704 FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. [60 J 



Stranahan folding canvas boat — Continued. 



boat lias an adjustable stretcher attached "to the stern, which 

 provides for stretching the cloth as taut as a drum -head. The 

 real capacity of the boat is greater than given in the table, 

 but they will carry the weights given with perfect ease. . . 

 . . . The 10-foot boat has eleven ribs; the 12-foot, fif- 

 teen ; the 15-foot, nineteen. This brings the ribs so close 

 together that (combined with the bilge or stiffening slats 

 which are placed at equal distances between the gunwales 

 and bottom) all bagging of the cover is obviated. The bow 

 and stern pieces, gunwales, bilge slats, and ribs are made of 

 second-growth red elm; the bottom strips, stools, oars, and 

 paddles are of second-growth linden (basswood). The gun- 

 wales are 1£ iuches wide by £ inch thick, the ribs and side slats 

 1£ by J inches ; bottom slats 1 by £ inch. The frame has three 

 strips the size of the libs, running lengthwise of thebottom, out- 

 side of the ribs, being fastened together with wrought nails 

 firmly clinched. The frame is cut in the center at the two ribs 



.nearest together, the pieces cut alternating on 



each rib, the fastening at each gunwale and at two points 

 on the bottom, with wrought-iron latches fastened with thumb- 

 screws. We also make them in three sections, at an additional 

 cost of $3. The canvas is secured to the frame by leather straps 

 buttoned to the inside of the gunwales over round-headed 

 screws. The frames are neatly painted and trimmed, each 

 strip primed before they are put together, making every part 

 impervious to the water. The oars and paddles are copper- 

 tipped and finished with varnish. In shipping, the canvas is 

 entirely removed, folded compactly, and secured to the inside of 

 the frame with the stools and oars, making one complete pack- 

 age, so that nothing can be misplaced or lost, and no danger or 

 damage to the canvas. We claim the following advantages for 

 our boat : It is the lightest complete boat made of its size, 

 length and breadth considered. The duck is made in one piece 

 and therefore the only seams below water-line are those at the 

 ends, which are as strong as any other part of the cloth. It will 

 stand as heavy a sea as any wooden boat of the same size. 

 They are pointed at both ends, and straight and flat on the 

 bottom. There are two sets of rowlocks in each boat, one to 

 use when one or three persons are using it, the other when 

 there are two, thus maintaining a i trim ' position in the water. 

 The construction of the boat is such that, the cloth is kept out 

 to its place and a good shape maintained, which cannot be 

 done with the majority of canvas boats. They being flat on 

 the bottom makes them very steady for shooting or casting- 

 while standing, a very desirable point, as every practical 



