Old Town 171392

Codajet

New Member
First post. Thanks for the forum. My buddy and I are restoring an Old Town canvas on wood canoe that was his fathers. Interested to know a little history on this. Thanks!
 
The Old Town canoe with serial number 171392 is a 16 foot long Otca model with a keel. It was built between September and October, 1961. The original exterior paint color was dark green and it shipped on March 15th, 1963 to Houston, Texas. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image 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/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 you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Canoes with a family history are extra special. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson
 

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Welcome to the WCHA.

These forums are a great source of information about restoring canoes -- if you have a question, to be bashful about asking it here.

Anyone restoring a canoe 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.

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance, and has recently been issued in an updated edition. The second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction.

Since you are interested in the history of your Old Town canoe, you might also want to look at "The Old Town Canoe Company" by Susan Audette and David Baker, a great history of the Old Town company and its canoes.

These are available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon.

As you restore your canoe, take some pictures. We love seing pictures of canoes -- old, new, while being restored, and on the water after restoration.

Greg

WCHA President.
 
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