1937 old town oceanboat

[paul molyneaux]

I am doing this for a friend in New Brunswick

He has a 1937 old town Oceanboat in good shape

He was curious as to if it would be worth restoring and how to do it?

any suggestions would be appreciated

A picture of one fully restored would be greatly appreciated

 

[Benson Gray]

There are many pictures of original oceanboats on the Old Town Canoe Company Catalog Collection CD. This is available from http://www.wcha.org/catalog/ and http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/cdrom.htm on the web. The image below is from the 1937 catalog and describes this model.

A question about "if it would be worth restoring" usually implies a desire to sell it. It is typically better to sell old boats unrestored since the cost of restoration often exceeds the value of the boat. If someone really likes the boat than the time and / or money required to restore it may not matter as much. Most of the principles described at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=57 will apply to a boat like this although the market for old boats tends to be much smaller than the one for old canoes.

The restoration techniques for old boats like this are much the same as they are for old canoes although any extended use in salt water will make the restoration much more difficult. I know of a few oceanboats along the coast of Maine if your friend wants to use an existing one as a guide for their restoration.

Benson

 

[paul molyneaux]

1937 oceanboat

Photos of his boat would really be the best way to help determine the extent of the required restoration. Other info such as: salt water use and general wood condition would also be very helpful.

We don"t have a photo here. We are working here in Alberta and the boat is in New Brunswick. Dana says that the wood is in very good condition and as far as he knows always a freshwater boat
Thank you Paul