Hard to tell for sure right now. The 'sort of' unknow number being the second one has what appears to be a smaller loop on the top and cannot determine right now if that was indicative of the three that Old Town used. I will attempt to get a better answer in the AM but the temp outside right now is just above zero. Can anyone help me with this?
Old Town #93148 'or' 98148
- Thread starter cwfrench
- Start date
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
98148 is a 16 foot Baby Buzz, so I'm thinking that number isn't right. It may help best if you take a digital picture of the serial number and post it, along with some pictures of the canoe... unless the following seems like it might be what you have:
Old Town 93148 is a 17 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade Charles River model canoe with open spruce gunwales, red Western cedar planking, ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seat frames and a keel. Originally it was painted gray and shipped to Rumney, NH, on July 12, 1927. The reverse of the card shows an inquiry on 8/18/76 from Chelmsford, MA. Copies of these scans are attached below-- click to get a larger image.
This scan and several hundred thousand others 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/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to join.
Is there a second number-- indicating the length of the canoe-- after the serial number? The above canoe would be 93148 17. I'm concerned that this may not be the correct record because you said your canoe is 17'6"... Old Town didn't build a canoe that size, so if yours is an Old Town it may be an 18 footer. Measuring goes from the very farthest point on the bow to the farthest on the stern, without adding in the curves on the side: imagine a plumb-line touching the farthest points and measuring between. Many people measure a canoe by running a tape from the tip of one deck to the tip of the other, and you end up missing some extra inches. So, you may have an 18' canoe.
However, if you live near Chelmsford, MA, and the other details match, this may be your baby!
Kathy
Old Town 93148 is a 17 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade Charles River model canoe with open spruce gunwales, red Western cedar planking, ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seat frames and a keel. Originally it was painted gray and shipped to Rumney, NH, on July 12, 1927. The reverse of the card shows an inquiry on 8/18/76 from Chelmsford, MA. Copies of these scans are attached below-- click to get a larger image.
This scan and several hundred thousand others 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/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to join.
Is there a second number-- indicating the length of the canoe-- after the serial number? The above canoe would be 93148 17. I'm concerned that this may not be the correct record because you said your canoe is 17'6"... Old Town didn't build a canoe that size, so if yours is an Old Town it may be an 18 footer. Measuring goes from the very farthest point on the bow to the farthest on the stern, without adding in the curves on the side: imagine a plumb-line touching the farthest points and measuring between. Many people measure a canoe by running a tape from the tip of one deck to the tip of the other, and you end up missing some extra inches. So, you may have an 18' canoe.
However, if you live near Chelmsford, MA, and the other details match, this may be your baby!
Kathy
Attachments
Kathy, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! The second one (93148) is mine. I was guessing it was a 3 but could not rule out it being an eight. My father is the one who had them do a search in 1976. The canoe (as I understand) had been won in a raffle by my Grandfather of Concord and given at some point to his daughter Ruth Seymour. It must have been repainted red early on as it had my mothers initials painted in a design on each side of the bow. The canoe is a 'stalled restoration' of my own making. In my village is an older man who is retired and restores canoes and lapstrake hulled boats. He is going to help me through the recanvasing process at his shop.
btw, I did also join the WCHA tonight to help me along.
btw, I did also join the WCHA tonight to help me along.
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Welcome to the WCHA!
Wonderful! Glad that's the one. You're very lucky to have a family canoe to restore... and someone to guide you in the restoration process. I hope you'll post pictures. Will you restore it with your mom's initials?
Kathy
Wonderful! Glad that's the one. You're very lucky to have a family canoe to restore... and someone to guide you in the restoration process. I hope you'll post pictures. Will you restore it with your mom's initials?
Kathy
I kind of battled to keep in the family a many years ago when my father was going to sell it. I kept the design copied and will repaint it in the red with her initials on it. I spent most of my childhood learning to paddle it and flyfish in it on a small pond we had a family camp on in So NH. I know live across from a mill pond that meanders up a river a mile or so to a larger pond. It Begs for a canoe on it! I have restored a few British sportscars But I love old wood and this really looks like a fun and rewarding project. I will get some 'before' pics and post them here. Thank you again for your quick and very helpful reply.
