Last night my brother dropped off an old canoe that his ex- wanted to get rid of. Was too dark to look for the plate but the name on the side was “Pere Marquette”. Looks to be a molded fiberglass type construction. Tried a few different search engines and didn’t come up with anything. Anybody have any info?
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maybe this company
Hi, Jonathan. I don’t know if it’s the same company but take a look at this article for some info:
http://www.boatingworldonline.com/News.htm?CD=623&ID=1927
Search of US Coast Guard MID database
turned up nothing. If you wish to try, go to: http://www.uscgboating.org/recalls/mic_database.htm
Seems odd as I am sure I have heard of Pere Marquette canoes before. If so it must be under a different name.
Good Luck,
Mick
I bought a P.M. in the late ‘60’s…
…at a garage sale in WA state. 16’ tandem. Used it for several years w/ 3 small kids. Fiberglass. Believe it is/was made in Michigan.
Originally made in Scottville MI
They built both canoes and fiberglass runabouts at one time. Heavy probably hand laid with Aluminum gunwales decks and seat supports. I have one in poor condition that is beyond reasonable repair but can’t throw it in the dump because it is part of the local history of the county.
Jonathan
Pere Marquette Canoes were indeed made in Scottville, Michigan and their 16-footer, the Scout, which was the only length that I believe this company ever offered, was a heavy bugger with a listed weight of 80 lbs. A friend has one and they weigh at least that much…
Both of the Pere Marquette catalogs that I have with a canoe listed are from the late 1950’s and if you go here and look in the top left album entitled “Fibreglass Canoes” {old time Canadian Spelling} for Misc. Companies you will find the catalog page for the Scout.
http://www.picturetrail.com/ogilvyspecial1
Jack
Pere Marquette Canoe
Just purchased a P.Marquette canoe myself, and I too hit a road block on its history. Mine needs some TLC, but it’s a solid canoe. If you come across any info, shoot it to me. Thanks. RM
Pera Marquette
I was just given a Pera Marquette, 16ft. squair back, its in purty rough shape but I think I can fix it good enough to get a few more good years out of it
Passed Down Generations
I’m from Scottville (a town of 1200 and finding one of us to admit it is even harder). My Grandfather had a PM canoe and it went to my father when he passed. This is one heavy sucker! It’s a tank. It will also sink when it capsizes. There is most certainly an iota of sentimental value to both the boat and the company. Scottville, BTW, was originally a settlement on the banks of the Pere Marquette River and gradually moved “up the hill” a mile in the late 1800’s.
If anyone in Kansas or Missouri has one of these canoes I would be interested in taking it off your hands!
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pere marqutte
I recently bought a P-M Myself. My girlfriend and I started restoration,here are a few photos of ours,we paid 10 dollars at a yard sale and she is entered in her first race for Curwood Festival in Owosso MI on the Shiawassee River. Not Trying to break a speed record just have fun. We enjoy our P-M. Guess we cannot add photos just now, sorry. Look for the blue and yellow U of M in photo section. Enjoy your P-M.
Hope you enjoy the pics.we found out most of the info. on our P.M. from word of mouth.A lot of fellow paddlers here in MI. knew more than we could find on the computer,so good luck with your research howard
Pere Marquette
– Last Updated: Sep-03-12 7:47 PM EST –
I have one for sale on Denver's craigslist if anyone is still interested. Still has mid-60s Denver parks passes on her side along with a few tattoos from the various bottoms/rocks she has visited over the years. She could use some make-up (who doesn't) or just let her float and show her years.
Pere Marquette
I haven’t seen one in 40 years. They were small fiberglass canoes the only ones I ever saw. Don’t know who made them or where the company went.
Pere Marquette
– Last Updated: Apr-27-15 11:37 PM EST –
We own a Pere Marquette (1969), still in excellent condition. It has not been used since 1990, as evidenced by the Minnesota license. My wife ordered it through the car dealership she worked at, as they sold Pere Marquette boats. I can't see the Mfg. plate today, but I remember it said Ludington, MI as the home city of the company. It is heavy, but will last forever. >4/27/15
I now have pictures, not sure where best to post them. Historically, the Minneapolis dealership that sold the PM boats, Northside Mercury, is long out of business and I doubt any records remain. I would bet that they may have been a primary PM dealer, given the shaky nature of the PM business.
Pere Marquette in Northern California
Hello,
I did stumble on this Pere Marquette close to me. Not the right canoe for me.
Fiberglass canoe 16 ft good condition $300
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/for/5641828737.html
Reviving this thread to continue to build the very thin online presence of these canoes.
I have a Pere Marquette 16 foot fiberglass canoe. I found a n archival library at Pere Marquette - Classic Boat Library that has pdf’s of old price and specs for their skiffs and canoes. There are a number of canoe models including square stern for sale from 1958 to 1971. Mine is a Dakota “Featherweight.” On the archive site above, the Dakota is listed as being 60 pounds, which seems a little heavy to me, but I have never weighed mine. Mine came with aluminum gunnels, seat supports, and thwarts. The front and rear decks were molded fiberglass that wrapped over the gunnels and covered the open-topped flotation chambers. The chambers had degraded stiff foam (like styrofoam) in them. All of the bolts and rivets on the boat were aluminum, which were very prone to breaking. The seats are molded fiberglass. I just wanted to pass on this info in case anybody else finds one of these and wonders about them.
Loved our used Pere Marquette, given to us by my dad in 1975. It was a great Class 1 and 2 boat, also good for flat water canoe camping. Many happy trips with it!
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I can’t add anything about the brand, but I can say canoeing on the Pere Marquette is great.
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