1976 Old Town 17’ Chipweyan (tripper) #211427

[76chipweyan]

I’m trying to figure out my canoes value as well as properly store/protect it. Old Town confirmed the yr/mk/model after I sent them the serial number.

I’ve cleaned the canoe and it’s soon to be hung underneath my carport.

Any advice, info, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

T

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with serial number 211427 is a 17 foot long Chipewyan Tripper model with aluminum inserts in the rails that weighed 76 pounds. It was built in January, 1976. The original exterior color was blue. It shipped on March 9th, 1976 to Houston, Texas. A scan showing this build record can be found below.

This scan and several hundred thousand more 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/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will donate, join, or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. Two similar canoes have sold recently on eBay at https://www.ebay.com/itm/167011716479 and https://www.ebay.com/itm/305765857523 for $995 and $625 respectively. The key to good storage in Texas is to keep it out of the sun. Your carport can probably accomplish that. People in more northern areas also need to keep it from getting too cold but Texas isn't known for having extended periods with temperatures that are well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Have fun with it,

Benson

 

[pklonowski]

RE: the value of the canoe, here are some guidelines that should help, on many points:

Thread 'How much is my old wooden canoe worth?'

Nov 14, 2004

How much is my old canoe worth?

One of the most common questions that gets sent to the WCHA webmasters is "how much is my old canoe worth?" Tim Hewitt's responses over the years have included the following comments:

Any wooden or wood/canvas canoe in usable condition is worth $1000 - $1500. A canoe that is documentable will go on the high end, one that is particularly rare will bring more, up to $3000 for a wood canvas canoe, and as high as $5000 for an all-wood canoe. These high end canoes must be in showroom condition and you must have evidence or documentation of their age and...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• 

It's written for wooden canoes, but much of it will apply to your canoe.

 

[76chipweyan]

I really appreciate the info, I was expecting it to be so thorough and fast, yall are the best.

I’m going to attach images of the canoe, especially the 2 areas where I found damage. I believe it’s 100% usable and will float, my expertise only takes me as far as when i was cleaning it, there were no leaks and she filled up with soapy water a few times, lol…you mentioned the 2 eBay listings-is that where the market resides or is there other places better to list the canoe?

There are 2 orange pvc bumpers on one end of the canoe. Should I remove them?

And please feel free to inundate me with as much information as you want, I’m very curious and want to make an informed decision.

Thanks again!

 

[pklonowski]

I'm not sure what to make of "orange PVC bumpers" without seeing them, so a picture would be worth a thousand words. They could be being used to hide damage, or also possibly for some other purpose.

A couple other places to sell it would the Facebook Group "North American Canoe Traders," and the classifieds at "Paddling.net." I've heard Craig's List and eBay get a lot of canoe and kayak for sale ads in the spring, but I've not verified that. I've seen asking prices at these sites that are not unreasonable, but some are outrageous, as noted in the forum thread linked above.

This being a wooden canoe organization, I suspect you'd wait a long time to find a buyer here! lol But questions will get answered.

 

[76chipweyan]

 

[pklonowski]

The PVC is immediately in front of the bow seat, so it's probably there to keep either the bow paddler's knees or their paddle from hitting the gunnels. You might want to look under them, see if any damage exists on the gunnels.

 

[Benson Gray]

you mentioned the 2 eBay listings-is that where the market resides or is there other places better to list the canoe?

An eBay auction is clearly not the only market for an old canoe. However, it is one of the few options to easily see the final selling prices.

Benson

 

[MGC]

I have "flipped" quite a few OT Royalex boats on Craigslist and also FB Marketplace. There is a demand for these old boats, although in its current condition, yours is one that a flipper might buy to repair. It needs some work.
The abrasion of the bow and stern top layer does not appear to be through to the foam core, but if it is not repaired/dealt with, it will be soon. Once that happens the boat is no longer serviceable.
I that were my canoe, I would first repair (carefully by masking off the repair) the worn areas. I would then apply skid plates to both ends. DO NOT buy the skid plates from Old Town. Their price is absolutely insane. Look into felt skid plates (better than Kevlar) that you will apply with an epoxy. Be sure that you carefully mask and rough up the area were these are installed to make sure that they hold. Also remove any bubbles that might collect during installation. I would also buff out the rest of the hull to get it back into shape.
If you are not good at doing repairs with epoxy, you might be better off selling the canoe as is since a mess made with epoxy is one that most of us would not want to deal with.
In its current condition (presuming the rails and seats are not cracked) I would probably offer up to $350 for it and expect to sell it for about twice that once it is properly sorted. If you figure out the costs (skid plates, epoxy) there is not a lot of meat on those bones, but to someone looking for a good canoe to use, it's worth taking the time to sort it out.

 

[76chipweyan]

Thank you for the advice