Old Town 11' S/N 120512

[LBorton]

I have inherited a restored 11' 1937 Old Town. Serial number is 120512
It has "D" shaped gunwales which was supposedly made exclusively for the Abercrombie & Fitch Co.?
Can you provide any build/shipping information and also confirm the "D" gunwales information?
Any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town build record for serial number 120512 shows a 16 foot long square stern canoe so that isn't yours. My guess is that you have the one with serial number 120542. This is an 11 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, fifty pound model with open spruce gunwales, oak decks, oak thwarts, oak seats, and a keel. It was built between February and April, 1937. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on April 30th, 1937 to Marquette, Michigan. A scan showing this build record can be found by following the link at the thumbnail image attached 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 also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. The "D" shaped gunwales were shipped to many other dealers besides Abercrombie & Fitch as demonstrated in this case. Please reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[LBorton]

Thank you Thank you!
Yes, I accidently included the wrong S/N. It is #120542.
The canoe resided in Michigan's Upper Peninsula which is corroborated by the your shipping information.
Thank you for the reply. LUV WCHA & Old Town!