Serial number research

[brichardson001]

I would like to find some information on Old Town serial number 111166. I is a 16' model and has a complete sailing rig that may have been added after initial purchase.

Thank you for your help!

Brent

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Greetings, Brent--

Old Town 111166 is a 16 foot CS (common sense, or middle grade) HW model canoe that was completed January-September of 1932. It has open spruce gunwales, oak decks/thwarts/seat frames, a keel, and sponsons. It was originally dark green, and was shipped to Nordstrom's in Seattle, WA, on October 26, 1932. No mention is made of a sail rig, which may have been available at the time of purchase at Nordstrom's or added later, as you suggested.

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.

Kathy

 

[brichardson001]

Thank you for the incredibly quick reply! This matches well. Unfortunately the Sponsons are no longer attached but this explains some of the holes present that would have mounted them.

Curious that it has two dates for each of the fillings. Any typical reasons for this? Perhaps some scratches while awaiting color.

WCHA is a wonderful resource -- renewed my membership this morning.

Thanks Again,

Brent

 

[Greg Nolan]

Just guessing from the dates, but it looks like the canoe was covered and got two rounds of filling (February and July) as was usually done, then had the sponsons installed on August 5, with two more rounds of filling thereafter in August -- probably only for the sponsons which had just been installed. Fitting of the rails and keel followed, after which came the paint and varnish later in August and September.