Every time we remove an old canvas we look for surprises under the old skin. Sometimes we find notes or names that were scribbled on the planking prior to canvassing.
We recently dismantled Morris #6100 which is well over the centurion mark. Since this canoe was all original and intact we were reasonably certain it had never been apart before. The planking under the old canvas was disappointingly bare – no notes from her past. However during the stripping and cleaning process we discovered a penciled number under one of the top caps:
Presumably during the build process one of the Morris craftsmen marked the new canoe with her assigned serial number. This scribbled note was made back in the 1906 timeframe. During the finishing process the canoe was tagged with the designated number.
