Fiberglass!?! over wood!?! SN 181819 15

[RockySods]

The coating is clear not paint but the fabric is not bonded to the wood. It came away easily in the sections that need repair but might be bonded in other parts where the wood grain is visible. Did Old Town sheath canoes in fiberglass or is this canvas with a clear varnish?
I think I am reading the SN correctly but there might be a 7 instead of 1 in the middle. 16’
Ben

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, the Old Town canoe with the serial number 181819 is a 15 foot long Trapper model with a keel that was built between October and December, 1968. The original fiberglass exterior was left clear to show the natural wood. It shipped on June 6th, 1969 to Riverside, Connecticut. A scan of this build record can be found below.

This scan 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 http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/pricing-plans/join to donate or join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer this description doesn't match the canoe. The Old Town with serial number 187819 is a 17 foot long Carleton Square End model so that isn't a good match. Feel free to reply if you have any other questions.

Benson