Can someone ID this Old Town...

[Howie]

I was sent a pic of the serial # on this 16ft Old Town. I'm thinking it reads '72996 16'.

I think it helps to look at the image upside down as well!

The canoe has a long cowel type deck which should help identify it.

 

[Howie]

.. or maybe 73996 16. Maybe proceeded by a 1 too - 173996 ?

And am I right in thinking it's an early Otca?

 

[Worth Gretter]

That is an interesting stem, curling up and over the deck!

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 73996 is a is a 17 foot long HW model and 173996 is a 15 foot long Fifty Pound model so they aren't a good match. My guess is that you have the one with number 72996. This is a 16 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, Otca model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, 20 inch birch decks, birch thwarts, birch seats, and a keel. It was built between July, 1922 and February, 1923. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on March 29th, 1923 to Syracuse, New York. A scan of this build record can be found below.

This scan and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. A description of the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/pricing-plans/join to donate or renew.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer this description doesn't match the canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Howie]

That is an interesting stem, curling up and over the deck!

Aw heck... it's ugly as hell. It's just a chunk if wood nailed or screwed over the old deck to cover rotted wood. And it's likely fiberglassed as well.

 

[Howie]

come close to your rails

My guess is that you have the one with number 72996. This is a 16 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, Otca model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, 20 inch birch decks, birch thwarts, birch seats, and a keel

Yup, that fits. Otca, with 20" decks and cowling (is that the right term?). That matches the pic.

Thankyou Benson!

 

[Dave Osborn]

Howie,
You are close! It’s combing.

 

[Todd F]

Or coaming?

 

[Howie]

Ok. According to Mr Google, combing is what (some us) do to our hair, and coaming is a raised border or vertical rim built around an opening . I was wrong in any case.