Dating an Old Town canoe that has sponsons and floor racks ?

[ScottHerriott]

I have an Old Town canoe that has sponsons and a floor rack, which are not typical options. The canoe does not have a serial number, or at least no brass plate with a number on it. (Where else would I find the serial number?)

Can the fact that it was made with sponsons and a floor rack help me date this canoe?

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Floor racks are extremely common to Old Town canoes, and sponsons are common enough to still be considered common even though many have been removed during the restoration process and not replaced.

There is a section in "FAQs" that shows you where to look for a serial number on an Old Town canoe, and I will give you video links. Unless the stems have been removed on your canoe (which is uncommon) or the serial number sanded off (a tragedy), your canoe if it is an Old Town would have a serial number on the upper face of the stems at both ends. Find the number and compare. It would be a 5-6 digit number with a space and the length of the canoe, such as 12345 16.

Old town never put the serial number on a brass plate, but other builders did. Your canoe may not be an Old Town, so be careful... if you find the numbers, post and we will look up the record, but the record has to fit the canoe. Many companies had the same s/n format. Posting pictures-- especially of the deck-- can help determine what you have.

If the stems were replaced on your canoe we could still give a rough guesstimate of age, based on a few other things, if we saw pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwVSJhejFA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plUn6oHDHyQ

Good luck-- I look forward to looking up your canoe!

Kathy