canoe info

[hrww]

Hi all:
I just signed up as a member. I've been following for a while though.

I'm in the process of repairing & re-canvasing a wood & canvas canoe. The owners believe it's an Old Town Octa & dates to 1924. My research to date indicates that it is an Octa and the serial number appears in keeping with the Old Town system. I would like to confirm this and find out more about the history of the boat. The serial number is 81712-16. I am also interested in finding out it's original color. The gunwales,thwarts,decks and seats are mahogany, finished bright. There are indications that the boat once had removable floor boards. I can't identify the wood used for the ribs, the planking is cedar. It's 16 feet long, as the last two digits of the serial number indicate. It has the classic diamond head seat bolts, typical of Old Town.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Harvey

 

[Dan Miller]

Indeed, the number matches a 16' AA grade Otca originally painted dark green. See the attached build record.

The ribs are white cedar, and the planking is western red cedar.

Regards,
Dan

These scans were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as described at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/records/ in more detail. If you are not already a member, we hope that you will join or contribute to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ and http://www.wcha.org/join.html for more information.

 

[hrww]

Dan:
Thanks for your help. Is there any way to find out if that particular boat came with floor boards? Or is the build record all the information available?
I see we are not too far from each other: I live just north of Saratoga.
Thanks again;
Harvey