1982 Old Town Kennebec Canoe

[Navypcc]

First post about my 41 year old Old Town “Kennebec” (I think) model canoe. I purchased this canoe a few months back on “OU” for $100 along with a couple of mismatched oars. It works fine without any need of drastic repairs but this old retired “Squid” just can’t leave it there. I want it to be in better shape.
The S/N on it is XTC45284M82L
There are no other markings on the canoe other than the “Old Town” logo’s on each side. I’ve been comparing pictures and descriptions from vintage Old Town Catalogs and deduced that it may be a “Kennebec” model.
I really needs replacement deck plates but just need to be sure of the model and measurements of the deck plates before making the investment. The seats could also use replacement too.
Any thoughts here ?

This photo looks exactly like my canoe

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town with the hull identification number of XTC45284M82L or serial number 245284 is a 15 foot long Acadia model that weighed 68 pounds. This is similar to the Kennebec model but shorter. It was built between July and September, 1982. The original exterior vinyl color was yellow. It shipped on September 18th, 1982 to Franklin Square, New York. The back side of the card shows that it was sold at a discount due to some skid marks on the hull. Scans showing both sides of this build record can be found below.

These scans 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. This model was introduced in the 1983 catalog as shown in the image and link below. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the project,

Benson

Old Town, 1983 | Adirondack Experience

 

[Navypcc]

Hello Benson,

Wow !! I never expected to get so much information on my lucky find. Now I really want to restore it.
I’m a disabled US Navy Veteran. I retired a few years ago as well. Right now the canoe is up on sawhorses in my garage. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with information on replacement deck plates and seats for this canoe. Any suggestions from members where I can get replacement parts without breaking the bank ?

Respectfully,

Bradley Stenstrom
Petty Officer First Class
US Navy Retired

 

[Benson Gray]

Any suggestions from members where I can get replacement parts without breaking the bank ?

The least expensive option is to make them yourself out of wood. A local Old Town dealer may be able to get you some replacement parts from the factory but these will probably be more expensive. Good luck and have fun with the project,

Benson

 

[MGC]

Bradley. That's a good canoe. I've also managed to buy several of those yellow ones over the years.
You mention seats and decks needing replacement. That is not unusual for canoes from that era. They also tend to suffer from cracked/broken rails.
Coincidently I was looking at one of these yesterday and noticing it needs rails. Here's the problem. Many of these parts are no longer offered by Old Town. You may need to improvise. As Benson suggests, you might be able to make replacements from wood...and especially the rails. Those can be made from spruce or ash.
Seats are best purchased from a place like Essex Industries.
Decks...hm...unless you get extremely lucky, these will prove to be very hard to find. You may need to repair what you have. If you post some images of the decks and whatever problems they have, we might be able to make some suggestions for how to repair them.
Mike