Help wood canoe? Serial SWE 31308-873

[Juliamay]

I have no idea what to do
Have a wood canoe
Serial
SWE 31308-873
It's wood inside
Green on outside
Help please

 

[michaelt]

The Hull Identification Number tells it all:

SWE means it was built by Stowe Canoe Company, which went out of biz in 1991.

The last two numbers indicate the year in which it was built. If you posted before and submitted a picture, I think it showed 74 not 73, either way the last two designate the year.

Where are you located? I am near DC.

MIC: SWE Status: Inactive
Company: THE STOWE CANOE COMPANY Company Official: ROBERT HARTT
Parent Company: Parent MIC:
Address: BOX 207 City: STOWE
State: VT Zip: 05672
Country: Phone: 8022537398
Fax: In Business: Wednesday, January 24, 1973
Out of Business: Monday, September 23, 1991 Date Modified: Thursday, October 03, 1991
Type: Canoes, Kayaks


Additional Address:

 

[michaelt]

Look at the post three of four down from yours titled "Who made it"

Does that canoe look like yours? It should. The same folks built both.

 

[Juliamay]

 

[Juliamay]

Hey thank you so much for all the info on my canoe! I live in atlanta, ga
Is the canoe a good one? Company went out of business. Huh I sent some picss
I want to take on the river soon

 

[Juliamay]

What do you think about these canoes? You seem to know a lot
Is it something to hang onto? Keepsake? Or just put on wall or use on lake? No idea
It has been refinished I think

 

[Juliamay]

Yes
That is exactly the same canoe. Mine appears to be in good condition a little dry rot on tip end. Other than that it is pretty

 

[Greg Nolan]

There is no reason not to use this canoe, on a lake, river, or whatever water you have available. It is not a rarity, and has little or no value as a collectible or antique. If you like how it looks enough to hang on your wall, why not? But most here would think its better use is for on-water recreation. Of course, you could hang it on the wall when not paddling it.

It looks like the interior may have been varnished -- a good thing if marine or "spar" varnish was used -- to protect the wood inside the hull from ultra-violet damage. The "green" of the hull is fiberglass, I believe -- an occasional waxing of the outside will help to keep it looking good. Revarnishing with marine varnish from time to time will keep the interior in good shape -- ordinary varnish will rapidly deteriorate and peel off.

The rotted/damaged wood deck should be replaced, as should any other wood with rot -- rot never goes away, but only spreads. It's hard to determine the exact condition of the gunwales from the pictures -- the discoloration may only be surface UV damage, in which case you could remove them from the canoe, strip all old varnish off, sand away the discoloration, revarnish (with marine varnish), and reinstall -- all quite simple tasks, if a bit messy.

The dry rot on the canoe tip(s) comes from storing the canoe upside down on the ground -- something that is ok for a few days when camping, but is not a good idea for regular storage -- store it inside if possible, and if not, upside down raised from the ground (sawhorses are commonly used).

 

[Dave Osborn]

A wooden canoe stored outside should also be covered...or under cover. IMHO, just off the ground, upside down is not a good practice for long term storage. Short term...while on a vacation or camping trip, not an issue, but.....
I've had canoes come to the shop that were not stored on the ground, but outside and upside down on horses or some kind of supports, that have rotted tips of the stem, gunwales, and decks.
Water will run off of the hull, down to the gunwales, along the gunwales, and the largest percentage of water will run off onto the ground. What doesn't run off to the ground will secretly...over time, and each time, wick back into the the tips...and over time, begin to rot.
Based on my theory of wicking, I caution wooden canoe customers to support their canoes with horses or supports with a distance between them that equal 1/3 of the length of the canoe, upside down, and under cover from sun and rain.