Old Town brass plate serial 145845 16

[writinginrutland]

I have a canoe that has lost its paper record, but along the center board in the front of the canoe this serial number is engraved. 145845 16 . It also has a brass plate set in the front with the name Old Town MA Robert Robert Ronhock.
Any information would be great.
Thanks
db

 

[normsims]

Could you please double check that serial number again? The Old Town build record for serial number 145845 was for a 15-foot AA (high quality) 50-pound canoe built in 1946. It was shipped to Jordan Marsh, a department store in Boston. I'll attach the build record, just in case. You might try measuring the canoe if the numbers aren't all that clear.

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.

If you are selling your canoe and plan to use this build record information as part of an ad, please consider giving the WCHA credit for this information on eBay or craigslist or wherever your canoe is listed.

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.

Norm

 

[writinginrutland]

Thanks

Upon further examination, that 16 is a 15. It was just a bit hard to read. There is nothing really left of the finish at all. Just worn spots of red here and there. The inside seems to be completely void of finish whatsoever. Do you have any advice for refinishing just the inside? I don't need it to be waterproof just yet as we are going to be using it for decoration.
Thanks
Dave

 

[normsims]

Dave,

Glad to hear we had the right number.

Others here could give you better advice than I can about refinishing the canoe. But you might try sanding the inside and varnishing it. If the wood is still in decent shape, that might give a nice patina of age.

Norm