fiberglass old town

[Silkworth canoe]

Can anyone tell me when Old Town started making fiberglass canoes? I have a 10 foot one man canoe that had a foam seat glued to the canoe. It had an old town sticker on it originally, I stashed it somewhere and can't find it. My guess is it's from 60's or early 70's.
Also, where are the serial nombers located on these newer models?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Benson Gray]

Old Town's first fiberglass canoe appeared in their 1965 catalog. The canoe that you described is their Rushton model that was introduced in 1971 and remained in the catalogs until 1978. It should have Old Town in raised letters on the bow deck if it is not a copy. The serial number will be engraved in the hull near the bow just under the deck rail seam. It may also have a tag attached to the starboard stern in the format described at http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.htm if it shipped after November 1, 1972. You can post either of these numbers here and a volunteer may be able to post a copy of the build record if your serial number is less than 210,999. These are great little canoes,

Benson

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

What?..............You mean everybody doesn't have a 1971 Old Town catalog in a big stack of papers on their desk?

The first canoe shop I worked at was actually a big-buck fishing shop that had an Old Town dealership. We sold several Rushtons, mostly impulse buys from wealthy business men out browsing fishing tackle over their lunch hours. "Kid, if you can figure out how to tie that thing on top of that Cadillac out there, I'll take it." Then they would pull a roll of bills out of their pocket and pay cash for it.

It is a fun little boat to poke around in.

 

[Silkworth canoe]

Thanks for the info. It is a great little canoe. While on West Branch Delaware River I'm always first in the water. Very light, just toss my fishing gear in and throw it on my shoulder, and down to the water. Took my dog down river with me once in it. Bad idea as every time he shifted I panicked and grabbed him, and he would sort of bite me lightly because I was scaring him! I ended dropping him on shore and he followed me until we reached camp.