16ft Otca

[kennedynywa]

I have a 16 ft Otca that has been in the family since the 40's. I would like to find out if I can get any information about the canoe before it came into my family. The serial number is very difficult to read but looks like 95257. My father said it was a 1931 or 32 (I can't remember).

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 95257 is an 16 foot long, CS grade, Yankee model with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, birch trim, and a keel. It was built between July, 1928 and 1929. The original exterior paint was the design number four with the letters "W. M." on the right bow and left stern. This may have looked like the image at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/designs/design04.gif from the catalog. It shipped on May 4th, 1928 to Old Bridge, New Jersey. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the attached thumbnail image below.

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/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope you will join or contribute 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.html to join.

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

Benson