I just bought a 1977 Sawyer 3X27 racing canoe in fiberglass with yellow gel coat. 18.5 ft long obviously with a bow height of 14" and stern height of less than 10" (really low). It has bow and stern covers riveted on that extend over the hull about 3’ on each end to keep excess water out. Gunwales tuck in near rear seat. Looks very much like a modern pro boat. Anyone know what model of Sawyer this might be?
sawyer
Could be an old Jensen designed X boat. Even a boat like the old Cruiser used to make other canoes look slow.
Sawyer
I would guess a" Super" their early pro boat
Agreed
I pulled out my early - mid eighties Sawyer catalog out & the OP’s specs are pretty close to catalog specs for the Super - bow = 15", center = 10" stern = 10"
62 lb is fiberglass, 48/34 in Kevlar. The pictures don’t show the long plates on either the Super or the Champion. They are shown on the 24’ X 26" Saber. Anyone out there ever paddle one of those?
Covers do look like Saber’s.
The covers on the ends look to be factory installed and do look very Saber-like. I haven’t seen covers like this on an old pro boat before.
Pro Boat
Unlike today in the 70’s the only people racing Pro Boats were indeed Pro’s so my guess is they had the expertise to modify the end caps and make them look factory installed or they could have ordered it that way.
Old Pro Boats
Like OldBill says, only pros paddled pro boats back then. And the best paddled factory specials, usually prototypes that were the latest versions and one year ahead of production models. Many were one of a kind and quickly put together. Longevity did not matter, the pros got a new boat every season.
Bill
Super
Sounds like the Super, when high sided, my fav tripping boat of the era. It should have unique flotation tanks in the midship chines, which allowed a lighter overall construction. It was a Ralph Sawyer design.
Sawyer Super
1977 would be the 2nd generation Sawyer Super designed by Don Burkland. The 3’ end covers were a option offered by Sawyer.