Moore Canoe Inc - worth buying? Too old?

gumpus said:

I use Dawn and also a non-abrasive cleanser like Bar Keepers Friend with a stiff brush to clean up used boats that have been sitting around. If the owner doesn't mind, you could bring some cleanser and a wet sponge and try cleaning a very small area and I think you'll quickly get a feel for how hard it might be to clean up the whole boat.

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• Vega Integral Plastics of Indianapolis, Indiana, produced fiberglass canoes through the 1960s and early 1970s; their boats were designed largely by Howie LaBrant Song of the Paddle Forum+3WCHA Forums+3BWCA.com+3.
• Around 1974–75, the company officially changed its name to Moore Canoes, presumably to avoid confusion with the Chevy Vega car and aligning more with the family name Song of the Paddle ForumBWCA.com.
• Shortly thereafter (~1975), the factory burned down and the company ceased operations, destroying molds and inventory WCHA Forums+2BWCA.com+2BWCA.com+2.

• Moore Canoes Inc was the earlier company, active in the 1960s–early 1970s, originally Vega Canoes, operating in Indianapolis, run by Pat Moore’s parents (or family).
• Pat Moore Canoes is a later, separate business, run by Pat Moore himself starting in the late 1970s onward.

Alan Gage said:

Chat GPT says that Moore Canoes Inc was owned by Pat's parents and had nothing to do with Pat Moore and his designs. I have no idea how accurate that is:

It turns out that Moore Canoes Inc was indeed the same company originally known as Vega Integral Plastics/Vega Canoes, run by the Moore family in Indianapolis and separate from canoe designer Pat Moore's later business. The company eventually adopted the name Moore Canoes in the early to mid‑1970s Canoetripping.net Forums+9WCHA Forums+9BWCA.com+9.

Here's how they connect:

• Vega Integral Plastics of Indianapolis, Indiana, produced fiberglass canoes through the 1960s and early 1970s; their boats were designed largely by Howie LaBrant Song of the Paddle Forum+3WCHA Forums+3BWCA.com+3.
• Around 1974–75, the company officially changed its name to Moore Canoes, presumably to avoid confusion with the Chevy Vega car and aligning more with the family name Song of the Paddle ForumBWCA.com.
• Shortly thereafter (~1975), the factory burned down and the company ceased operations, destroying molds and inventory WCHA Forums+2BWCA.com+2BWCA.com+2.

Pat Moore, on the other hand, is the son of the family behind Vega/Moore Canoes. He later founded his own business, also called Pat Moore Canoes, unrelated to the earlier company’s operations—though obviously of the same family lineage. He began producing his own fiberglass designs like the Peter Pond, Proem, Reverie, Magnum Cruiser, and others, on the legacy of boat-building interest but entirely distinct from the Vega/Moore Canoes factory operation BWCA.com+4BWCA.com+4Song of the Paddle Forum+4.


So in short:

• Moore Canoes Inc was the earlier company, active in the 1960s–early 1970s, originally Vega Canoes, operating in Indianapolis, run by Pat Moore’s parents (or family).
• Pat Moore Canoes is a later, separate business, run by Pat Moore himself starting in the late 1970s onward.

They share a family name and historical connection, but they are not the same corporate entity. If your canoe was stamped Moore Canoes Inc (not “Pat Moore Canoes”), it almost certainly predates Pat’s personal enterprise.

Alan

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stevet said:

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe Pat ever made transom style canoes. Is there another company that used the name Moore?
The construction appears to be woven roving (mat) which is an inexpensive and generally heavy form of fiberglass construction. Serviceable but not particularly impact friendly.
I am perfectly willing to be corrected……

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gumpus said:

Well it cleaned up nicely. Highly unlikely that it's Kevlar. It does not look baked, it looks fine. I expect that the plastic seats may fail so you may have to replace the seats but other than that it looks good to go.

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