Build record information on two OTC

Frank

New Member
Good evening I am seeking build record information on serial # 149532-16 and 140462-17 rigged for sailing. Thanks
 
Hello--

Old Town 149532 is a 16 foot AA (top) grade Otca model canoe with red Western cedar planking, finished August to December 1947 with open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, thwarts, and seats, a keel and a floor rack. Originally it was dark green. It was shipped to Muskegon, MI, on December 15, 1947.

Old Town 140462 is a 17 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade HW (heavy water) model canoe completed July-October 1944 with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, thwarts, and seat frames, a keel, outside stems, and a floor rack. Originally it was painted two-tone dark red and guide special green. There's no mention of a sail rig, but this could have been added at the time of original purchase by the dealership or at any point thereafter-- if you post pictures, someone could confirm if the sail rig appears to be an Old Town product. The canoe was shipped to Hudson's in Detroit on April 11, 1945.

Both of these vessels were completed at a time when some of the elements normally used in construction of canoes were unavailable due to the war effort-- although some things became available in 1947, so that canoe may not be a "war era canoe", or perhaps only partly-so. War era canoes may have slat seats because cane was unavailable, and they may be constructed without use of brass and copper. Several people who post here have experience restoring canoes of this era and if you have questions, please post. Images of the scans of these records are attached below-- click on them to get a larger image.

These scans 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 athttp://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Kathy
 

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Build record on two OTC

Kathryn,
Thank you very much for the information. The information provided matches perfectly. Both vessels were in fact from Michigan one apparently spent its life just north of Muskegon on a small lake and the other was purchased in Manistee where I was living before moving to NC it had been brought north by a friend of mine who had aquired it in Grand Rapids when he was in college. I intend to begin restoration soon starting with the OTCA. When I get the sailing model down from the rafters I will post pics.
regards
Frank
 
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