Help Finding an Old Town Boat Serial Number

[Mike]

Hi Everyone,

I recently got a wooden Old Town boat from a friend that was getting rid of it. I know (knew) almost nothing about wooden canoes. I have been doing research and reading this forum a lot. It seems like identifying it should come first, but I can't seem to find a serial number anywhere on it. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Here are some pictures. I have also created an album on this forum and uploaded more pictures there.



Any help would be appreciated!

Mike

 

[Benson Gray]

The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?791 may help. Look on the end of the inside stem, the edge of the center transom brace, or on the edge of the transom itself. Good luck and let us know what you find,

Benson

 

[Mike]

Hi Benson,

Thanks for the quick reply. I took another look at the transom and the stem but I am still unable to find any markings or serial number. I have attached a few additional pictures below showing some close-ups. Is it possible it was covered up? Did Old Town make any boats that did not have serial numbers on them?

Any other thoughts or advice on how to identify this boat would be appreciated. In case it helps the boat is 12' long and 4' wide at the center.



Mike

 

[Benson Gray]

I suspect that you will find the number in the area outlined by the blue box below. My guess is that it may be 171703. Old Town assigned this serial number to a 12 foot long sport boat with half ribs and a keel. It was built between January and April, 1962. The original exterior paint color was white. It shipped on April 26th, 1963 to Burbank, California. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the thumbnail image attached 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/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-Membership-Renewal.html to join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your boat or number. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson