Sn 4176 18
Norm,
Thanks for your reply. When I dragged it out of the barn where it sat for over 30 years, it had no thwarts, and showed no signs of mount holes for a bow carry thwart. What lead me to think this was an Old Town were the decks. What lead me to believe it was very old (pre-1907) were the capped gunwales. There are 58 ribs, tapered at the ends, and almost hidden by the inwale. After I stripped the paint, the decks and capped gunwales appeared to be mahogany. None of these specs match the build record I received from Old Town for sn 4176. Their's was a 17 foot model XX in standard trim.
The inside stripping is almost complete. It appears to have white cedar planking as well as ribs. I was hoping this 18 footer was an Old Town because an Otca 16 was my first canoe. Still, I've decided to restore this canoe (with cut-down, open gunwales), and I'd like to know it's maker and history. Thanks for your help Norm.
Tom