CANADIAN SMALL CRAFT (Part 3)
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 8:38 pm
The third and final set of stamps in the Small Craft series - Pleasure Craft - will be issued on July 18, 1991. While the first two sets in the series focussed on boats as essential modes of transportation and commerce, this last segment displays how boats have evolved into a recreational pastime for millions of Canadians. As Canada is bounded by three oceans and is blessed with a large network of inland and rivers, it is not surprising that the mode of transportation which originally opened up this vast country to the Voyageurs is now a pleasurable sporting activity.
The verchère rowboat first appeared on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec in the mid-1800's. Two families originally built this 14 to 24 foot flat-bottomed boat, which was, at first, pointed at both ends. Louis St-Pierre, a resident of Bouchard Island across from the town of Verchères, has been attributed with the design concept for this stable rowboat. Today only one family has retained the traditional occupation of longboat manufactory: the Desmarais. The stamps were designed by Louis-André Rivard and Bernard Leduc, who combined the transversal frame design of each boat in the foreground with a relevant scenic background.
Initially a hunting boat, today's touring kayak has been transformed into a pleasure craft for the coastal water amateur. Longer and wider than the white-water kayak used in sporting competitions, it offers stability due to its rudder and contains a spacious storage area for long kayak-camping trips.
The sailing dinghy known as the Laser is the creation of Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce, constructed in 1970 as a prototype for an American regatta. They wanted a small, portable, two-purpose boat: a pleasure craft and a racing machine. They achieved it. The centreboard, the rudder, and other equipment were designed to suit both the novice and the expert.
One of the oldest pleasure craft in Canada is the cedar strip canoe, which today is enjoyed by avid canoeists or traditionalists who thrive on the smooth, slick ride offered by a well-crafted wooden canoe. It is constructed of planking laid longitudinally in narrow strips, with a flush-batten of lap joint technique holding the planks together. The ribs, made of elm wood, are then placed perpendicular and act as braces for further support. The final product is then made out of cedar and other special wood like basswood or walnut to give it contrast and special visual appeal. Averaging 16 feet in length, the canoe is 12 inches deep, 31 to 33 inches wide, with a weight of 60 to 80 pounds.
Source: Canadian Post.
Watercraft Philately 1992 page 32 has the following on the set of stamps:
Verchére rowboat: This flat-bottomed, keeled craft first appears around 1870. It was the main means of transportation for island residents in the St Lawrence River between Montreal and Sorel. It became the favourite of hunters attracted to the river by the many migratory birds living there.
In 1900, the boat designer Louis Saint-Pierre, moved from Bouchard Island and set up his workshop just east of Montreal in the town of Verchéres. Inspired by the dory and the pointer, the Verchére rowboat was designed with long pointed ends. It ranges in size from 14 to 24 ft. An upper stern was eventually added to accommodate an outboard motor. In the 1940s, there were a dozen or so manufactures producing nearly 10,000 of these craft a year. Today only one builder remains Desmarais family, located in Verchéres, though plywood is now used instead of the handsome pine boards of the past.
Touring kayak: Initially a hunting boat, today’s touring kayak has been transformed into a pleasure craft for the coastal water amateur. Longer and wider than the white-water kayak used in sporting competitions. It offers stability due to its rudder and contains a spacious storage area for long camping trips. It is plastic - covered.
Laser sailing dinghy: This single-handed centre board dinghy was designed by Bruce Kirby of Ontario and Ian Bruce of Quebec in 1969. It was designed as a car-top, performance single-hander with minimum controls. It’s weighs 125 lbs. and is 13.10 x 4.6 ft. with a sail area of 76 sq. ft. More than 125,000 have been built since production began in Canada in 1971. See also: http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ser#p16847
Cedar strip canoe: One of the oldest pleasure craft in Canada is the cedar strip canoe, which today is enjoyed by avid canoeists or traditionalist who thrive on the smooth, slick ride offered by a well-crafted wooden canoe.
