Old Town Berrigan Çanoe

[berrigancanoe]

The Berrigan canoe is fiberglass with a balsa wood corè. I want to talk to you àbout this boat.

 

[John Sand]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

I owned two of them over the years and really liked them. They both looked just like this one with the cockpit rim half seats, knee pads and foot braces.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Found another photo. This is the one that originally got me interested in the boat. Back in 1972 the band I played with recorded an album for Elektra Records. The first thing I did with my share of the advance money was to buy my first Berrigan and my 16' Old Town Guide.

 

[berrigancanoe]

I have a difficult time navigating the internet so, I will be slow to respond.
Thank you for paying attention to my post. I rember being interested in canoes at an early age. I built a canoe from a kit when I was a teen. I guess I thought I was going to be a voyager or something. I did put a lot hours behind a paddle, all in Florida, on flat water. You may ask why I bought a Berrigan canoe, not at all suitable for flat water.
I bought the boat because it said Old Town on the side. I am going to move my discussion to a more appropriate section. l do have some things that I want to talk about. Hope to see you there.

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, the build record may be available if you post the serial number.

Benson

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Actually, the Berrigan hull is a pretty "normal" touring canoe shape, which works pretty well in flat water, as well as moderate whitewater. One year a friend and I even paddled one of mine in a 26 mile canoe marathon in the touring canoe class. Being an old guy now, I don't know how comfortable I would be kneeling for so long, but at the time it was pretty comfortable - in some ways more comfortable than kneeling in a typical open canoe. Whether or not the limited ability to pack gear and move around in a decked boat works for your particular use is another question, but I always found the Berrigan to be an excellent canoe.

 

[berrigancanoe]

How do I address a reply to an Individual post?

Benson, you are getting ahead of me. I need to lay some ground work.

Bradshaw, my boat had strap seats. I ended up sitting on the deck

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

I suppose that sitting on the deck is possible, but you would sacrifice a lot of stability that way. The boat originally was available with either strap seats or the molded cockpit rim half-seats, both specifically designed for paddling from a kneeling position. The foam knee pads and knee straps which passed over your thighs while kneeling gave much more stability control in rough water than regular kneeling in an open canoe does. On a single, one person version of that sort of boat the knee straps can be secure enough to Eskimo roll the boat. There aren't may crews coordinated enough to roll a tandem decked canoe, but it is not impossible. In any case, the "seats" (whatever type they are) are more like "butt supports for kneeling" than real seats. These days we often see wide and tilted kneeling thwarts on open canoes which serve the same purpose.

 

[berrigancanoe]

I have never been wiling to paddle from a kneeling position. That's for athletes.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

In that case, you would probably be better served selling the Berrigan to someone who will use it in the way it was designed to be paddled and buying a more typical open canoe with seats, which will be more comfortable for you. The Berrigan is a great design, but it is and always will be a boat designed for kneeling with the straps over your thighs and the enhanced stability and rough water control that you gain from that position.

 

[berrigancanoe]

I have a berrigan canoe that I want to talk about in future posfs.

 

[berrigancanoe]

Bradshaw, do you want to buy the canoe?

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Nope. At this point, I think I have enough canoes, kayaks and other boats to last me for the duration.

 

[berrigancanoe]

Here's the problem, the serial number tag is missing! I can't imagine that there's any sinister reason, but it doesn't look good. I don't want to try to sell an Old Town canoe, without a serial ñumber. What should I do? It may be possible to back out the serial number from the evidence we have. How many Berrigan canoes were built with Old Town certification? Ĥow many had blue decks? How many had strap seats? How many had all three?

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

I doubt anybody interested in a 1970's canoe, which is clearly an Old Town Berrigan is going to care whether or not it has a serial number. You can also look over it to be sure there isn't one molded into the white gelcoat somewhere, but not having one is certainly not a big deal. Even in states which require canoe registration the authorities can assign a new number to old boats if necessary.