16 ft Old Town 16827

[RACanoe]

I recently purchased a 16 ft canvas-wood canoe which was said to be an Old Town. I would appreciate any information you might have on the canoe registered for serial number 16827. There is no other number evident before or after the number. The canoe is currently green. Thanks for your help.
Ray

 

[MikeCav]

Try Again!

Hello Ray,
16827 appears on a 15' Charles River model in CS grade built in 1911. If yours is a 16' boat:
1) There is a number or two missing - look harder.
2) It ain't an Old Town - post some pictures, we can help identify the maker.

If you don't get a response for a few days, it is because many of us will be attending the annual WCHA Assembly in Peterborough Ontario. Don't worry - we won't forget!

 

[RACanoe]

Mike,
Thanks for the reply. I was not convinced it was an Old Town, but it is a nice canoe in any case. It is 15' 10" or so end to end, but closer to 15' from bow to stern on the top. The dimensions do not seem to fit any Old Towns, it is 36" wide. The serial number is on the stem, stern end only. The decks do not look right for an Old Town, but could have been replaced. There are no diamond head bolts and there are square head screws throughout (Canadian make?). I will check into the Charles River canoes. The canoe has been restored some time in the past so it is hard to tell what is original and what isn't.

The wood seems to be in great shape, a little dry rot in the tips, the canvas has pulled away just a bit from the outwale on one side, but has no holes. The paint is peeled away in spots and I am thinking on patching the paint for this summer so we can get it on the water and think about restoring it next winter. The filler/sealer seems intact in most spots although a little powdery when the paint is peeled off. I could dress the bare spots in the canvas a bit with some new sealer and am hoping some primer and paint (marine enamel?) will fix/seal it for this year.

Gee the annual meet sounds like fun. I haven't seen Ontario in years, WA is a long way from there. Thanks for the heads up on the meeting and the input on Old Green. I will get some pictures taken and post them.
Paddle on, Ray

 

[MikeCav]

The Robertson screws sure sound canadian. At the ribs tapered? Diamond head bolts did not appear on Old Towns until about 1920 - so I wouldn't count it out yet just based on that.

 

[Canerodz]

Posting some photos would help a lot. Hard to tell from a description.

 

[RACanoe]

Charles River? Pictures

I finally got some pictures of the canoe, views from bow, stern, side, top, bottom, etc. I think you can see the screw heads in a couple of the shots. One photo shows the worst damage to the paint and out wale on one side. The canvas seems intact. I did a first cleaning today and it looks like it can be painted and work okay for the summer. Thanks for the input and any advice on what to do and what not to do with an old canoe like this.
Ray

 

[Dan Miller]

Definitely a Peternut (i.e. one of the canoes built by Chestnut, Peterborough Canoe Co and Canadian Canoe Co.). Unfortunately, there are no serial number records known to survive from these companies (which were all part of Canadian Watercraft Ltd), but other Chestnuts from the 1970s have serial numbers like this.

 

[Canerodz]

Definitely a Peternut (i.e. one of the canoes built by Chestnut, Peterborough Canoe Co and Canadian Canoe Co.). Unfortunately, there are no serial number records known to survive from these companies (which were all part of Canadian Watercraft Ltd), but other Chestnuts from the 1970s have serial numbers like this.

I was thinking the same thing, but I've not heard the term "Peternut" before. Stem and thwarts look like my old boat's.

Great word! Sorta boils down a long explanation into one word, doesn't it?

 

[RACanoe]

Peternut

Dan & Canerodz, Thanks for the notes, it is nice to know what make the canoe is. It is probably hard to determine the age without records. In any case I hope to get it on the water soon and see how it goes.
Thanks, Ray