Boats

The boats used on the canal were of a unique design. With dimensions of 60 to 70' in length and 10' in width they must have looked something like an oversized Venetian Gondola. In fact, they were called gundalows by many people. The boats had a draft, depth in the water, of 15 to 18". The largest could carry up to 30 tons.
The boats had some interesting design features. The first being the hinged masts. When traveling on the canal, the masts would have hit the many bridges crossing the route. To deal with this problem, the masts were hinged about 18" above the deck. This allowed the masts to be dropped when in the canal and then lifted when on the lakes. The jaws and hinges can be seen in the picture below.

Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Another interesting feature was the twin retractable centerboards. A centerboard is a structure that hangs from the bottom of the boat and acts as a counter for the sail.

Without it, the boat would tip over in certain winds. Due to their length, the canal boats had 2 centerboards. These could be lifted up through the hull. Thus reducing the chance of them dragging or snagging on the canal bed.The boats were said to perform quite well for their shape. Tales of their speed, especially when sailing with the wind, were legend. A story tells of a race in Portland Harbor between the canal boat Columbia and several coastal ships. With the Columbia trimmed for speed, she "showed her square heels to everything in the harbor". The boats also had a reputation for their ability to turnaround. It was a unique side effect of the twin centerboard. The crew would simply raise one centerboard and the boat would turn "as though on a pivot".

Perhaps the maneuver must have looked something like a modern day powerboat doing a very quick 180 degree turn. Certainly would have been impressive in the days of sail.Sadly, there are no canal boats left today. We are limited to some written descriptions and old photos. The black and white photos on these pages are from the collection of Ernest Knight. Mr. Knight's grandfather was a boatman on the canal and provided excursion services on Sebago Lake after the canal closed. We are deeply indebted to Mr. Knight for the use of his photos and his generous assistance in the reasearch of this story. All the black and white images are copyright Ernest Knight, 1998.More canal boat pictures.