Been looking to purchase a canoe and there is a guy that has an unnamed Lincoln 16 foot fiberglass canoe for sale (pictured below). He says it’s 68 pounds, and he’s the second owner. He’s not sure when the original owner bought it, but probably before 1980. He says it has low initial stability but is very fast. Very reasonable price but wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to 1) when this was made / model name 2) rough cargo capacity if at all possible (I want to get my wife and our kids in there too, so that’s about 600 pounds). I know this must be a pretty rare canoe, so really, any general thoughts on say 1970’s/80’s Lincolns would be really helpful! Thanks!
Lincoln Canoe and Kayak is a regional builder that has been in Maine and Massachusetts for a loong time
Your canoe, rest assured, is not rare. It has a serial number etched into the outside of the stern. The last two numbers are the year of manufacture.
You can contact Lincoln for info on older canoes and kayaks. Probably the model is a Concord the most widely sold Lincoln. 600 lbs is a bit of a load for the boat but on quiet waters you should not have a problem.
Thanks for the info on the weight - does seem that 600 pounds is the max weight for a lot of 16’ canoes. Also, my bad on “rare” I just meant I haven’t seen any of these for sale. I’m going to see it (probably buy it) tomorrow. Guy said there is a dent in the front but no cracks/leaks - are dents in fiberglass any kind of issue?
It is a beautiful canoe, but that keel line is going to make the steersman is going to work hard to turn it.
It could be a good thing if you live and play in the right place. If the river you run is technical and tight, it might be a disadvantage. It depends on your planned usage.
It looks like it has been hanging in a garage for a long time, check closely for small cracks., they are hard to fix.
Interesting regarding the keel line. Plan on using it on larger rivers and lakes mostly, but we’ve got a pretty windy smaller river nearby as well but it is mostly calm. I’ll look for cracks for sure, thanks.
Volume of the canoe determines capacity. Not the manufacturer but an old guy named Archimedes
Most use capacity as the weight that can be loaded into a canoe that allows six inches of freeboard. That is fine for calm waters and very very inadvisable for rough waters. Most of us prefer 8 inches or more.
12 inches is the typical depth of a canoe midships. 4 inch water line is usually the performance capacity for canoes, not six inches.
Do not think you can just dump 1000 lbs in the boat and go out.
If you look at a similar sized boat you can see the difference in optimal load vs capacity.
Bought it. 1981 and a bit heavier than he said, closer to 75 pounds. Has a little bit of chipping/cracking of the outer layer on the stern as you can see. Would this be patched with marine epoxy? It was clear epoxy doubt I’d worry about painting. Thanks for all the help!
Actually I had a 16 footer from Swift that came in at 62 lbs so I would not be so sure about shenanigans. Some makers used vacuum bagging and others used more fabric and more resin. Not all canoes are constructed the same.
Vacuum bagging aims for a more precise ratio of resin to fabric. Extra resin doesn’t add strength. Lincoln has always pioneered techniques for getting a light and strong craft and your boat may have been a first attempt.( they use even more precise methods now with vacuum infusion) I suspect Old Town built their canoes with more fabric and more resin to withstand the Penobscot River by Old Town. The factory was on a very shaley and sharp rock part of that river. In the 80s the OT method was the heavier the better. ( One reason you see Old Towns from that era still going strong now around here even Royalex). Old Town wanted thick walls.
Gel coat cracks are your concern now Looks superficial
Yes, you can patch the damaged gel coat with epoxy. Or you can get a small gel coat repair kit. Be sure to remove any loose gel coat that is likely to either fall off or get abraded off and bevel the edges of the intact gel coat around the periphery of the voids before filling.
I would paint the repair to protect it from UV degradation using any paint that is a reasonable color match. Sometimes you can find small containers of automotive touch up paint that is close enough. You won’t get an exact color match no matter what you do.
I’m a little late to the party, but your boat appears to be the Lincoln 16 that was based on Harold Gates’ Indian Girl 16. They were made with and without keel. Gates was a noted wood canoe builder from Nova Scotia.
I had the 18’ Lincoln that weighed somewhere between 85 and 90 pounds. I still have a Lincoln 5.3 Down River. It’s in SGlass and is roughly 65 pounds.
Lincolns while heavy were capable and would carry a significant load safely.
