Looking for info on a vintage 18" Penn Yan Boats Wooden canoe

[Jim_R]

Hello,

New member and first time poster here. I just inherited a beautiful 18' Penn Yan Boats wooden/Canvas canoe, that needs some TLC. In preperation for that effort, I am looking for as much info I can find on the boat. I do know that the boat has been in my family for over 50 years, and was bought new by a relative. Here's a couple pics:





Can the model and year be determined from the S/N? The serial number is OE 5358. Other than that, I imagine the caning on the set or the wood used in the gunwhale might offer clues.



Any help appreciated!

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Greetings, Jim, and welcome--

Some information on PennYan canoes can be found at www.dragonflycanoe.com/id/ by scrolling to PennYan on the left. PennYan did build some information into their serial numbers. OS 5358 is the Owasco model canoe, trimmed in spruce, which dates from 1948-1955. The "53" may indicate the year 1953 as the year it was built, if I am interpreting the following information from dragonfly correctly: "Sometimes (apparently only in the second half of any given decade) the first two digits of the serial number are the year built, and the remainder the presumed order of construction."

I hope this helps-- it's better than knowing nothing and certainly better than a kick in the head, as my grandpop would say.

Looks like a great canoe in great condition!

Kathy

 

[Dan Miller]

Double check your number - Could the first "5" be an "S"? The OE indicates an 18' Owasco model (O=Owasco, E-18). If it really is OES, then the "S" indicates spruce rails, which yours appears to have. Three letters and three numbers would be a typical pattern and would date it to 1933-1947. Typically, serial numbers that start with two letters have three or five digits following. If it really is just "OE" then it would date to 1948-1955, and the date is probably not coded in the number, as this appears to have been done only in the second half of a decade and would be a five digit number following the letters. Why did PY do this? No idea!

 

[Jim_R]

Greetings, Jim, and welcome--

Some information on PennYan canoes can be found at www.dragonflycanoe.com/id/ by scrolling to PennYan on the left. PennYan did build some information into their serial numbers. OS 5358 is the Owasco model canoe, trimmed in spruce, which dates from 1948-1955. The "53" may indicate the year 1953 as the year it was built, if I am interpreting the following information from dragonfly correctly: "Sometimes (apparently only in the second half of any given decade) the first two digits of the serial number are the year built, and the remainder the presumed order of construction."

I hope this helps-- it's better than knowing nothing and certainly better than a kick in the head, as my grandpop would say.

Looks like a great canoe in great condition!

Kathy

Thank you Kathy! I think you are on to something - after posting I browsed the Wooden canoes for sale section and found a '53 16' Owasco that's the same color right down to the pin stripping!

 

[Jim_R]

Double check your number - Could the first "5" be an "S"? The OE indicates an 18' Owasco model (O=Owasco, E-18). If it really is OES, then the "S" indicates spruce rails, which yours appears to have. Three letters and three numbers would be a typical pattern and would date it to 1933-1947. Typically, serial numbers that start with two letters have three or five digits following. If it really is just "OE" then it would date to 1948-1955, and the date is probably not coded in the number, as this appears to have been done only in the second half of a decade and would be a five digit number following the letters. Why did PY do this? No idea!

Great info Dan! Looks like a 5 and not an S.



I was also able to verify the silver undercoating material mentioned in this post in the for sale section for a boat that looks nearly identical, but is two feet shorter. Here's the link:

http://wcha.org/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php?product=113&title=16-92-penn-yan-2c-1948&cat=3

 

[Dan Miller]

The silver undercoating is part of Penn Yan's filler process, which used aircraft dopes as filler. This is due to Penn Yan's involvement with aircraft during the wars, and their close proximity to Glenn Curtis.

Blue-green with a red stripe was a stock color starting 1946.