58001

[Elabelle]

Just inherited an Old Town Canoe. The serial number is 58001 but may be 68001 due to aging. Any info would be appreciated!

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, how long is this canoe? Can you supply any pictures of the canoe along with the serial numbers and surrounding areas from each end? The suggestions at the link below may help. The build record for number 58001 shows a 16 foot long canoe with closed gunwales that shipped to Wilmington, Delaware in 1920. The one for 68001 shows a 17 foot long canoe with open gunwales that shipped to Chicago, Illinois in 1922. Neither of these seem likely to be showing up in a Rhode Island estate today.

Benson

Thread 'How do I find a serial number on an old wooden canoe or boat?'

Oct 2, 2005

Many old wooden canoes and boats have a serial number on both inside stems and a decal or tag with the manufacturer's logo on the bow deck. The number is usually stamped on the top of the lower part of the stems. The inside stems are the long curved pieces of wood that form the ends of the canoe. You want to look on the part that extends out from under the decks on the bottom of the floor inside the hull. The serial numbers are stamped in each end of the canoe so check both if a single digit is not clear. These numbers in the stern of boats are occasionally on the edge of the center...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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[Elabelle]

Benson,

Thank you for the quick response. The canoe is still stored in a garage loft in Ct. I’ll get more information on my next visit. It was acquired in NH in the early 80’s.

 

[Elabelle]

Finally got back to being the canoe home. After a better look the serial number is 33901. Any new information would be appreciated!

 

[Benson Gray]

Congratulations, the Old Town with serial number 33901 is a 17 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW model with red western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, half ribs, a keel, and a floor rack. It was built between August, 1914 and May, 1915. The original exterior paint color was black. It shipped on June 15th, 1915 to Bridgewater, New Hampshire. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link 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. Page 12 of the 1915 Old Town catalog at https://www.woodencanoe.org/_files/ugd/537308_25470a3cd6c0401c81a25ef26202555c.pdf has more details. Let me know if you have other questions or if there is anything else that I can do to help.

Benson

 

[Elabelle]

Benson,
Finally got a new number for that canoe. It is 38901. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[Elabelle]

Thank you very much Benson! All that information is great!!

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 38901 is a 17 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, HW model with red Western cedar planking, closed spruce gunwales, birch decks, birch thwarts, birch seats, and a keel. It was built between June, 1915 and January, 1916. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on February 15th, 1916 to New Haven, Connecticut. A scan of this build record can be found below.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match. Page 12 of the 1916 Old Town catalog at https://www.woodencanoe.org/_files/ugd/537308_5679849bcbf54d37925af3ae92db531b.pdf has more details. Please provide some pictures of the serial numbers from each end and the extreme overall length in a straight line if you are still not sure. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Benson