Kennebec Joy Boy

DavidK

Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
I've adopted a Kennebec Joy Boy project boat. I'm looking for photos of other examples of this boat. I found some nice literature on the Wooden Canoe Museum site. Thanks for any leads.
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Chris Pearson from Michigan owned a JoyBoy for a few years. A search of his name may give you contact info.
If not, let me know in a PM.
Dave
 
Thanks, Dave. I'll see if I can track him down. I was able to search posts he has made here and found some photos of his boat. I hope to find more.
 
Thanks for your reply, Benson, and for the helpful links. I'll get a photos of the serial number and see what we can come up with.
 
Does anyone know what this diamond shaped fitting is on the Joy Boy? It's only on the port side. Look like a line could feed into it but how and why? Wouldn't that hole leave the sponson vulnerable?
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I’ve never seen in person one mounted this way but it is designed to be a socket for a flagstaff (or it’s at least very similar to to the flagstaff sockets). Flagstaff sockets were normally mounted on the top surface of the deck. Apparently they were provided by Kennebec, judging from their artwork, mounted to the sponson as a way to attach/store a painter. Seems like a good opportunity to promote rot.

It looks like you have the sponsons. Is that one of them peeking out from under the lumber in the boat? If so, does yours appear to have had that piece of hardware?
 

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It looks like you have the sponsons. Is that one of them peeking out from under the lumber in the boat? If so, does yours appear to have had that piece of hardware?

Thanks for your response, Michael. I'm still trying to puzzle out how the sponsons mount but I don't see evidence, so far, of that piece. There's a Joy Boy on ebay right now that has it.
 
The pictures in the Kennebec catalogs never show that fitting while the drawings always do as Michael indicated so they probably weren't all identical. The page below says the extras include a "painter rope that disappears under the deck when not in use" from the 1926 catalog.

Benson



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I wonder if that fitting is placed ahead of where the sponson starts? I don't see the practicality of having to feed the painter into the hole but there must have been something to it? Maybe it was stylish like having the chain from your pocket watch hanging across your vest?
 
Benson, here's a photo of the serial number. I suspect there's another digit that was obscured by a screw.
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Well, I'm confused. The Kennebec serial numbers in the 1093x range all went on canoes with lengths from 16 to 18 feet during 1916. Their serial number 1093 went on a 20 foot canoe in 1910, a 14 foot Fisherman model rowing skiff in 1919, and a 13 foot, ten inch Autocraft model motor boat in 1931. None of these are a good match for the boat in your pictures which appears to be 15 feet long. The 1098x range and 1098 numbers don't have any 15 foot long examples either. Most of the Joy Boys have serial numbers in the 18xxx, 19xxx, and 30xxx ranges. None of these have 1093 or 1098 embedded within their serial numbers. They never issued any serial numbers in the 109xxx range. Are you sure that it is a Kennebec? Is there any sign of a serial number on the transom area, keelson, or center transom brace? Do you have any other ideas?

Benson
 
Hi Benson-
Thanks for taking the time to comb though those numbers. The prior owner thinks this is a 1926. He has some historical papers he plans to send me. Maybe that will help?

The transom has been replaced. The center transom brace is gone. Here's what's left of the old transom.IMG_4584 3.JPG
 
What does the inside of the factory transom look like? It looks like it may have the diagonal braces that are a Skowhegan characteristic. Other Kennebec Joy Boys from 1926 have serial numbers in the 18xxx, 19xxx, and 30xxx ranges. Skowhegan offered a similar 15 foot long Pathfinder starting in 1936 which had invisible sponsons as Dan mentioned. Their catalogs are also available in the scanned collection I mentioned before as shown below. No known Skowhegan records are available, unfortunately.

Benson



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Possibly the seat brackets (one per) and the cleats (none) are a clue. Benson's suggestion that it is a Skowhegan may be worth pursuing.
 
Joy Boys had hidden sponsons. The sponson tapered into the bilge very gradually. Rollin Thurlow has replaced them before and he described them as being “a pain in the ass” to replace. There are some things about your boat that don’t scream Joy Boy to me. The transom seems too deep on yours. There seems to just be differences in the overall lines of the boat. The combing wasn’t continuous on mine either. 2 “halves”.
 

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Mine was all original as well. My transom was original and looks different than your original transom. Perhaps Rollin will join in here, like I said, he has restored these before......good luck!
 
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