Old Town Serial Number Search

[CraigS]

I'm interested in any available information on a 16 ft Old Town square stern canoe with sponsons, serial #148699 (if I have made it out correctly). It hasn't been in the water since my Dad was a teenager in the early 1970s and has been sitting in my grandfather's barn ever since. My great grandfather had it before that, but I don't think he was the original owner. I'm thinking of bringing this canoe back to life.

Thanks!

 

[smallboatshop]

Hi Craig,

Your boat is a 16' AA Grade (Top Grade) Square Stern with Western Red cedar planking, open Mahogany gunwales and deck, spruce thwart (carry handle) and spruce seats, a keel, outside stem, and sponsons. It was painted dark green with a guide special green bottom and fitted with rowlocks. It was completed in 1947 and sold to someone in Cambridge, MA.

The scan of this record is attached below-- click on it 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 and anyone else reading this will join or renew membership in 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 renew.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Providing photographs would help with identification, as would an accurate measurement of the boat's
length.

Dan

Daniel Eaton
smallboat shop
Denmark, Maine
www.smallboat-shop.com

 

[CraigS]

Thanks for the response! Seems right, I've included a couple photos. The only deviation I notice is the canoe is equipped with a floor rack, and I don't think it has a thwart in addition to the seats. Perhaps the thwart was removed and floor racks added later? The canvas is shot and the stem band is coming off and bent, but I don't think there is any rot in the ribs or planking. There are also steel rods connecting from the gunwale to the transom that I'm guessing weren't original? Perhaps they were added as reinforcement for using an outboard?

 

[smallboatshop]

Attached is the page from the 1947 Old Town Catalog. The boat came equipped with the floor rack so that answers that question. I believe the "thwart" is the carry handle just behind the deck. OT added those to boats with sponsons. I would guess here that because of the extra weight added by the sponsons, that the carry handle allowed two people to carry from the bow.

I'd agree with you about the metal supports.

It looks like you have a nice project ahead with a fine boat at the end!

Dan