1937 Old Town?

Clearwater Lodge

Curious about Wooden Canoes
I recently purchased an Old Town canoe. The serial # is 127928 - 16.
There is also a brass tag that states that the craft was built for Abercrombie and Fitch.
Any information about this canoe would be greatly appreciated.
We floated the canoe down the Clearwater river yesterday and it now is on display in the roof of the Clearwater Lodge.
I will post pictures if anyone is interested.
 
Congratulations and welcome, the Old Town canoe with serial number 127928 is a 16 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW (heavy water) model with open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, oval outside finish rails, a keel, a floor rack, and a painter ring in the bow stem. It was built between June and December, 1939. The original exterior paint color was light Yale blue. It shipped on March 1st, 1940 to New York City. The back side of the card shows that it returned on September 17th, 1940 for repairs and was shipped back on November 20th, 1940 to Berryville, Virginia. It may have moved to Reston, Virginia by June of 1981 when there was a previous request for a copy of this build record. Scans showing both sides of this build record can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below.

127928.jpg 127928-b.jpg

These scans and several hundred thousand others were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. A description of the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Please post some pictures. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson
 
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I will post pictures if anyone is interested.[/QUOTE said:
People here are always interested in canoe pictures -- especially when located in a newly rebuilt lodge in what, for many of us, is an exotic location. Any idea how the canoe got from Virginia to Alaska?
 
Thanks for the reply!
Its awesome to see the history of this beautiful canoe.
The gentleman that I bought the boat from got the craft from his father. I will quiz him as to how it got to Alaska.
Attached is a picture of the boat hanging in the bar at the Clearwater Lodge. I will post a couple of it on the water later.
 

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The Clearwater is a spring fed stream that is managed as a trophy Arctic Grayling fishery. The gin clear water stays the same temperature year round (approx. 39F), thus it doesn't freeze completely over even at -50F.
 

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Seems like a place Jean & I should visit. What a great name for a river! Not to mention the fact that Gin and I are well acquainted with each other!

Jim Clearwater
 
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