1970 Old Town, Is it correct?

[steve braman]

I am looking at a 1970's OT and was wondering if the thwart configuration was correct.


I hope the pictures attached.

 

[steve braman]

It appears there is an extra thwart in the bow. It looks too far back to be a carry thwart and a bit oversized. The thwart behind the front seat looks like it was added during a previous refinishing. Maybe to support a seat back. It just looks heavier and a bit chunky compared to the original thwart. Is this something to be concerned about. I am sure it will paddle fine, but it just looks off a little. I will get a closer look tomorrow.

 

[Benson Gray]

I agree that the bow thwart is not standard and the one behind the bow seat doesn't look original either. The bolts don't appear to match the ones on the seats either. I would not be concerned about this but it's your canoe. The build record may indicate if these changes were made at the factory. Do you have the serial number?

Benson

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

The 15' "Lightweight" model was built with only a center thwart. This is likely the reason those two additional ones don't fit the normal shape and are installed using finish washers.