Canoe serial search for NH bought canoe

[J.Vanni]

Hello, my mother-in-law found her old canoe in the shed. She bought it in Milton, NH at Wilderness Outfitters. Can anyone help identify the manufacturer and the year it was built?
Serial # on the hull: SWE313541073
Thank you!

 

[pklonowski]

The information at https://uscgboating.org/content/manufacturers-identification-result2.php
indicates it was made by Swamp Fox Boats.

The information at https://www.boatsafe.com/hull-id-numbers/
indicates it was built around October of 1973

Does that work for you?

 

[Benson Gray]

I suspect that you have a canoe from either a Stowe Canoe or Mansfield Canoe from 1973. The SWE prefix is currently owned by Swamp Fox Boats as described at https://uscgboating.org/content/manufacturers-identification-detail.php?id=12008 as Paul mentioned.

Benson

 

[Fitz]

Yes, these canoes are usually fiberglass and have very thin cherry "ribs".

 

[pklonowski]

So the MICs get changed? Or this might have been a corporate buyout?

 

[J.Vanni]

All great info - thank you all!
And yes @Fitz, the canoe is fiberglass with cherry ribs. Pretty great looking boat except the rot at the stearn wooden exterior frame.

 

[Benson Gray]

So the MICs get changed?

Yes, it appears that they are recycling old codes after companies close. It seems that the OOB code on the record is used to designate that the company has gone out of business. There is no other obvious connection between Swamp Fox Boats / Low Country Boats at http://lowcountryboats.com/ and the Stowe or Mansfield canoe companies. This is likely to become increasingly confusing over time for those of us who research old canoe and boat manufacturers.

Benson