1922 Old Town Molitor

[Rich Steeves]

I’ve been doing a bit of research on a 1922 Old Town Molitor (SN I believe is 71016 - shipped on June 28, 1922) that I was recently able to acquire. I’ve been trying to find as much information out about the Molitor ‘models’ and the experts on this forum have been an invaluable resource. She seems to have gone through a loving but maybe overly aggressive restoration in 1990 with a woodworker who appears to have restored her decks and hand carved a thwart with a OTCC inspired logo with wings. The build sheet on this one seems interesting based on the little history I know given that she has 24” decks at the bow and stern vs the other molitor’s I’ve seen referenced with 24 and 36” decks. Despite her imperfections - I couldn’t let this 100 year old beauty pass me by. I was wondering if you knew of other monitors with 24” decks? Others that were shipped to the ‘Anchor Canoe Livery’ in Akron, OH? Can you advise me what the original paint scheme would have been - yellow but I’m not sure of the additional text in parentheses means (?Japan? reference)? Other elements that might be unique to care for as I consider a full professional restoration? Many thanks, Rich

 

[Benson Gray]

I was wondering if you knew of other monitors with 24” decks? Others that were shipped to the ‘Anchor Canoe Livery’ in Akron, OH? Can you advise me what the original paint scheme would have been - yellow but I’m not sure of the additional text in parentheses means (?Japan? reference)?

The Molitor at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/17138/ has 16 inch decks on both ends. The one at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/11242/ has a different short deck and shipped to the Anchor Canoe Livery. The Carleton shown at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/difficult-to-read.8339/#post-44407 has asymmetric decks and also shipped there. The messages at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/3647/ have some more discussion of Molitors. The short summary is that we don't really know why some canoes were described as Molitors and others with similar features weren't.

The note after the yellow on the color line is "(Oil in Japan)" which means that Japan drier was used to make the paint dry faster. Similar products are still available today. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_drying_agent for more details. The Molitor shown at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/4175/ has a similar note.

It appears that the decks have been replaced completely on this canoe. The canoe described at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/1083/ also had arched decks originally which have been replaced. Now you can decide how much you want to restore and what you want to leave alone.

Let me know if this doesn't answer your questions.

Benson

 

[Rich Steeves]

Wow, Benson - thank you for the thorough and thoughtful reply! Amazing amount of variety. Yes, I’m going to have it professionally assessed to determine what should be done vs left alone - fortunate to have experts available near our summer cabin in the Moosehead Lake region in Maine to guide me. I’ll keep you updated on the progress. Best, Rich