boat is certainly later, and with no chamfering on the seat edges they are later as well. It is interesting that there is a keel, and with a screw through each rib and not offset as in a shoe keel, that was done through the 50s as well. Finally, strip some of the paint from the rails and see if they are ash or spruce. Have fun paddling it. Grey owl liked his, and heres a shot of an earlier Cruiser as well, note that they didnt have heart decks even post fire.