My question also is who built connectives with just one strut back then?

It’s a magnificent model but am beginning to believe it didn’t reflect a real craft.

I think that you’re right about it not being a scale model of a person-carying canoe.

But it might be a lagoon racer.  Like this

http://www.mit.edu/people/robot/mh/riwuit/

though I don’t think its Marshallese.

The Model theory might explain the extremely poor load carrying capacity.

Thinking about this a bit more, the model may have been made for the tourist market, and produced in such a way as to minimise the physical resources needed to create it.

I would well imagine a stock plank of wood being cut up in such a way as to “liberate” the maximum number of models from that piece of wood. That would help explain, for this model, why the hull has such a narrow profile, also why it has no flare and minimal rocker. Also why there’s just a single crossbeam and an almost vestigial float.  The lack of a sailrig probably means one was never fitted.  Might’ve had it’s own paddle though.

What we may be looking at is not so much a scale model of a canoe, but rather a model that’s made to be sold.  These are quite different things! 

Cheers,
Paul

(PS - I may have gotten some of the design terminology wrong, but I hope you understand what I mean.)