It is constructed of planking laid longitudinally in narrow strips, with a flush-batten of lap joint technique holding the planks together. The ribs, made of elm wood, are then placed perpendicular and act as braces for further support. The final product is then made out of cedar and other special woods like basswood or walnut to give in contrast and special visual appeal. Averaging 16” long, the canoe is 12” deep, 31-33” wide, and weighs 60-80 lbs.
Canada 1991 40c sg1428/31, scott1317/20.
The verchère rowboat first appeared on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec in the mid-1800's. Two families originally built this 14 to 24 foot flat-bottomed boat, which was, at first, pointed at both ends. Louis St-Pierre, a resident of Bouchard Island across from the town of Verchères, has been attributed with the design concept for this stable rowboat. Today only one family has retained the traditional occupation of longboat manufactory: the Desmarais. The stamps were designed by Louis-André Rivard and Bernard Leduc, who combined the transversal frame design of each boat in the foreground with a relevant scenic background.
Initially a hunting boat, today's touring kayak has been transformed into a pleasure craft for the coastal water amateur. Longer and wider than the white-water kayak used in sporting competitions, it offers stability due to its rudder and contains a spacious storage area for long kayak-camping trips.
The sailing dinghy known as the Laser is the creation of Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce, constructed in 1970 as a prototype for an American regatta. They wanted a small, portable, two-purpose boat: a pleasure craft and a racing machine. They achieved it. The centreboard, the rudder, and other equipment were designed to suit both the novice and the expert.
One of the oldest pleasure craft in Canada is the cedar strip canoe, which today is enjoyed by avid canoeists or traditionalists who thrive on the smooth, slick ride offered by a well-crafted wooden canoe. It is constructed of planking laid longitudinally in narrow strips, with a flush-batten of lap joint technique holding the planks together. The ribs, made of elm wood, are then placed perpendicular and act as braces for further support. The final product is then made out of cedar and other special wood like basswood or walnut to give it contrast and special visual appeal. Averaging 16 feet in length, the canoe is 12 inches deep, 31 to 33 inches wide, with a weight of 60 to 80 pounds.
Source: Canadian Post.
Watercraft Philately 1992 page 32 has the following on the set of stamps:
Verchére rowboat: This flat-bottomed, keeled craft first appears around 1870. It was the main means of transportation for island residents in the St Lawrence River between Montreal and Sorel. It became the favourite of hunters attracted to the river by the many migratory birds living there.
In 1900, the boat designer Louis Saint-Pierre, moved from Bouchard Island and set up his workshop just east of Montreal in the town of Verchéres. Inspired by the dory and the pointer, the Verchére rowboat was designed with long pointed ends. It ranges in size from 14 to 24 ft. An upper stern was eventually added to accommodate an outboard motor. In the 1940s, there were a dozen or so manufactures producing nearly 10,000 of these craft a year. Today only one builder remains Desmarais family, located in Verchéres, though plywood is now used instead of the handsome pine boards of the past.
Touring kayak: Initially a hunting boat, today’s touring kayak has been transformed into a pleasure craft for the coastal water amateur. Longer and wider than the white-water kayak used in sporting competitions. It offers stability due to its rudder and contains a spacious storage area for long camping trips. It is plastic - covered.
Laser sailing dinghy: This single-handed centre board dinghy was designed by Bruce Kirby of Ontario and Ian Bruce of Quebec in 1969. It was designed as a car-top, performance single-hander with minimum controls. It’s weighs 125 lbs. and is 13.10 x 4.6 ft. with a sail area of 76 sq. ft. More than 125,000 have been built since production began in Canada in 1971. See also: http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ser#p16847
Cedar strip canoe: One of the oldest pleasure craft in Canada is the cedar strip canoe, which today is enjoyed by avid canoeists or traditionalist who thrive on the smooth, slick ride offered by a well-crafted wooden canoe.
It is constructed of planking laid longitudinally in narrow strips, with a flush-batten of lap joint technique holding the planks together. The ribs, made of elm wood, are then placed perpendicular and act as braces for further support. The final product is then made out of cedar and other special woods like basswood or walnut to give in contrast and special visual appeal. Averaging 16” long, the canoe is 12” deep, 31-33” wide, and weighs 60-80 lbs.
Canada 1991 40c sg1428/31, scott1317/20.