Hi Jim,
Old Town 143824 is a 17 foot AA (top) grade Otca model canoe that was completed January-March of 1946. It has Western red cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, thwarts, and seat frames and a keel. It was shipped with a floor rack and was originally dark green. Original destination was the R.P. Hazzard Co. in Gardiner, Maine, and the shipping date was April 23, 1946.
Maybe the seller meant her father, not her great-grandfather. It's still a quality canoe, even if not as old as described. If you have questions about restoration, please ask--- there are many here who have been where you are, with a first wood/canvas 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.
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.
Kathy