I recently was given a 16' Old Town Boat that is all wood with serial number 153678. I believe this is a 1946 model boat. This boat is in very good condition. I'm not interested in selling it just curious if it would be worth enough to worry about insuring it. Any help will be appreciated.
What is my boat worth
- Thread starter bweave
- Start date
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
This discussion should provide you some direction.
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57-How-much-is-my-old-wooden-canoe-worth
Old Town 153678 is a 16 foot AA (top) grade square stern canoe that was completed between December 1949 and June 1950. It has red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales and 48 inch mahogany decks, a keel, sponsons, and a floor rack. Originally it was painted dark green enamel. It was shipped June 15, 1950 to Auburn, Maine.
I would provide the build record but my computer won't let me upload at the present-- it needs coffee or a kick in the pants. I'll upload the image after it gets some time out!
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. 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 athttp://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/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.
Kathy
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57-How-much-is-my-old-wooden-canoe-worth
Old Town 153678 is a 16 foot AA (top) grade square stern canoe that was completed between December 1949 and June 1950. It has red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales and 48 inch mahogany decks, a keel, sponsons, and a floor rack. Originally it was painted dark green enamel. It was shipped June 15, 1950 to Auburn, Maine.
I would provide the build record but my computer won't let me upload at the present-- it needs coffee or a kick in the pants. I'll upload the image after it gets some time out!
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. 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 athttp://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/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.
Kathy
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Thank you Kathy. This description fits however the date does not. I have the title to the boat and it shows it to be a 1946 model. Do you have any idea how I could go about getting an appraisal done on this boat? I have not been able to find anyone around the Tyler TX area that knows anything about it.
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
If your canoe doesn't appear to fit the details of the build record then the number is wrong and I (or one of the other volunteers) could search for the correct one. Sometimes taking a digital picture of the number will bring out more detail. Post the picture here and many eyes can help decipher the numbers, if necessary. Is it a square stern boat (rather than a canoe that is pointy at both ends)? Is the trim mahogany? Does it have a long, 4 foot deck, or the traditional Old Town short deck? Canoes don't seem to travel much from their original destination, even after many decades--- so, does the location where it was shipped seem reasonable or halfway across the country from where you knew it lived? A 1946 boat or canoe would have been built during a period of wartime shortages, before Old Town was able to get brass fasteners for use in the building process. Boats built from 1943-1947 are sometimes referred to as "war time boats", even though WWII was over by 1946. Such boats have a place in history but don't hold together as well as a boat fastened with brass and copper.
In figuring out what your boat should be insured for, don't look at the prices people are asking on eBay these days.
My homeowners' insurance policy would only cover a canoe worth $300. Unless your boat needs lots of work, it may be worth more than that. If you had it restored to perfection and paid $3000 for the restoration, then insure it for at least that amount. I'm not saying that's what you could sell it for, but to you it is worth that. But I'm assuming that by "very good condition" you mean it's water-worthy and looks nice, so it might be sale-able for a thousand dollars or more, and should be insured for that.
I had my canoes insured by Haggerty (https://www.hagerty.com/Insurance/Classic-Boat-Insurance). There may be other companies that insure classic boats, but this is the one I used. They insure a boat based on the degree to which it has been restored, which worked well for me when I had a number of classic canoes but were unrestored. So a canoe that "needed everything" might be insured for $300-- and maybe more depending on rarity and desirability. It's been my experience that there isn't as much demand for the square stern canoes as there is for those with the double ends. The value you put on the boat is up to you. Read through the information in the link I provided earlier and if you still need help figuring this out, post pictures. We love pictures of boats.
Kathy
In figuring out what your boat should be insured for, don't look at the prices people are asking on eBay these days.
My homeowners' insurance policy would only cover a canoe worth $300. Unless your boat needs lots of work, it may be worth more than that. If you had it restored to perfection and paid $3000 for the restoration, then insure it for at least that amount. I'm not saying that's what you could sell it for, but to you it is worth that. But I'm assuming that by "very good condition" you mean it's water-worthy and looks nice, so it might be sale-able for a thousand dollars or more, and should be insured for that.
I had my canoes insured by Haggerty (https://www.hagerty.com/Insurance/Classic-Boat-Insurance). There may be other companies that insure classic boats, but this is the one I used. They insure a boat based on the degree to which it has been restored, which worked well for me when I had a number of classic canoes but were unrestored. So a canoe that "needed everything" might be insured for $300-- and maybe more depending on rarity and desirability. It's been my experience that there isn't as much demand for the square stern canoes as there is for those with the double ends. The value you put on the boat is up to you. Read through the information in the link I provided earlier and if you still need help figuring this out, post pictures. We love pictures of boats.
Kathy
I would encourage you to reach out to Ron Nunnelly of the Southeast Texas – Southwest Louisiana Chapter who may be able to help. The page at http://www.wcha.org/local-area-chapters/ has his contact information listed. The date on the title was probably supplied by a previous owner who may not have known the actual build date. Feel free to reply here if you have other questions.
Benson
Kathy
Thank you for all of this information. I have some pictures if I can figure out how to attach them.
It is a square stern boat and the trim is mahogany. The deck is 4ft long. The history on this boat as I know it is: My uncle while living in Maryland bought this boat I believe second hand (so the original Maine ship to is probably accurate). He then retired and moved to Washington state taking the boat with him. Recently at a family reunion he gave the boat to me so now the boat has moved to east Texas. Mr. Gray may have a very plausible explanation of the year model discrepancy. I will have to ask my uncle for some additional history.
Thank you for all of this information. I have some pictures if I can figure out how to attach them.
It is a square stern boat and the trim is mahogany. The deck is 4ft long. The history on this boat as I know it is: My uncle while living in Maryland bought this boat I believe second hand (so the original Maine ship to is probably accurate). He then retired and moved to Washington state taking the boat with him. Recently at a family reunion he gave the boat to me so now the boat has moved to east Texas. Mr. Gray may have a very plausible explanation of the year model discrepancy. I will have to ask my uncle for some additional history.
Attachments
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Beautiful boat-- and it appears to fit the build record. The serial number is very clear. Connecting with a WCHA chapter is the way to go!
Kathy
Kathy
