Canoe ID

[Dan R.]

Hi All,
I'm wondering if folks can identify this canoe. It needs a lot of love but will be nice restored. The serial number is written so that the 17 is close to the end of the stem.

Thanks!
Dan R.

 

[Dan Miller]

That is a Robertson. The outline font on the stamps is diagnostic. Look for the "wavy" stamp on the ends of the thwarts.

 

[Dan R.]

Will check the thwarts. Thank you!
Is it safe to assume 1933 build? It does measure 17 feet.

 

[Benson Gray]

Is it safe to assume 1933 build?

There has been much discussion about this in the past. It may be the year or the width but no records are known to be available for confirmation. How wide is this canoe?

Benson

 

[Dan R.]

Interesting. It could be width. I took a quick measurement in roughly the center and it was 32/33. I’d have to measure again to confirm.
Is the thinking that the first number, 3132, would be the number in order of which the canoes were built?

 

[Benson Gray]

Is the thinking that the first number, 3132, would be the number in order of which the canoes were built?

Probably, but we don't know when the sequence started, if they started with one, or how many may have been skipped along the way. The link below has more about this with other builders where some records are available. The lowest and highest known serial numbers with this font are shown below. The "A" or inverted "V" prefix is another mystery.

Benson

Thread 'Serial Number Madness'

Dec 7, 2022

Many canoes and boats have serial numbers but this summary might help explain how confusing these can be. It appears that Morris, Old Town, and Carleton all started assigning serial numbers around 1900. Kennebec started in 1909, Joe Seliga in 1938, Shell Lake in 1940, White around 1946, the U.S. Coast Guard mandated that all canoes sold in the U.S.A. have hull identification numbers in 1972, and Canada implemented a similar system in 1981. Various builders from the Charles River area, Morris, Veazie, Penn Yan, Penobscot, Canadian, Chestnut, Peterborough, Thompson, and other...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Serial Number Search

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