Old Town 15' 152117 - can you provide build sheet?

[Old_Paddler]

I'm guessing it's late 40's or 1950.

Looks like it has mahogany outwales.
Does not appear to have any rot - has a couple of cracked ribs, but the biggest issue is that it was fiber-glassed at some point in time - very badly.

Won't really know what I have until I remove the mass of cracked varnish on the inside.

I've finished the 16' Yankee 156425 and this will probably be my next project - despite the fact that I told my wife and Jim Clearwater that I was done...they both laughed at me.

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 152117 is a 15 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, fifty pound model with white Maine cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, and a keel. It was built between January and April, 1949. The original exterior paint color was fire red. It was shipped on April 15th, 1949 to Brooklyn, New York. It returned for repairs in May, 1949 and got some new planking. It returned again in September, 1949 and had some more extensive repairs. An attached third page shows that it was shipped to Haverstraw, New York on May 4th, 1951.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 156425 is a 16 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, Yankee model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, and a keel. It was built between September and November, 1951. The original exterior paint color was dark green enamel. It was shipped on January 21st, 1952 to Pawling, New York.

Scans showing all of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below.

These scans and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. 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 will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.

It is also possible that they could have another number or manufacturer if these descriptions don't match your canoes. There is no need to be done if you enjoy projects like this. You now have the opportunity to be more selective about which ones you want to take on. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Old_Paddler]

Thank you.

I was looking for a canoe to use as a solo canoe, looks like I inadvertently found it. I had no idea what I was looking at when I bought it this morning. I realize that 50 pound is more joke than reality, but it's better than the 75#+ Yankee for a solo canoe.

Guess there will be 2 wood and 2 non-wood canoes in the fleet now - each with a different purpose. Thankfully I have a very tolerant wife - who will paddle with me... Life is good...

The Yankee is ready for water. Still have to finish the floor rack I bought at the assembly and resized for her - should be done in a week or so. https://picasaweb.google.com/russ.padden/OldTown156425

The restoration is NOT to the standards of some of the amazing canoes I saw at the Assembly. It's a canoe, not a piano. and she's gong to be used, scratched and have a good life on the water.

 

[Old_Paddler]

Sadly, the canoe had more damage and decay than I anticipated and has been "disassembled" into usable components for future restorations.
The gunwales, seats, thwart, keel, floor rack and hardware will all find a new home one day.
When I was in the process of cutting up the hull it was even more evident that the first rock the canoe "kissed" would have done it in. This decay was hidden by the 20lbs of fiberglass I removed and the thick layers of varnish on the inside.

You can't save them all...