Old Town 16 #169288

[Bill James]

This canoe was given to my Father as a Xmas present from my Mother 1959 0r 1960. It hasn't been in the water for 25 plus years and has been stored inside for that same length of time. I am in the process of restoring. I just retired three weeks ago and it is my first project. Just curious about the original build info. Thanks /bill

 

[Greg Nolan]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 169288 is a 16-foot long Guide model equipped with a keel. It was built between September and November 1959. The exterior was originally painted guide special green. It was shipped on December 7, 1959 to Richmond, Virginia. Around 1957, Old Town began to build only one grade of canoe, which usually had mahogany gunwales and spruce for the remaining “trim” wood and western red cedar planking -- none of which was usually indicated on build records. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail image attached below.



This scan 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. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Greg

 

[Greg Nolan]

Welcome to the WCHA.

If this is your first canoe restoration, I hope you are familiar with one or more of these books:

The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok

Building the Maine Guide Canoe by Jerry Stelmok

This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, by Mike Elliott

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction. The third is the most recently published and has been well received.

Of course, you can always ask questions here on the forums.

You might also want to look at The Old Town Canoe Company by Susan Audette and David Baker, a great history of the Old Town company and its canoes.

These books are all available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon.

Good luck with your restoration -- we would like to see pictures of your canoe when finished -- and even along the way of the restoration process.

Greg