Stern decal

[paddler123]

Our 1908 Old Town HW has the decal on the stern deckplate (and none on the bow). Has anybody else ever seen this before? My two hypotheses are that it was always like that or somehow it got turned around at some time in its life.

 

[Benson Gray]

This is not common and some pictures might help. Mistakes obviously happened but it seems unlikely that no one else would have noticed this error before it left the factory. Does the bow deck have any signs of having had a dealer logo (i.e. a shadow, discoloration, nail holes from a brass tag, etc.)? Are the inside rails original and are there any signs that the seats may have been moved or reversed at some point? Are both decks original or could they have been reversed in a prior restoration or repair? Is the decal correct for this period or does it appear to have been added later? What is the serial number and does the build record indicate anything unusual?

Benson

 

[paddler123]

It is serial number 8025 - the build record doesn't indicate anything unusual. There was no sign of anything on the bow deck and the decks look original as far as I can tell. The canoe has clearly been worked on before, but the only holes in the gunwales are for the present orientation. I'm not sure how to tell if the gunwales are original, but there is nothing obvious suggesting that they aren't.

The first two pictures show the stern deck (the decal didn't survive the stripping). The last one shows the bow deck.

 

[paddler123]

Also, there are two black X's marked on both sides of the stern on the exterior of the planking. I'm not sure if that means anything.

 

[Benson Gray]

I'm sorry to hear that the decal didn't survive. It appears that you may have had an exceptionally unique one. I don't know what two black X's might have been for. I would be interested in seeing any other pictures that you may have of this decal, especially if they are in sharp focus and high resolution. Good luck with the rest of the restoration,

Benson

 

[Fitz]

Could the double X's refer to the XX Model?

 

[Benson Gray]

Could the double X's refer to the XX Model?

This is possible but the build record for number 8025 shown at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?10092 identifies it as an HW model. There is very little documentation for the XX model and it only had a brief reference in the 1905 catalog. Another mystery,

Benson

 

[paddler123]

Here are some enlarged pictures in case they help.

1. Decal pre-stripping. It had split and checked with the varnish.
2. Decal mid-stripping
3. Decal post-stripping
4, 5. The X on the stern (there's one on each side)

 

[Fitz]

Sorry, I misunderstood the post. I thought there were two X's on each side. So I thought it may be referring to the double X model.

 

[paddler123]

I don't think the X's are original, but they may be from a previous repair job and have something to do with the unusual orientation.