build sheet old town 86153-18

[icanoe]

hello. just purchased an old town canoe. would love a build sheet for it. my best guess for the number is 86153 18.thanks

 

[Benson Gray]

The build record for Old Town serial number 86153 shows a 16 foot long canoe so that isn't a good match. Can you provide some pictures of the serial numbers from each end, one of the bow deck, and confirm the overall extreme length of the canoe is a straight line? The suggestions at the link below may help if some of the digits are hard to read. Good luck,

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)

• 

 

[icanoe]

thanks for the quick response. it's definitely 18'. the inside was painted brown. I'm going to get my heat gun out and work on the stern stem.
very hard to read the bow but I'm pretty sure the last 3 digits are right 153. here's a pic terrible I know. I'm going to check the other end.

 

[Benson Gray]

My guess is that you may have the Old Town canoe with serial number 56153. This is an 18 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW model with red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, and mahogany seats. It was built between September, 1919 and April, 1920. The original exterior paint color was lemon. It shipped on April 7th, 1920 to Paterson, New Jersey. A scan showing this build record can be found 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 renew.

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

Benson

 

[icanoe]

thanks, I think the first number is 5 also. I thought the third number might be a 4 but the decks and gunwales are mahogany. so, I'm thinking you're right. thanks so much I'm really excited to own it. Didn't think I'd get a piece of history like this.