Old Town Wood and Canvas Canoe

[sangfroid]

I have inherited my father's Old Town Canoe he purchased around 1962-63.

It has spent many years in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and has been my favorite canoe of all time.

The serial # is 173988 and is a 17' canoe. It is in fair shape but needs some work especially on the seats.

Could I get a little history on it and if possible what it's value is?

Can I get a kit to do some touchup work on the canvas cover?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Greg Nolan]

Welcome to the WCHA.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 173988 is a 167foot long Otca model with narrow planking (2 ¾” wide) equipped with a keel and a full-length bang plate along the keel, and 2 painter rings. It was built between June and July 1964. The original exterior paint color was dark green . It was shipped to Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 2, 1964. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail image attached below.

Click image for larger version.


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. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.


In addition to asking questions here, there are three good sources of information about canoe restoration that you would do well to get, or at least look at before making any decision about how to repair or restore your canoe, -- "The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance" by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok, and/or "Building the Maine Guide Canoe" by Jerry Stelmok.
You might also want to look at "The Old Town Canoe Company" by Susan Audette and David Baker, a great history of the Old Town company and its canoes. These are available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon.

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction, and the third is a great history of the company and its canoes. These are available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon.
Sue Audette also sells her book directly ( http://www.thebaglady.tv/ ).

I am not aware of any kits for dealilng with canvas and paint repair. If you post a few pictures here showing the areas of the paint and canvas that you are concerned about, you will likely get some specific advice about how to proceed (although a response may be a bit delayed -- the WCHA Assembly is this week -- I am packed and ready to leave tomorrow).

For a discussion of determining the value of a canoe, see the post at:

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.ph...en-canoe-worth

See also: http://wcha.org/legacypages/catalogs/old-town/guide/

Greg Nolan
President, WCHA

 

[sangfroid]

Well Greg,

Mine isn't quite 167 feet long but thanks for the info.

I'll look into the first two books you mentioned.

I recall dad had a 3-4 inch diameter heavy cardboard tube, about a foot long, with a tin or aluminum twist on lid that had canvas patches, glue (I think) and small bottles with green paint, for patching up the canvas. I think he used it up as I couldn't find it, but was hoping the Old Town Canoe Company might still carry them. The inside of the canoe is almost immaculate except for the cane seats which have rotten through. When I get a chance I'll take some photo's of the canoe and post them here.

My dad has hundreds of photos of the canoe from our many canoe trips in the BWCA as well as on the St. Croix River. I have no idea where he may have stashed them.

Mike

 

[Greg Nolan]

Sorry for the typo -- 17' is what it should read, of course.

The type of repair kit you describe comes up on eBay every now and again -- no longer made, but the materials in it, or comparable materials, are readily available otherwise.

There is one other book to consider -- just recently published, so I am not personally familiar with it -- but it has gotten some good reviews --
This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, by Mike Elliott, also carried by the WCHA online store.

Greg

 

[sangfroid]

No need to apologize Greg. We all do typo's in this day and age of technology. Auto correct is frustrating but can't catch all our mistakes or just makes them worse! It just made me laugh as I imagined trying to paddle a canoe that large.

I had seen that book on Amazon while looking up the other one's you had recommended previously. I'll purchase it from your online store to support WCHA.

Thanks for the quick responses. My canoe is now sitting at a friends house, on the St Joe River, awaiting its first trip down to the St Maries river and then upstream. I'll have photo's of it at that time.

Mike