Help with canoe identification.

[ANTIQUE CANOE LOVER]

Gentlemen,
I have a 17 foot wooden canoe with the serial # 34617 17 This is stamped into the interior keel using what appears to have been metal stamping dies. Is there anyone out there who can give me any information about the date of manufacture, model name and who the maker was. If you need any more info to pinpoint the answer to my queery I will be happy to supply it if you tell me exactly what you need to know and where I should look for it.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you in advance for all your kind and generous help.
Sincerely yours,
Robert

 

[Ric Altfather]

Robert,

The Old Town canoe with SN 34617 was completed in April 1916 but as a 15' 50# model and shipped to Chicago, IL. I have attached the build record for your review. The Carleton records do not go this high in the SN...at least I don't have them, maybe Benson or Dan can help there. Try looking at each stem to see if the numbers match or dirt in the stamping making the number look like something else, ie; a 3 looking like an 8, etc.

If you can post some pic's that would help.

Welcome to the WCHA,

Ric Altfather

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town record for this serial number doesn't match the length and the Carleton serial numbers don't go this high as Ric mentioned. The Kennebec records don't have a listing for this serial number. I also checked the Old Town record for 134617 and it didn't match either. Can you confirm the length of this canoe and double check the digits in this number again? The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=791 may help. Thanks,

Benson

 

[MikeCav]

34617 17

Robert
Just to practice my detective skills, I tried a couple of common alternative numbers. Often, the "3" is really an "8" or a "6" with part of the number worn off or filled in with crud.

34817 is a 16' HW model - no match there if the length of the canoe is accurate.

84617 however, offers us some possibilities and some distinctive features that might narrow it down to your possible boat.

84617 is a 17' Otca in AA grade, built in 1924 and delivered to Los Angeles, CA. The build record is attached. If you can:
1. Verify the boat is 17' long
2. Look for 20" long Mahogany decks and mahogany seats and thwarts (Note - seats & thwarts are subject to breakage and were often replaced over the years - so this might hold completely true.) Also look for open mahogany gunwales (visable spaces between the rib tops showing between the inner and outer gunwale)
3. Look for outside stems (1" strips of wood - usually ash, bent along the outside profile of the bow & stern)
4. Look for floor racks, or evidence of floor racks like shadows in the varnish, extra screw holes, etc.
5. You didn't list a location, but if you are from the Left Coast - that would be supporting evidence since only 2% of the Old Town shipping records list California as a destination.

Of course, I may be entirely wrong - it happens often!

Scans of approximately 210,000 records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. Additional information about the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. Please join WCHA or make a tax deductable contribution so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.html to join. If you are already a WCHA member, THANK YOU!

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