unidentified Lapstreak

[Rollin Thurlow]

Here is a lovely little boat that has no ID markings on it. The construction of the hull is excellent, very good material, the laps are fastened with small copper rivets, the ribs are shaped to notched to conform to the shape of the laps.
Any idea of its manufacture?

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Looks British to me. But then I don't know the difference between "damn" and "bloody hell".

 

[Kathryn Klos]

... and you might pick up a canoe in need of restoration at a "car boot sale" rather than a flea market...

 

[Chris Woodward]

Hi Rollin,
It appears to be a Thames River skiff. http://jstarboat.blogspot.com/2011/11/repairs-to-thames-river-skiffs.html

 

[PatBig]

Hi, I beg to disagree, the Thames skiff is typically a largish boat, about 23 ft long and quite wide, around 4 ft. It's an open boat that can carry 4+, with two rowers. This boat looks like what in France would be known as a "canoe français", the type emerged at the end of the 19th century. Such boats would be about 22 to 26 ft long, around 20" to 25" wide, half decked with a pointed coaming. They were fitted with removable outriggers and sliding seats, a small rudder, and could also be paddled. Sometimes the whole setup seat+outriggers was in a sort of "box" you just screwed into place on the keelson when needed. There were built as singles or doubles. Some were reversible with a symmetrical hull, , so by changing the position of the seats and outriggers you could use them as a single, or as a single + coxswain. Some were even fitted with a sail. Material was most often some sort of mahogany, with ash frames, thin copper rivets with small brass washers. They were extremely popular and thousands were built by many different builders, especially around Paris, until WW2 when they went out of fashion. Similar types were built in other countries like Holland or Germany. Most French boats would have a builder's tag on the front deck inside the coaming. I own 4 "canoë français" of different sizes, and a Thames gig, close cousin to the skiff.