Old Town #88565 -17

[Torch Lake Fan]

Helped a friend put his beautiful Old Town away for the (cold) season, today.
I noted the serial number and can tell she is very old.
But, you will be pleased to know, this canoe is well restored and very well taken care of.

I look forward to hearing what you know about this 17ft beauty.
Thanks. tc

 

[smallboatshop]

Your friends canoe is a 17' CS Grade (Middle Grade) Charles River model with western red cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, thwarts and seat frames. It was equipped with a keel and floorrack and painted dark red with a 2" stripe with pointed ends. It was built in 1926 and shipped to Detroit, MI.

The scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image. This scan and several hundred thousand others 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 and anyone else reading this will join or renew membership in the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php 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. Providing photographs would help with identification, as would an accurate measurement of the boat's
length.

Dan

Daniel Eaton
smallboat shop
Denmark, Maine
www.smallboat-shop.com

 

[smallboatshop]

Here's the build record.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

As an interesting aside: I have 88445 that was also 1926 and also shipped to Crowley's in Detroit. Yours is the closest number to mine, which we call Grandma Old Town.