The Old Town canoe with serial number 129697 is an 18 feet long, AA (top or premium) grade model with open mahogany gunwales, decks, thwarts, and seats, equiped with a floor rack, sponsons, and a keel. The canoe was built between April 1940 and February 1941. The original exterior paint was done with OT’s design # 37, with “Patsey” painted on the right and left bow. It was shipped to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 9, 1941. A scan of this build record and of design #37 can be found by following the links behind the thumbnail images attached below.
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/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will 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 http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to join.
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.
Greg
Thanks so much! The boat belongs to the Philadelphia Canoe Club and has been hanging there forever. It looks to be all original down to the paint. The club also has the only 34' Old Town war canoe I have ever seen. It was completely restored by Schuyler Thompson around 1990.