I'm planning a recanvas and light restoration of my grandfather's well-preserved Old Town Otca 17 serial number 160717. What can you tell me about that boat?
The Old Town canoe with serial number 160717 is a 17 foot long, AA grade, HW (Heavy Water) model with a keel, and a floor rack. It was built between August and December, 1953. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on June 9th, 1955 to Port Allegany, Penna. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at 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/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to 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.php to renew.
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. Good luck with your restoration,