1959 Old Town 16' Fisherman Lapstrake Motorboat #1516899

[alda]

Good morning!

I am about to start some restoration work on this boat, and I'd really appreciate any information on its original specs, especially hull color. Do you have access to Old Town motorboat build records as you do for canoes? This boat is a 1959. Many thanks for your invaluable assistance!

Alda

 

[Benson Gray]

I suspect that you are missing a digit since the Old Town serial numbers from this era usually have six digits for the serial number with a space and two digits for the length in feet. The build records below for serial numbers 168990 to 168995 all show Lapstrake "16" Fisherman models that were actually 15 feet long AA (or top) grade boats that were completed and shipped in 1959, with a keel, floor rack, and outside stems. They were originally painted white with a red bottom. The image at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/covers/large-65.gif can give you an idea of how this looked.

These scans 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 join.

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

Benson

 

[alda]

hull # 15 168994

Thank you for your response, Benson! Since I want to do a proper job I was wondering if I might be able to get the exact paint colors that were used in 1959. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Benson Gray]

My usual advice is to pick some colors and shades that you like because it is unlikely that you will ever be able to find and match the original ones exactly. You may want to try some paint archeology to see if there are any signs of original paint in some places that were never exposed to the elements. Good luck,

Benson