Interesting Find

[GC]

While we are waiting for Peter to post the pictures I sent him I thought some of you may be interested in my next project. An older gent in my home town is giving me a wood canoe circa 1898. I am picking it up tomorrow. Its all complete but will require some restoring , before I start I think it might be best to research the historical value, may be it should be left as is, any comments.

gc

[Bob Cleek]

Yes, definitely, you should carefully research it before doing anything at all to it. It's what I call the "Antiques Roadshow Syndrome." You know, they tell the lady her table is worth $50,000 and she nearly faints. Then they tell her if she hadn't had it refinished to look all nice and new it would have been worth $250,000 and she breaks down in tears!

Any boat older than seventy-five years or so is getting into the "museum piece" category. The smaller the boat, the more valuable it may be, since the small ones don't last as well as the big ones.

Get all the information you can from the fellow who's owned it. Then check local museums. In Alberta, it may be a ways to go for a good maritime museum. Don't believe everything they tell you without some corroboration. (Local museum folks often only think they know about boats.) Check with Mystic Seaport for sure. They are pretty much the authorities on small craft. You may just have an old canoe that will serve well as a nice "user," or you may have the last of its species that offers all sorts of information for future generations. Every once in a while, one turns up that really belongs on display in Mystic's small craft collection.

[JimD]

The Glenbow Museum in Calgary might be able to help.

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

GC,
It's just like any other old thing. You have to know what it is. If it's the only remaining piece from a known builder it could be valuable. If it's a one-off from some unknown builder it's value will depend on it's eye appeal, it's condition and it's age.
When you get it check it for names, numbers or manufacturers labels. If you can determine the original paint scheme get a photo or a sketch of it. Get it somewhere where you can get nice, sharp, uncluttered digital photos. If there is no identification on it construction details may give some clues. Shape of the breasthooks. Profile of the stems. Treatment of the inwales and outwales at the stems. Type of seats shape of thwarts, etc.
If you can find a canoe expert near you he may be able to tell you everything you need to know about it. If not, you can post those nice, sharp, uncluttered digital photos on the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association's web site.
http://forums.wcha.org/index.php?s=
The wooden canoe crowd is a small but very enthuiastic group and they have assembled all the archival information they could get their hands on. If you post something unusual on the WCHA web site the word will spread quickly.
I am not an expert but I know that wood-canvas canoes from that era are routinely restored. It is neccesary to keep them from deteriorating any further. A quality restoration that puts the boat in original, or nearly so, condition will increase the value of the boat greatly. But ultimate value depends on all the factors. Who made it? What grade of constuction was used? How rare is the model. How many are known to exist? How old? Etc., etc.
Hope you've found a keeper.

Charlie

[GC]

The canoe has two brass plates on it. One says " The Canadian Canoe Company", this plate is on the outside of the hull, the other has three letters and the # 151. We do not have a good history of the Canoe other than its been traced to a local resort area where its been for the past several (50+) years.

[Bark]

Quick Google search ...

http://dragonflycanoe.com/id/canadian.html

[Fitz]

Restore it, Paddle it. Much more fun than gawking at it.

Go to the WCHA website mentioned above and they'll tell you everything you want to know about it and also how to restore it.

The Roadshow has been known to show up hereabouts. I'm tempted to portage in one of my tripping boats and see if I get this response.."This is a fine craft, but it would have been worth gazillions if you had not stripped the old varnish patina, put new canvas and filler on it, recaned the seats and run it down those shallow rivers in Maine"!!

BEFORE:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p9cdaffdf2ec0744b7a11d90a9fa3e180/f23a4064.jpg

AFTER:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p6c9f5f373b3a2801490a958af9821836/f23a404d.jpg

See, much more fun:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid172/p4c8b80bd777a425eeca847da10cf577a/f3ceb994.jpg