Old Town Canoe, Serial #209618

[BlackMage]

Just bought this canoe two days ago, my research indicates that it is a 1975-76 Chipewyan Tripper, made from Royalex. It's a light aquamarine(ish) color, and is 17'2" long.

Thanks for your help, and not sure if this is an OK place to ask, but whats the best way to go about ordering new gunwales for this canoe. Is that even possible for a canoe this old?

 

[pklonowski]

You should be able to order them through your local Old Town dealer. http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/dealer_locator/

Replacing gunnels on Royalex boats isn't difficult, mostly just drilling out rivets, & pop-rivetting in the new parts. Good luck!

 

[BlackMage]

You should be able to order them through your local Old Town dealer. http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/dealer_locator/

Replacing gunnels on Royalex boats isn't difficult, mostly just drilling out rivets, & pop-rivetting in the new parts. Good luck!

Thanks for the guidance.

I suppose I should note that I am asking for the archived card for this canoe, in case that wasn't clear. I am truly grateful for all the help I receive on this! (Intending this for anyone who can help)

 

[pklonowski]

I don't have the records, but I think they run out somewhere right around your SN... hopefully somebody with the information will be along soon.

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 209618. This is a 17 foot long Chipewyan Tripper model with aluminum inserts in the vinyl rails. It was built in September, 1975. The original exterior color was avocado. It shipped on September 25th, 1975 to North Conway, New Hampshire. The back side of this scan shows that the skin was torn under the stern deck and that the warranty card was returned from Bridgton, Maine in April, 1976. Scans of both sides of this build record can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below.

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/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. I am just outside of Bridgton now at the Maine Canoe Symposium in the rain. New rails can be ordered from your local Old Town dealer as Paul mentioned. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[BlackMage]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 209618. This is a 17 foot long Chipewyan Tripper model with aluminum inserts in the vinyl rails. It was built in September, 1975. The original exterior color was avocado. It shipped on September 25th, 1975 to North Conway, New Hampshire. The back side of this scan shows that the skin was torn under the stern deck and that the warranty card was returned from Bridgton, Maine in April, 1976. Scans of both sides of this build record can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below.

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/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. I am just outside of Bridgton now at the Maine Canoe Symposium in the rain. New rails can be ordered from your local Old Town dealer as Paul mentioned. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

Thanks for your help!

If the patch on the canoe is that original patch, its holding up fairly well after almost 40 years.

 

[BlackMage]

Also, whats the last serial number logged? I suppose if I can't have one of the first canoes logged, it would be neat to have one of the last.

 

[Benson Gray]

Also, whats the last serial number logged? I suppose if I can't have one of the first canoes logged, it would be neat to have one of the last.

It is my sad duty to report that you don't have the last serial number either. Old Town is still in business and this model is being sold at http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/expedition/tripper_172.html as the Tripper 172. They issued serial number one million in 2003 as described at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/models.html if you want more details. This canoe has been one of their most popular so it will probably be available for many more years.

Benson

 

[BlackMage]

It is my sad duty to report that you don't have the last serial number either. Old Town is still in business and this model is being sold at http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/expedition/tripper_172.html as the Tripper 172. They issued serial number one million in 2003 as described at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/models.html if you want more details. This canoe has been one of their most popular so it will probably be available for many more years.

Benson

But its my understanding that OT stopped archiving these build records around 210,000, right?

 

[pklonowski]

The copy of the archives that WCHA has access to ends somewhere around there... but, as Benson said, OT has made a lot of boats since then.

 

[Benson Gray]

But its my understanding that OT stopped archiving these build records around 210,000, right?

The money for the WCHA's Old Town build record archive project ran out at the box numbered 210,000 with the build record numbered 210,999 as Paul mentioned. They continued to keep paper build records in regularly numbered boxes until the box numbered 398,000 which is from around 1990. There are a few other paper records up to 1992 and a small collection of wooden canoe records from 2002-2005. All of the records after this are electronic and only a few records past 211,000 have been scanned.

The canoe with serial number 210,915 is the closest to 210,999 that I have ever been asked to research. This one was used on a Nahanni river trip that Jeanne Bourquin will be describing on Saturday night at the WCHA Assembly this year. Let me know if this doesn't answer your question.

Benson