Old Town

[Matto]

I have friend who has an Old Town canoe, w/number 149206 17 stamped into wood frame work inside bow. The canoe is red in
color & appears to be a cedar/canvas, w/sailing hardware, i.e. mast pole(s) & sail, two out boards & a detachable rudder. What can you
tell me about this craft re age, model, history, worth (other than the gunnels having a few nicks here & there it appears to be in good
shape).
Please feel free to post answers here for others who may have an interest in such craft, but please also post to
thecloses@yahoo.com.
Thank-you

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Hello--

Old Town 149206 is a 17 foot AA(top) grade Otca model canoe that was completed June-October 1947, with red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks/thwarts/seat frames, a keel and floor rack. It was originally bright red and was shipped to Gladstone, MI, on March 19 (?) 1948. No mention of a sailing rig and the canoe was shipped to an individual rather than a dealership... sometimes a sail rig is added at the dealership. If this is the correct canoe, the rig may not be Old Town-- but it could be. Posting pictures may provide an answer.

An Otca of this era will have 20" decks with coaming, and you would have diamond-head bolts holding the thwarts and seat frames. the serial number would appear on both bow and stern stems, not just the bow. If you post pictures, we may be able to say what you have if it isn't Old Town.

Value is difficult to determine even with the canoe in-person, because it depends on many factors--- here is a good discussion: http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57-How-much-is-my-old-wooden-canoe-worth.



Image of 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 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.

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.

Kathy