Gazelle Canoes (Biddeford, Kennebunk, Old Town: for sale, amusement park, buy)

[bangorme]

Anyone ever heard of them? There's a used on for sale, looks to be about 16', slightly squaretailed, in very good shape. Problem is I can't find any website about the company or describing the canoe, so I don't know anything about it (weight, capacity, reputation etc). It has caned seats and "Damselfly" written along the top.

Any info, included value, would be appreciated.

[Kracer]

Here is a link to paddling.net thread re gazelle canoes discussion.
Gazelle Canoe Advice - Canoeing / Kayaking

If you go on that site go to the general forum and search on 'gazelle' as there are a few more discussions.

[Maineah]

We had one. Didn't like it. Too narrow, heavy and tippy.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by bangorme

Anyone ever heard of them? There's a used on for sale, looks to be about 16', slightly squaretailed, in very good shape. Problem is I can't find any website about the company or describing the canoe, so I don't know anything about it (weight, capacity, reputation etc). It has caned seats and "Damselfly" written along the top.

Any info, included value, would be appreciated.

If the tail is square and designed to be able to have a motor on it, I think it has to be registered like a motorboat, even if you don't use one on it.

[crb01]

No registration required if you don't put a motor on it. I believe Gazelle Canoes were made in Biddeford for a while though I think the plant has closed down. Not sure if they are being made elsewhere.

[tcrackly]

Hub and I have had a Gazellle for over 20 years. It's a good all-purpose canoe. He has even done some light white water in our 12 footer.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by crb01

No registration required if you don't put a motor on it. I believe Gazelle Canoes were made in Biddeford for a while though I think the plant has closed down. Not sure if they are being made elsewhere.

After a bit of research, it appears that you are correct and I was mistaken. The IFW specifically says 'motorboat' and fees are based on horsepower of the motor. Additionally, watercraft 20' in length or less and which does not use any type of motor are also exempt from excise tax.

My apologies, I usually try to do some research *beforehand* but my 'net connection, which is dismally poor to begin with, suffers from performance problems during damp/wet weather and I opted to just let $#!% flow out of my fingertips without checking first.

[crb01]

No problem. I had a square back a while ago and had looked at the rules at that time. I assumed they hadn't changed. If they had, I would have looked pretty silly with my statement above.

[stevedonkey]

I know this thread is old, but it pops up when people search for "Gazelle canoe" so I figured I'd write here. Gazelle Canoe was my grandfather's company. Well, the company was actually called Fiberglass Plus Recreational Industries (FPRI) located in Kennebunk, Maine and we made Gazelle brand canoes, Indian of Maine truck caps as well as the occasional fiberglass part for amusement park rides (like the log flume rides at Fun Town and Canobie Lake Park) and even sometimes for airplanes.

Anyway, the canoes are essentially the same as the more popular Old Town. I think the mold was basically the same. We sprayed and rolled the fiberglass by hand, so not sure if that makes them better or worse than machine-made fiberglass products. The square stern are indeed intended for a motor, and if I remember correctly, the serial numbers for those ones will all end in SS. The serial number is indented in the gelcoat I believe near the bow on the right-hand side (been a while, so I might be wrong).

We sold them new in the late '90s for $499 including aluminun paddles ($50 extra for nice wooden ones). I think we went out of business around 2002 I think, so any canoes or truck caps you find will be at least that old. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by stevedonkey

I know this thread is old, but it pops up when people search for "Gazelle canoe" so I figured I'd write here. Gazelle Canoe was my grandfather's company. Well, the company was actually called Fiberglass Plus Recreational Industries (FPRI) located in Kennebunk, Maine and we made Gazelle brand canoes, Indian of Maine truck caps as well as the occasional fiberglass part for amusement park rides (like the log flume rides at Fun Town and Canobie Lake Park) and even sometimes for airplanes.

Thanks for responding. I never did buy that canoe, but did buy a Gazelle truck cap for my 2002 Ford Ranger that I still have today. It's been a great cap, although some of the parts have started to wear out (as would be expected).