Old Town 178374 16

[Hubert van der Harst]

I would like to get hold of the build records for this 16 ft wooden canoe (Old Town 178374 16). I have just redone the seats and would like to restore the hull to its original color, so the build record should come in handy.

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with serial number 178374 is a 16 foot Otca model with a keel. It was built between June and July, 1967. The original exterior paint color was O. T. (Old Town) Yellow. It shipped on August 9th, 1967 to Newington, Connecticut. It appears to have been loaned to the Penobscot Indian Pageant on July 22nd, 1967 when it got some scratches requiring new paint and varnish as shown on the back side. Scans showing both sides of this build record can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below.



These scans were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. Additional information about 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 join.

It is also possible that it could have another serial number. This is probably the original paint color. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Hubert van der Harst]

Benson, that is awesome! Thank you very much for your help.

If I wanted to get Old Town yellow, or have a matching paint made up, do you have any suggestions as to how I would go about that?

 

[Benson Gray]

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If I wanted to get Old Town yellow, or have a matching paint made up, do you have any suggestions as to how I would go about that?

I would suggest taking your canoe to a local specialty paint supply store and ask them to match it. Another option is Kirby Paint in New Bedford, Massachusetts at https://kirbypaint.com/ who can probably match it if you can provide them with a sample. Good luck,

Benson

 

[MGC]

The OT Yellow from that period was a fairly muted shade...not as bright as it was in the 20's.
Here is a link to a discussion about the OT color charts comparing them side by side.
http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/old-town-color-chart-circa-1920.7345/
The one that applies to your canoe is the one that was provided by Rollin. The OT yellow from that period resembles Jaguar Primrose.
Kirby's Shaws Yellow is the closest standard Kirby color. They would need to custom blend to get the correct shade.

Most of us do not worry much about keeping the original color. It does not affect value. You can paint your hull any color that you choose.

 

[Hubert van der Harst]

Benson and MGC - thank you both. This is very helpful.