When was the Old Town made?

[Tellico]

I am seeking any available information regarding the history of this model and of this individual canoe. It is a 15' wood and canvas Old Town canoe that I have inherited.
The serial number appears to be 75389 15.
There might be a space between the 7 and the 5.
It has one thwart. The Old Town Logo is on the wood surface on the bow. The hull has a low profile and is 36" wide at the gunnels in the middle of the boat.
Thank you

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town with serial number 75389 is an 16 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, square stern model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, maple thwarts, maple seats, a keel, and sponsons. It was built between January and February, 1923. The original exterior paint color was brilliant green. It shipped on March, 15th, 1923 to a location that didn't scan well enough to read. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail images below.

This scan and several hundred thousand more 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/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.

It is likely that you have another number since this description doesn't match the one you gave. Some of the tricks at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?791 may help with serial numbers that are hard to read. Another option is to just post some pictures of the numbers from each end including the areas around them here. Feel free to reply if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Tellico]

Thank you for your response. Yes, you are correct, my description does not match the canoe you identified. This canoe dose not have a square stern and is definitely 15' in length. Perhaps the first number is a 1 instead of a 7. The number stamped looks like an upside down and backwards L. I did question if it is a 7 but it is not a normal looking 1 either.
I tried to insert a photo of the number, but was unable to get it to post to this reply. Just to make sure this is a serial number, it is stamped into a piece of wood both at the bow and stern, directly above the keel. The number at the stern is somewhat obscured by a repair done with fiberglass and resin. Thanks for your time to check on this.

 

[Tellico]

Here is the photo, I hope anyway.

 

[Benson Gray]

My guess is that you have the Old Town canoe with serial number 153289. This is a 15 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, fifty pound model with white Maine cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, a keel, and a painter ring. It was built between September and October, 1949. The original exterior paint color was probably dark green. It was shipped on April 14th, 1950 to Fenton, Michigan. A scan showing this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.

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

 

[Tellico]

My guess is that you have the Old Town canoe with serial number 153289. This is a 15 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, fifty pound model with white Maine cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, a keel, and a painter ring. It was built between September and October, 1949. The original exterior paint color was probably dark green. It was shipped on April 14th, 1950 to Fenton, Michigan. A scan showing this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.

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

Benson

Benson, thanks for the follow up. I think this is spot on. Heading to a nearby lake with it now. It has not been in the water in 30 years! If it leaks I willy surely be back with restoration questions. I have always been into canoes, rowboats, and kayaks, but have never been in a wood canoe so this is fun. Thanks again for the information. I will be joining your organization soon.
John