Old Town 171816 15

I would very much like to know more about my beloved 15ft Old Town canoe, I've had it since 1983 (bought in upstate NY), and I am getting ready to have it refurbished and recanvassed. As it presently does not have the original canvas, I would love to know what color it was originally. Many thanks!

Mainer,

You purchased this canoe 20 years after is was shipped to Groton, CT on April 17, 1962. It was built as a 15' 50# model. A keel was added and the original color was red. Not much else on the build record which is attached.

If not already a member, please consider joining the WCHA to help support this and other services offered here. Since you are planning on recanvassing, this will be your best resource for professional advice from the professionals.

All the best,

Ric Altfather

Many thanks

Thanks so much for the info on my Old Town... red it is, and red it will be! Is there any history as to the exact tone (Pantone ideally) that the "red" was? Also, do you have any info as to what the 50# was actually built for, and what it implied? The "build record" was wondrous, thanks for adding it!

The "Fifty Pound" model used lighter canvas, thinner wood to make a lighter weight canoe to make it easier for portaging. As to the color, different catalogs had slightly different shades over the years - maybe Benson or Dan will jump in with a close match suggestion.

BTW -- are you still in upstate NY or are you a "Mainer" as your handle suggests?

Now in Maine

I have indeed returned to the birthplace of my canoe... not quite in Old Town, but a bit further south in Maine in Scarborough. Hopefully someone will be able to supply the exact red of this 1962 model. Was the keel not a part of the regular model, was it added as a special request/order?

Paint archeology is not an exact science. Look for areas where the original paint might have been hidden out of the sun light under the rails, keel, bang plate, etc. My general advice in these situations is to pick a red that you like because no one is ever likely to be able to prove that it is not the original shade. I live just north of Portland and may be able to locate an original color chip card from the late 1960s as shown below if that would help. More information like this is available from the Old Town Canoe Catalog CD which can be purchased from http://merchandise.wcha.org/ and http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/cdrom.htm on the web. Good luck,

Benson