looking for information on Old town canoe
- Thread starter lmdbad
- Start date
Old Town canoe #3868 was a 15-foot C.S. (or common sense) C.R. Model (Charles River) that was built in 1905 and shipped to Groten, Mass. It had birch decks, thwarts and seats, and spruce gunwales. The gunwales then would have been closed. The build record appears on the same image as the previous one, and doesn't indicate a color. It would be great if you could post a picture of your canoe.
The scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image. This scan and several hundred thousand others 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 and anyone else reading this will join or renew membership in the WCHA 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.php to renew.
If you are selling your canoe and plan to use this build record information as part of an ad, please consider giving the WCHA credit for this information on eBay or craigslist or wherever your canoe is listed.
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.
Norm
The scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image. This scan and several hundred thousand others 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 and anyone else reading this will join or renew membership in the WCHA 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.php to renew.
If you are selling your canoe and plan to use this build record information as part of an ad, please consider giving the WCHA credit for this information on eBay or craigslist or wherever your canoe is listed.
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.
Norm
Attachments
Thanks for the information. This canoe was my farther-in-laws and is in bad shape. My two sons and I were not in agreement with the serial number. There are two other marks that are in dispute if they are numbers or not. I posted what I believe the numbers are, however, it looks like a possible 1 in front and another 1 behind the 4 diget number I posted. We have had this canoe for quite a long time and have said we would refurbish it. Need to do some reserch on the how too's.
Greg Nolan
enthusiast
For research on the "how to's" of repair or restoration of your canoe, you would do well to get, or at least look at, "The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance" by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok, and/or "Building the Maine Guide Canoe" by Jerry Stelmok. If your canoe is indeed an Old Town, you might find "The Old Town Canoe Company" by Susan Audette and David Baker of interest
The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe written by the fellow who now builds w/c canoes for Old town, and the third is a great history of the company and its canoes. These are available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon. Sue Audette also sells her book directly ( http://www.thebaglady.tv/ ).
Posting photos of the serial number (if an Old Town, the number will be stamped twice, at both stem ends) and photos of the canoe itself will allow others here to help with deciphering the number and identifying the canoe.
The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe written by the fellow who now builds w/c canoes for Old town, and the third is a great history of the company and its canoes. These are available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon. Sue Audette also sells her book directly ( http://www.thebaglady.tv/ ).
Posting photos of the serial number (if an Old Town, the number will be stamped twice, at both stem ends) and photos of the canoe itself will allow others here to help with deciphering the number and identifying the canoe.
I have attached the build records for both Old Town canoe #13868 and 138681. The last seems a possibility. One easy way to quickly determine the right era is by looking at the gunwales. If they are closed, then it's an early boat. If they are open, then it may be the 15-footer from 1943.
#13868 was an 18-foot canoe built in 1910, so that's probably not it. #138681 was a 15-foot CS 50-pounder built in 1943 and shipped to Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It had open spruce gunwales; ash decks, thwarts and seats; and a keel. It was originally (bright?) green.
I've attached both build records. The difference between a closed gunwale and an open gunwale can be seen in the other two images. The one where you can see the slots between the ribs is the open gunwale.
Norm
#13868 was an 18-foot canoe built in 1910, so that's probably not it. #138681 was a 15-foot CS 50-pounder built in 1943 and shipped to Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It had open spruce gunwales; ash decks, thwarts and seats; and a keel. It was originally (bright?) green.
I've attached both build records. The difference between a closed gunwale and an open gunwale can be seen in the other two images. The one where you can see the slots between the ribs is the open gunwale.
Norm
Attachments
That all makes sense because my father-in-law lived in Woonsocket and we live on the outskirts of Woonsocket. We remember the store that it was shipped to, which is no longer in business. I will still try to post a picture of this canoe at some point. The gunwales are open as in the 1943 and also has a keel. The color is green but we were not sure it was original. Retirement is not too far off so maybe we will get the time to restore it. Thanks again for all your help.
