Old Town Wood Canvas

JimCole

New Member
I recently acquired a wood canvas canoe. Serial number on the bow and stern stems looks like 36548. I could be missing a lead number but the last 5 I'm sure of. Can anyone tell me when this canoe was made? I believe it's an Old town but am not sure.

Thanks
 
Hello--

You may want to post pictures to be certain what you have matches the record. Old Town 36548 is a 17 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade HW (heavy water) model canoe. The serial number on both stems would read 36548 17... or possibly with the 17 preceding the serial number. It has red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, LONG ash decks and ash thwarts and seat frames. The length of the decks is not mentioned, but this canoe would not have the usual Old Town deck, but would have a longer one with coaming. Original color was auto gray. It was shipped to Kennedy Brothers in Minneapolis, MN, on April 6, 1915. A canoe of this era would not have diamond head bolts holding the thwarts and seat frames. Also, an interesting factor I've noticed in looking up these records is that canoes usually don't stray too far from their original destination. Image of the scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image.

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/ot_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/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php 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.

Kathy
 

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