Would Appreciate Help With Identification

ref0716

New Member
The subject wood/canvas canoe has been in my neighbor's garage for 50 years, ignored for all that time. My neighbor states that the boat was purchased by his Grandfather sometime in the 1930's from an "old man" in upstate New York, possibly the Adirondack region. Best guess is that it dates to around 1900, give or take maybe 10 years or so.
The boat measures 15' 3" and is 33 1/4" outside to outside at mid-ships. There are 3 thwarts, 44 ribs, and a keel fastened every third rib.
Some notable construction details shown in the attached pictures:
Stems are splayed or tapered and square cut.
The forward stem has a rectangular brass plate with 4 brads and the number 9749 stamped on it.
Both fore and aft decks are quite short and clearly "heart" shaped.
The seats are rawhide and do not look to be original, but can't be sure.
The craft is overall in decent shape. There is no evidence of rot, and the canvas is intact. There are 6 cracked ribs but no misalignment. The port outwale has been repaired near the bow, and the starboard outwale has been completely replaced. Any help with an ID would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I am new to this forum, and somehow failed to include the pictures with the post that I just made. I'll try again to attach them here. Sorry for all the confusion.
 

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ref,
You have a canoe built by the B.N. Morris Canoe Company of Veazie Maine.
My partner Kathy Klos and I have been building a data base of Morris canoes for around three years now. Could you send me the serial number that is stamped int the brass plate on the bow stem. My email is: dkallery@att.net.
When Kathy gets home I'm sure she will contact you too. She has a wish list of information that we include in our data base ,but I will let her handle that.
Thank-you, Denis
 
Morris canoes under 16 feet in length are less common than those 16-and-up. In fact, most in the database are 17 and 18 feet long.

A serial number of 9749 places the canoe in the circa 1911-range. No build-information is known to exist at this point in time, but Morris canoes appear to be numbered sequentially, possibly beginning around the turn of the 20th Century.

You are right about the seats-- they would originally have had the traditional 7-step caning pattern.

I made a couple YouTubers on the Morris, which may provide you some answers and may encourage more questions. You have a very nice canoe!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kkloskk...5STttcdKGqlUxHvZqQJLKKKEY9#p/u/12/uAz-rspieqE

http://www.youtube.com/user/kkloskk...5STttcdKGqlUxHvZqQJLKKKEY9#p/u/11/YN462MWTABc

The December issue of "Wooden Canoe" will have some Morris information in it too.

Kathy
 
It would be interesting to know where in "upstate" NY. Mine came from the old Childwold Hotel at Massawepie Lake, or so I am told.
Morris were used as livery canoes there.
That must have really irritated the boys in Canton, just a few miles down the road. But, builders were swapped between factories so there were undoubtedly all kinds of interesting dealings going on.

Nice canoe.... it's a keeper.
 
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