Hi there, I recently acquired an older OT Tripper and was directed this way from another forum as a possible means of looking up more info regarding this boat according to its serial number. It's a bit hard to read on the hull but I believe the code is XTC45730M83B. I think it might be old enough to have some scanned documentation. I got it from at least a second owner who never used it, and the owner before that replaced the thwart and yoke with 2x4s and what looks like trex decking screwed into it. The canoe is otherwise in decent shape and I'll be restoring it in the next few weeks (proper thwart and yoke, adding cane seats) for a few camping trips this summer. Thank you so much!
Early 1980s Old Town Tripper serial code lookup
Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with serial number 245730 and hull identification number XTC45730M83B is a 17 foot long Chipewyan Tripper model that weighed 72 pounds. It was built between September, 1982 and January, 1983. The original exterior color was green. It shipped on March 2nd, 1983 to Newburyport, Massachusetts. The back side of the record indicates that there were some dents in the ends so it was sold as a factory second. Scans showing both sides this build record can be found below.
These scans 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 join.
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. Have fun camping,
Benson
These scans 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 join.
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. Have fun camping,
Benson
Awesome thank you Benson! That seems to match the canoe I've purchased. I find it very interesting that it supposedly weighs 7-8 pounds lighter than its advertised weight at the time. Those dents are definitely there, too. Very cool, and very happy to donate to the organization--thanks again!
You are most welcome, there were some wide variations in weight. The 1983 catalog listed this canoe at 79 pounds and the one at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/14062/ was 80 pounds. The light weight of this one may have contributed to the dent issue.
Benson
