serial number searxh

[Andre Cloutier]

hopefully someone likes a challenge and can go all CSI on these pics. possibly the faintest serial number ever. boat should be before 1928, looks like hw decks, possibly aa grade but likely just dark. maybe a carlton? thanks!

 

[Andre Cloutier]

reported to be 16’, havent seen it in person yet. shipped to Browns sporting goods in pittsburgh.

 

[Benson Gray]

My guess was something in the 22x78 range but none of them have short decks and half ribs. Can you confirm the length in feet? Can you provide a picture of the other end or is that shown in the middle picture from the first group? The thwart with two bolts on each end doesn't look like an Old Town style. What is your guess for a serial number?

Benson

 

[Andre Cloutier]

thanks Benson, boat is 16 ft, seats habe been changed out and are not original so no clues there. dont have a serial number guess, and i didnt even find the twart shape was too old town. has been canvassed once and outer rails look changed. there is this though...

 

[Fitz]

Maybe a fancy Charles River, "Ideal" model. Ribs do not appear to be tapered. The thwarts are similar to the old (1911-12) Ideal that the Norumbega Chapter is currently bringing back from the dead. Do my eyes deceive me or was there a single bolt in the thwart ends that was replaced by two bolts?

 

[mccloud]

Is that a piece of planking used next to the deck in place of "rib 1"? I've seen this in Huron and Chestnut but never Old Town.

 

[Benson Gray]

This additional information makes me guess that you have the Old Town canoe with serial number 24478. This is a 16 foot long, AA (or top) grade, Ideal model with red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, half ribs, and a keel. It was built between December, 1912 and March, 1913. The original exterior paint color was dark red. The shipping date is shown as December 7th, 1912 but this is probably a typographical error. The destination is W. S. Brown in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.



This scan and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. 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 donate 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 renew.

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

Benson

 

[Andre Cloutier]

wow, ive seen a lot of people blown away with the research abilities on here concerning old town, and this does not disappoint! too bad the mahogany outwales are missing and seats have been changed, but still it looks in remarkable shape and just missed the 100 yr old assembly. oral history was that a vacationing couple brought it to cottage country and left it or sold it to the resort owners who have had it in the family ever since.

 

[pklonowski]

That's an incredible piece of work, Benson... BRAVO!!!

 

[monkitoucher]

A quick google search on WS Brown... It looks like he was an outfitter/sporting goods supplier.

Here's an exhaustive family history.
https://issuu.com/williambrownmccready/docs/brown_sons_text_pdf