Name my Canoe

Nice Find

I agree with the others - a nice canoe in great shape.

I'm not familiar with this model of Morris, and others may chime in, but are you sure it had a center thwart? Many of the nicer canoes did not have a center thwart so that a special person of interest could sit on the floor rack with parasol in hand and enjoy a nice day.

It is a longer canoe 17 ft so it may well have had a thwart, but did you find bolts at the center or holes from bolts that were removed?
 
Michael, the stain occured because the canoe was left open to the elements and collected rainwater at the antique shop. I am worried the stain is in the finish much like a sweating cup on a wood table leaves a ring. Should we still clean it as you recommended? As for the refinishing I really would rather not pull of the canvas. Would it be a bad idea to have a restorer sand the old finish off and repaint it?

Dennis and Kathy, let me know if you are in need of any more information or pictures as I am glad to provide them. I am very interested in the dating of these canoes and anything to help I'm happy to do.

This is starting to get Addicting!

-Dave
 
It can't hurt to try to clean the stain. Water-based cleaning materials won't hurt the varnish. As for canvas, you can sand and paint, but the canvas underneath the paint surely has serious problems as well. Even if you can't tell it, the canvas is certainly in very poor condition, rotting at the edges, pulling away from the gunwales, etc. Bad news for you, I'm sure, but this is always the case with old canvas. And it will only get worse as the canoe gets exposed to water, wind, changing temperatures, etc.

17' Morris canoes were made with center thwarts, and usually the center thwart was attached with wing nuts for easy removal. Even if not so easy to remove, the center thwarts were often removed and lost. Surely the bolts are there, and it would be wise to replace the thwart immediately, even if with a piece of plywood, in order to keep the center section of the canoe from spreading. A lumpy sheerline is not pretty.
 
Fitz

It is a longer canoe 17 ft so it may well have had a thwart, but did you find bolts at the center or holes from bolts that were removed?

The bolts to hold the center thwart are still there which led us to believe that it did have one at some point. You think it may have not come with one?

-Dave
 
While the splayed stem confirms a Morris, Mr. Brodbeck was no slouch either. The closed gunnel Brodbeck Ed Howard picked up last year is a jewel. I think its going out to the Assembly for you to see for yourself. That canoe is put together like it was fine furniture.
 
DaveL-- Thanks for sharing the additional pictures-- I'll let you know if we need any other views. Your canoe is very much like one we have-- a 16 foot, model A type 1 Morris, serial number 3889. I'll attach a picture.

While we can't pinpoint the exact date your canoe was built, it's over 100 years old.

Addicting? Continuing to hang out here will probably fan those flames...

Have you decided yet if you can make it to the Assembly?
 

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Unfortunately we won't be able to make it out to the assembly this year despite the fact that we would really love to. Its about a 7 hour drive from here just outside of boston and we just cant make the time. I hope to see some pictures posted on the forum though.

It has been under one week now and we are already on the search for our second canoe, this time something restored and more useable. We have decided to keep this one as original as possible and use it occasionally. I'll keep you posted as to our search.

-Dave
 
WCHA Classifieds

I'll attach a picture of my glorious Kennebec Ketahdin (circa 1927), which I found by going to the WCHA website, clicking on "table of contents" and then on canoes under "classifieds". Restored with meticulous care by Dave McDaniel, I not only bought a quality canoe but made a friend. If you buy from another WCHA member, DaveL, you are buying from someone who can perhaps assess a canoe better than (for instance) an eBay seller or antiques dealer... someone who might be able to answer questions you haven't thought of yet... someone who may be able to give you more detailed information on the canoe's builder, etc., than the "average Joe".

Do you have a specific builder or canoe-type in mind for the second in your fleet? Feel free to post your thoughts and questions in these forums--- you'll spark much discussion, I'm sure.

~~Kathy
 

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