by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca
John Henry Rushton built canoes and small boats in Canton, New York, from 1875 until his death in 1906. His son incorporated the business and kept it going until 1917. In 1902, Rushton hired M. Roundry from the B. N. Morris Canoe Company to build canvas-covered canoes. The result is the Indian Girl canoe that became Rushton’s best-selling model. It was first built with double gunwales until about 1906, when the open-gunwale system was adopted. The dimensions for components in a closed-gunwale Indian Girl (c. 1905) present pocketed inwale construction.
Gunwales – Prior to 1906, the inwales were built with pockets for the rib tops and the outwales were wide to create a stylish double gunwale. The gunwales are made with solid cherry.
Stems – The stems are highly curved.
Decks – Even though Rushton decks are short, the solid cherry is soaked, steamed, and bent to fit the upswept sheer line at the ends.
Keel – The keel is coved on the bottom surface.
Planking – Canvas-covered Rushton canoes are known for a 6” wide sheer plank. Sourcing cedar wide enough to replicate this plank is a challenge.
Seats – The stern seat is a trapezoidal and is attached directly to the under surface of the inwales. The seat frames are solid cherry.
Thwarts – Rushton used wide kneeling thwarts in his canoes. Some of his canoes had a center thwart and a bow-quarter thwart, while others were arranged with bow- and stern-quarter thwarts.
Floor Rack – According to a reference for a 15’ Indian Girl, the longitudinal slats in the floor rack are 7/8” wide, spaced 1” apart at the center, for a width of 10.25” at the center. I did not have a floor rack for reference when I built one, so I took a guess. In my floor rack for a 16’ Indian Girl, the longitudinal slats are 1” wide, spaced 1.25” apart at the center, for a width of 12.25” at the center.
All of this (and much more) is described in my book – This Fancy Old Canoe: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring Antique Canoes.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
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