Wood canoe manufacturers used a wide variety of decals and metal tags to identify their boats. They were typically affixed to the bow deck. In addition, many Canadian builders of all-wood boats also used thwart tags – these were mounted on the outside of the hull were the thwarts were screwed on.
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Bastien Brothers deck plate. Courtesy John Maziarz. F. Brodbeck deck plate Canadian Canoe Company Carleton Canoe Company deck plate. Older variation (?). Carleton Canoe Company Chestnut Canoe Company, Fredericton, NB Chestnut Canoe Company, Oromocto, NB, 1974-1979 H.E. Crandell deck plate Walter Dean decal. Detroit Boat Company Medallion - Hudson River Model Ditchburn thwart tag. Ditchburn deck plate. Durand Manufacturing Co. Medallion E.H. Gerrish deck plate Kennebec Boat & Canoe Company tag, circa 1908-1926. The "M" preceding the stamped number indicates "10" - the Kineo Special serial numbers start at 100,000. Kennebec Boat and Canoe Company / Wanamaker Sporting Goods, circa 1908-1926. This example was on a leeboard bracket. Kennebec Canoe Company decal, 1927-1943 Kennebec Canoe Company deck plate, 1927-1943 Lakefield Canoe Company decal, courtesy Dick Persson Lakefield Canoe Company Decal, 1960s Lakefield deck plate, Rilco Industries era, 1960s. Morris deck decal variation Morris deck decal variation Morris tag, mounted on center thwart. Courtesy Kathy Klos and Denis Kallery. B.N. Morris decal on leeboard bracket. C.P. Nutting & Co. deck plate. Old Town Canoe Company decal, pre-1905. Ontario Canoe Company decal. Courtesy Dick Persson Penn Yan Boat Company deck decal, newer style. Peterborough Canoe Company 75th anniversary decal. Peterborough Canoe Company thwart tag. Rhinelander Boat Company tag. Rice Lake Canoe Company thwart tag, Cobourg, Ontario Rice Lake Canoe Company decal (reproduction), Cobourg, Ontario J.R. Robertson tag, mounted on coaming of lapstrake canoe. J.H. Rushton deck brand. Rushton "fancy" deck plate, circa 1888-1894. Rushton monogram medallion. 1895-circa 1902. Rushton medallion for dealer H & D Folsom Arms, 1890s. J.H. Rushton, Inc. shield, 1906-1917. J.H. Rushton stamp on stem, typical of Indian Girl canvas canoes. J.H. Rushton Indian Girl canvas canoe brand, found on center thwart. St. Lawrence Boat Works, Ogdensburg, NY. (successor to Rushton Indian Girl canoes), 1920s. "Whistle Wing" decal on a St. Lawrence Boat Works canoe, circa 1922. Courtesy Jody Bronson. St. Lawrence River Skiff, Canoe and Steam Launch Company, cast medallion. St. Lawrence River Skiff, Canoe and Steam Launch Company, stamped medallion. St. Louis Boat and Canoe Company decal Shell Lake Boat Company decal. Thompson Brothers Boat Manufacturing Company, Peshtigo, WI. Brass. Thompson Brothers Boat Manufacturing Company, Peshitgo, WI. Aluminum. White Canoe Company decal. 1940s-1950s. Wilbur and Wheelock, Clayton, NY. circa 1895-1930 F.W. Young, Auburndale, MA.
Reserved for Old Town decal, circa 1906-1954 Reserved for Old Town decal, circa 1956-1978 Reserved for Old Town decal, circa 1979-present
Reserved for Penn Yan shield decal. 
