Been looking at this canoe to buy. Wondering what the built record says. The seller gave me the number and wasn't sure if the last number was an 6 or 8. It has an W. S. Brown, Pittsburgh brass plaque on the deck. Thanks.
Welcome, this serial number may not be much help in finding a build record. There are no Old Town or Carleton records for number 2478 and the Kennebec record for this number shows a 17 foot long canoe. None of the Old Town records for 12478, 112478, along with the 2478x or 12478x ranges show a canoe that shipped to W. S. Brown or Pittsburgh either. The last digit can probably be confirmed with a tape measure since the last two digits usually indicate the overall, straight line length of the canoe in feet. Can you get the seller to provide pictures of the serial numbers and surrounding area from each end? The suggestions at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/791/ may help if the numbers are difficult to read. It would also be helpful to get some pictures of the canoe including the decks, interior, brass plaque, and any other distinguishing features. These details may confirm the builder even without a build record. Good luck,