Serial 15013 - CBMM boat auction - freebie

[sealover]

I'm now the owner of 150134. It was donated to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and sold at their auction for $100. I was second-highest bidder. Winner wanted it for its nice sponsons. I wanted it to hang in my man cave. Got to talking to the winner and he said I could have it after he pulled the sponsons. A 6 hour roadtrip last night to pick it up, and I now have it. It's too far gone to restored, but it will live on hanging in my man-cave, displaying antique fishing lures. I'd like to hang an Old Town catalog and the build sheet with it for display. I'm happy to make a donation to the forums. (I'd do it now,but I'm on a work computer)
It's a 14-15' red canvas, mahogany gunwales, and it had sponsons.

Thanks!
Rob, York PA

 

[Benson Gray]

Congratulations on your purchase but I don't think that you have an Old Town canoe. The Old Town and Carleton canoes with this serial number are both 18 feet long and had no sponsons. My guess is that you may have the Kennebec canoe with this serial number.

The Kennebec canoe with number 15013 is a 16 foot long sponson model type a as shown on pages 246 and 283 of volume two in the Kennebec ledgers. It was planked by Roundy on December 18th, 1920. The canvas covering and first filler coat were applied by Roy on the same day. The sponsons made by Grant on December 24th, 1920 with number 3108. Tuttle applied the second filler coat on May 31st, 1924. It was railed by Mansell on June 1st, 1924. The original color was green. It shipped to location 24-179 on June, 11th, 1924. This location is probably an order number but we don't currently have enough information to identify it.

The scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below. These original Kennebec records are reproduced through the courtesy of the Maine State Museum.

The microfilms and scans of these records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA). I hope that you will contribute, 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.

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

Benson

 

[sealover]

thank you for the prompt response. It is 15-16 feet and sure enough, there is traces of green paint under the red. However it has remnants of an Old Town decal. Inspecting it with a flashlight at a low angle revealed an extra digit - 150134. A bit further down there is a 16 stamped as well.

What does 150134 tell us?

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 150134 is a 16 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW (Heavy Water) model with red western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, a keel, a floor rack, and sponsons. It was built between January and April, 1948. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on April 9th, 1948 to Buffalo, New York. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.

Your recent contribution to the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) is much appreciated.

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.

Benson

 

[sealover]

That's definitely it! Thank you. I made a donation when I got home last night.
Weird that the Kennebec number was for a nearly identical canoe.