Help needed

[Marvin]

I have always wanted a wooden canoe and recently acquired one. I have never restored a canoe, but I do restore old bamboo fly rods. So, I'm going to need a lot of the forums' expertise. Before I start the restoration, process I need to identify the manufacturer so that I can do an accurate restoration. I was told it was made by the Ontario Canoe Co. (circa 1939). The only ID I can find is a diamond shaped plate under the midship thwart that reads O B 9-7. I will greatly appreciate any help I can get. I've attached six photos.

Thanks, Marvin

 

[Michael Grace]

Hi Marvin,

Your canoe is a molded plywood canoe, and while I can't place the maker right now, there were a number of builders of such canoes in the US, Canada and Europe. These included:

Haskell Manufacturing Company, Michigan
Plycraft, Nova Scotia (?)
Max Anderssens, Sweden
Old Town Canoe Co., Maine
Penn Yann, New York
Allied Aviation, Maryland
Moulded Products, successor to Allied Aviation

Some of these makers used what was apparently a generic term (though capitalized), "Weldwood". These included Old Town and Penn Yan. I think Old Town labeled theirs "Weldwood" on a decal applied on or under one of the seats.

Yours has a different deck style and some other distinct features relative to those I know of Max Anderssons and Haskell for sure. Not so sure about the others off the top of my head. However, there is a post of a canoe like yours here on these forums:

HERE is a link to the thread on the canoe like yours... note that the canoe has a tag under the thwart:

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=2758

Hope this gets you started.

Michael

 

[Denis M. Kallery]

Just curious. Did Brant ever find out what his canoe is?
Denis