Boat #137493-18

Mearzy

New Member
Hello could you please provide any and all info-docs. on our 18' square stern, serial # 137493-18. We are in the process of beginning restoration.

Thanks!
Nate & Michelle
 
Hello Nate and Michelle,

Old Town 137493 is an 18 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade square end paddling canoe that was completed April-June of 1943. It has open spruce gunwales, half-ribs, a keel with full-length bang plate, and sponsons. Originally it was painted dark green. It was shipped with a rowing seat, to Candlewood Lake, New Milford, Connecticut, on July 8, 1943 (the "8" is over a "7", it seems-- or vice-versa). The scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image.

This scan 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 and anyone else reading this will join or renew membership in 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 renew.

I've attached the page from the 1943 Old Town catalog that describes this canoe. You may also want to use the "search" function above to find older discussions of war era canoes. War shortages led to changes, but I believe this canoe had plank seats rather than cane (I'm not sure about this, as the catalog only mentions the middle seat being a plank). With cane seats, Old Town used wooden slatted seats during WWII and for a couple years after, until the cane supply was restored... and brass and copper went to the war effort.

I've included the image of the rowing seat that was shipped with the canoe.

Catalog images are courtesy "The Complete Old Town Canoe Company Catalog Collection, 1901- 1993", available on CD from http://www.wcha.org/catalog/ and http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/cdrom.htm on the web.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. The square end paddling canoe with sponsons is distinctive, and it should be obvious if that's not what you have! Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

More information on the Old Town Company can be found in Sue Audette's book, "Old Town, Our First Hundred Years", which is available from Sue herself at http://www.waterworkscanoe.com/book.html, on eBay, Amazon, and at public libraries.

Here is a link to a video featuring a 1940s Old Town canoe with sponsons which you may find helpful. The model is different from yours, but some general features would be similar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwVSJhejFA

Happy paddling!

Kathy
 

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