Old Town #178211-16
- Thread starter Brad Fisher
- Start date
Congratulations, the Old Town canoe with serial number 178211 is a 16 foot long Otca model with a keel. It was built between May and July, 1967. The original exterior paint color was Old Town yellow. It shipped on July 10th, 1967 to Grand Rapids, Michigan. A scan showing 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 as you probably know well. 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 contribute, 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 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. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
This scan 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/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will contribute, 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 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. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
OP
OP
Brad Fisher
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Thanks for this. Is there any info about materials used in this boat: I'm going to need new outwalse (existing ones look like mahogany), inwales (spruce?), planks (red cedar, I presume), ribs (white cedar?), keel (spruce?), stems (ash? spruce?) and decks (I may cheat and go curly maple). Any info on this would be helpful. I'll also be searching the forums. Here's a progress pic.
It is probable that Benson will give a definitive reply, but tentatively: white cedar ribs, western red cedar planking, spruce inwales. At some point OT quit making 3 grades and put mahogany outwales on everything. Keel and stems most likely oak. And it's your boat so put curly maple decks on it if you like. RE: your photo - I assume you are referring to adding spruce inwale tip splices, as doing an entire inwale adds greatly to the difficulty. Add at least a couple temporary thwarts across the existing inwales to avoid the hull 'relaxing' while you work. Then get the canvas off, and carefully inspect the planking & look for cracks in ribs. Then you will know for sure what is ahead. TM...
OP
OP
Brad Fisher
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Thanks! I'm putting the thwarts back on today, then tackling the canvas. I've posted elsewhere about my fear that it was sealed with paint instead of filler. It is bonded to the hull.
The specifications from the 1967 catalog are attached below. They indicate that the outside gunwales are mahogany, inside gunwales are spruce, planking is red cedar, ribs are white cedar, and stems are ash. The keel and deck woods are not specified but these are likely to be ash or another hard wood like oak. My guess is that bonded canvas may be due to an overly ambitious application of a new filler mixture that was unusually thin. Good luck,
Benson
Benson
OP
OP
Brad Fisher
LOVES Wooden Canoes
That's my boat, alright. Thanks!
