Kennebec paddle

SWEETWATER

LOVES Wooden Canoes
Just purchased a kennebec paddle. Great looking decal ,gold backround with red canoe, and it is very long almost 6'. Can anyone tell me anything about it. What year did they stop making them.
 
Paddles were listed in the Kennebec catalogs from 1910 to 1941 but I don't know of any research on dating their decals more precisely than this. The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=2955 indicates that Old Town may have started using small paddle decals around 1915. The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=4723 shows that they were still using them in 1935 so this may be the period when Kennebec was using them as well.

Benson
 
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I have a paddle and a backrest with Kennebec decals and will post pictures tomorrow... I'll find both items in the catalogs and give approximate dates (the paddle is for a kayak).

Kathy
 
Kennebec decal on Kyak paddle

Not a terribly clear picture of the decal, but tomorrow I may do better or will use Denis's camera. This is a Kennebec paddle sold in the catalog with a "Kyak" from 1926-1933. The later "Kyak" has a paddle with a longer shaft, so this may help date this particular decal. Well, actually the decal could have been used well before and after this paddle... I maybe only dated my paddle (using the catalogs), not yours.

I'll get a picture of the other decal tomorrow. I believe the canoe is red but can't remember it well.

Kathy
 

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Kennebec decal on backrest

This is a gorgeous decal, and I recall thinking the backrest was older than my Kennebec canoe (1927) but can't recall how I determined that... Kennebec made a similar backrest throughout production (1910-- WWII) but this backrest is identical to our Morris backrests (the companies had the same provider)... maybe the backrest got flimsier over the years, and this one has the same quality as the pre-1920 Morris ones. Can't remember how I sorted that out.... getting too old not to write this stuff down and file it away in something more dependable than my brain.

Anyway, it's a beautiful old decal and maybe that's why I figured it was an old backrest.

Kathy
 

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second picture

Denis took this second picture of the backrest, which is resting on his new full-body rest (the red chair).

I'm thinking the newer Kennebec backrests maybe don't have the chamfering. But am not certain, it's just a guess.
 

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That backrest is a beauty. The decal is excellent. My paddle has the same as your paddle ,gold backround and bright red canoe. I will post some pics. Starting to amass quite a few paddles and hoping to add the rushton. I passed on that morris last spring so i dont want to make another mistake.
 
Check this original Kennebec slip water decal, never been used. Not sure what it would have gone on?
 

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