Old Town 18?

[rjrphmi]

My friend has an old wooden canoe with serial number 17070 - 18 stamped in the same place as my 1948 Old Town.
I found a graph providing approximate dates for Old Town serial numbers and if I'm reading it correctly, this appears to make it around a 1912 model.
However, it also looks to have diamond head bolts in the gunwales which I believe started around 1923?
The canoe has had a rough life with lots of repair, paint, and fibreglass work done to it over the years so maybe the diamond head bolts were added later??

I'd appreciate any help you can provide in terms of confirming if it's an Old Town and it's build history.

Many Thanks

Rob

 

[Michael Grace]

The two best things you can do are (1) post good photos here showing the entire canoe and details of its construction - decks, thwarts, seats, stems, bow and stern shape, etc., and (2) ensure that the serial number is correct. Photos will allow people to help you discern key features that can help identify the maker and general timeframe. If it turns out to be an Old Town, construction details will help ensure that the canoe matches the build record. Serial numbers are often incorrectly identified; this can help:

Thread 'How do I find a serial number on an old wooden canoe or boat?'

Oct 2, 2005

Many old wooden canoes and boats have a serial number on both inside stems and a decal or tag with the manufacturer's logo on the bow deck. The number is usually stamped on the top of the lower part of the stems. The inside stems are the long curved pieces of wood that form the ends of the canoe. You want to look on the part that extends out from under the decks on the bottom of the floor inside the hull. The serial numbers are stamped in each end of the canoe so check both if a single digit is not clear. These numbers in the stern of boats are occasionally on the edge of the center...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• 

There's a canoe on Ebay right now that the seller says is a 1916 Old Town without sponsors and with half ribs, but it's obviously a mid-1940s Old Town sponson canoe without half ribs - mistakenly identified apparently because the first digit of the serial number was not accounted for. The good folks here can help you with a trustworthy identification.

 

[Todd F]

SN 17070 build sheet lists a 17ft canoe, hard to read the shipped date but most of the build was 1911.

I agree with Michael, pictures would be very helpful.

 

[Benson Gray]

Many builders stamped serial numbers on the inside stems. Michael has offered some good suggestions and Todd has confirmed that the Old Town build record isn't a good match. The Kennebec canoe with this serial number is 17 feet long. My guess is that your friend may have the Carleton canoe with serial number 17070. This is an 18 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, Carleton model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, ash thwarts, ash seats, a keel, a floor rack, and sponsons. It was built between May, 1922 and March, 1923. The original exterior paint color was bright green with a gold stripe. It shipped on March 5th, 1923 to Detroit, 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 donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or join.

It is also possible that your friend could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[rjrphmi]

Thanks for all the input and suggestions.

Sorry, I initially intended to post photos but I was having problems transferring the images. Finally got them onto my computer and have attached them here - I can get more with additional details if needed. Oh forgot to say that my friend's canoe has a sailing mast support on the bow seat.

The build info for the Carleton canoe looks to be a good match for number, length, year (bolt heads) and location as the canoe is now located a bit north of Detroit.

Thanks again!