Old found canoe
- Thread starter Kokott
- Start date
JClearwater
Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
Oh dear, Oh my!! It's likely an Old Town but Benson will come along sooner or later to confirm if the serial number matches an Old Town. Regarding the canoe itself - if your intention is to restore it, you have a major project ahead of you. I am reminded of the old saying, "The most expensive boat is the free one." It will be a thief of your time and a hit to your wallet. It certainly can be done but if this will be your first restoration I would suggest that you start with one that is in better shape to start with. Just my two cents worth. I'm sorry if that is not what you wanted to hear.
Jim C.
Jim C.
MGC
Scrapmaker
I keep reminding myself of that. Sadly, when I find something "precious", I can't resist the job, even though it often means countless wasted hours. I thought I had learned my lesson from restoring old cars. After doing a few Healey's and MG's my revelation was that I should start with a better car to avoid costly and lengthy restorations.
When my son was thinking about buying an old Chris Craft, I suggested he dig a hole in the back yard and just start throwing cash in it. The experience is very similar, less a heck of a lot of sanding. Never again.
That canoe is restorable, but it will take a bit of effort.
Welcome, the Old Town canoe with serial number 118222 is an 18 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, guide model with red western cedar planking and open spruce gunwales, oak decks, oak thwarts, oak seats, and a keel. It was built between June and July, 1936. The original exterior paint color was light blue. It shipped on July 31st, 1936 to West Ossipee, New Hampshire. A scan of this build record can be found below.
This scan and several hundred thousand more 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 donate, 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 https://www.woodencanoe.org/pricing-plans/join to donate or join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer this description doesn't match the canoe. Feel free to reply if you have any other questions.
Benson
This scan and several hundred thousand more 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 donate, 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 https://www.woodencanoe.org/pricing-plans/join to donate or join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer this description doesn't match the canoe. Feel free to reply if you have any other questions.
Benson
patrick corry
solo canoeist
I will echo others comments; this particular canoe appears to need more than your enthusiasm. However, don't let that deter you from pursuing the effort to acquire and restore a wood/canvas canoe. There are many of them out there for little money which don't require as much work to restore. Hopefully you can put this one aside in a protected space and return to it once you have a bit more experience.
I'm currently on my fifth restoration, a 99 year old Old Town canoe which needs a ton of work- stem repairs, new decks, all rib tips, one rib repair, the removal of all planking for cleaning and re-attachment, some planking repair, inwales, outwales, thwarts, seats & caning, canvas, paint & varnish. Quite daunting if you look at the project as a whole, but manageable.... a bite or two at a time. If you're going to do this you must have a dedicated space in which to work for months (years?) and a familiarity with woodworking. None of the work is overwhelming, but the scale of it can be.
As others have advised, start with one which might need a little planking repair and canvas, paint, & varnish. Beware though, you may become afflicted with an obsession with these canoes; but it's a rewarding one. It's quite gratifying to splash and paddle one of these canoes, especially one you've resurrected yourself!
I'm currently on my fifth restoration, a 99 year old Old Town canoe which needs a ton of work- stem repairs, new decks, all rib tips, one rib repair, the removal of all planking for cleaning and re-attachment, some planking repair, inwales, outwales, thwarts, seats & caning, canvas, paint & varnish. Quite daunting if you look at the project as a whole, but manageable.... a bite or two at a time. If you're going to do this you must have a dedicated space in which to work for months (years?) and a familiarity with woodworking. None of the work is overwhelming, but the scale of it can be.
As others have advised, start with one which might need a little planking repair and canvas, paint, & varnish. Beware though, you may become afflicted with an obsession with these canoes; but it's a rewarding one. It's quite gratifying to splash and paddle one of these canoes, especially one you've resurrected yourself!
