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Curious about Wooden Canoes
Kennebec canoe serial number 18 108576 guess is 1935 Kennebec canoe CLOSER TO 16' with tape measure any assistance with serial number research WOULD BE APPRECIATED
 
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A wooden canoe with this serial number was listed in eBay last year from Warren, Massachusetts. A comment was added saying "I've been told that this may be a Kennebec Canoe from Waterville Maine instead of Old Town. Looking at the serial number I am pretty confident it is 18 108876 instead of what 576 I had in description." There are no records of Kennebec ever issuing serial numbers 108876, 108576, or 103576. The Old Town canoe with serial number 108576 is 18 feet long and the one with 108876 is 17 feet as shown below. It will take more than a serial number to identify this canoe. Can you supply some pictures of the canoe including the serial numbers and the deck areas from each end? Thanks,

Benson
 

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A wooden canoe with this serial number was listed in eBay last year from Warren, Massachusetts. A comment was added saying "I've been told that this may be a Kennebec Canoe from Waterville Maine instead of Old Town. Looking at the serial number I am pretty confident it is 18 108876 instead of what 576 I had in description." There are no records of Kennebec ever issuing serial numbers 108876, 108576, or 103576. The Old Town canoe with serial number 108576 is 18 feet long and the one with 108876 is 17 feet as shown below. It will take more than a serial number to identify this canoe. Can you supply some pictures of the canoe including the serial numbers and the deck areas from each end? Thanks,

Benson

Benson, I purchased that canoe and picked it up in Warren Ma. last week. I will send another message with photos and I will attempt to find the serial number. Thanks in advance for any assistance. Dennis
 
old canoe 3.jpgold canoe 3.jpgBenson,
Good evening sir. A little more information on the canoe I purchased in Warren Ma. I have attached 3 photos that I hope might assist in identifying this craft. I believe the serial number may be 18 108676, which leads me to believe it may be an Old Town. Numbers are faint after 80 yrs. There is a vague outline of an ID tag on the stern deck, and an oval, colored, faded picture of a canoe on the bow deck. Canoe also has a keel running the length of the hull. Hope this info can assist in tracking down this boat. Thanks in advance. Dennis
 

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Benson, Good afternoon sir. Attached are several photos of the serial number on the fore and aft stems of the Kennebec canoe purchased in Warren MA. The last 3 digits could possibly be 378 or 370. Happy hunting.

Dennis

P.S. what do you make of my 1960's fiberglass canoe used by BSA summer camps?
 
The last 3 digits could possibly be 378 or 370.

The pictures are missing. The Kennebec records show a 17 foot long canoe with serial number 103378 and the one with number 103370 is a 17 foot long canoe. Kennebec doesn't appear to have issued any serial numbers in the 108xxx range. What is the extreme length of yours in a straight line?

Benson
 
16 ft from bow to stern
 

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Hi Benson,
Perhaps you may see the same numbers as I do??
The last three numbers appear to be 376.....
The first three are illegible in these photo's and the last one is also very hard to discern so the six is a leap of faith.
A rub might get the numbers to pop out a bit, or a picture taken without the flash with a bit of side lighting might make them a bit more visible.
Mike
 
My guess is that you have the Kennebec canoe with serial number 102376 as shown on pages 212 and 213 of volume four in the Kennebec ledgers. This was assigned to a 16 foot long Kineo Special model. It was planked by Morgan on November 2nd, 1929. The canvas covering and the first filler coat were applied by Giroux on November 9th, 1929. It was railed by Bunker on December 21st, 1929 and the "F 22" (Function number 22 or the keel?) was completed by Thib. on the same day. The "F 24", "F 25", "F 26", and "F 28" (Function numbers 24 to 28 or the finish work) were completed by Gir. and Leonard on May 17th, 1930. The original color was red. It was packed by Breault on May 17th, 1930 and shipped to location "30-236" on May 16th, 1930. (I realize that these dates appear to be out of order but that is what the record shows.) This location is probably an order number but we don't currently have enough information to identify it.

The scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below. These original Kennebec records are reproduced through the courtesy of the Maine State Museum.

The microfilms and scans of these records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA). I hope that you will donate, join, or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to join.

More information about this and other Kennebec models can be found in the Kennebec catalogs contained on the Historic Wood Canoe and Boat Company Catalog Collection CDs available from http://store.wcha.org/The-Historic-...pany-Catalog-Collection-Version-2-CD-ROM.html in the WCHA store.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. The Boy Scout canoe looks durable which is typically a major requirement. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson
 

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Benson,
Many thanks for tracking down the history of the Kennebec canoe. After re examining the serial number, I am confident that it does read 102376. I am interested in becoming a member of WCHA. Enjoy your day,
Dennis
 
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