I have received a canoe today and I am very excited to find out about out the history behind it. I am going to restore it. I would also like to pass along the history and build sheet to the previous owner. On each stem was the number. 17 12801 I would appreciate any information that you may have. Thanks So Much, Jeff
Old Town Canoe? Serial Number Search
- Thread starter Jeff Slye
- Start date
Greg Nolan
enthusiast
The Old Town canoe with serial number 12801 is a 17 foot long, CS (common sense or standard) grade HW (hravy wateer) model with red western cedar planking, spruce gunwales and ash decks, seats, and thwarts, spruce finish rails, outside stems and equipped with a keel. It was built between November 1909 and April 1910. The original exterior was painted dark blue, with a gold strip and something else that I cannot decipher. Also ordered were two number 2 spruce paddles (5’ and 5’6” in length) and a slat seat back. It was shipped to Plattsburgh, New York on May 21, 1910. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail image attached below.
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 will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.
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.
Greg Nolan
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 will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.
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.
Greg Nolan
Dave Osborn
LIFE MEMBER
I don't think it is an Old Town.
At least one deck looks Kennebec-ish to me.
Also most generally the length (17) was stamped after the serial number on Old Town canoes...which is not the case here.
At least one deck looks Kennebec-ish to me.
Also most generally the length (17) was stamped after the serial number on Old Town canoes...which is not the case here.
The Old Town, Carleton, and Kennebec canoes with serial number 12801 are all 17 feet long. The Old Town has closed gunwales as shown in the build record that Greg posted so that doesn't match the open gunwales shown in your picture. The Kennebec appears to have half ribs which aren't clearly visible on yours. My guess is that you have the Carleton canoe. This is a 17 foot long Carleton model in Reg. (Regular or middle) grade with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seats, a keel, and a floor rack. It was built between December, 1916 and March, 1917. The original exterior paint color was N. H. (New Haven Railroad) green. It shipped on March 26th, 1917 to Valley Park, Missouri. A scan showing the build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Can you post some pictures of the serial numbers from each end of your canoe and some pictures of the interior to help confirm this? Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Can you post some pictures of the serial numbers from each end of your canoe and some pictures of the interior to help confirm this? Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
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The center thwart or yoke is missing. It looks like someone added a thwart behind the first thwart behind the bow seat. Where can I learn more about the Carleton Canoe company? Were they basically Old Town Canoes or did they have different molds or models.
The center thwart was optional and often removable. You may find bolts with wing nuts under the middle of the inside gunwales. The bow thwart may be original as shown in the 1917 Carleton catalog page below. There is some information about the Carleton Canoe company at http://forums.wcha.org/knowledgebase/Manufacturers:Carleton+Canoe+Company and the page at http://forums.wcha.org/knowledgebase/Manufacturers:Old+Town+Canoe+Company has an inventory of their forms. The Carleton molds and models were different from the Old Town ones although there are many cases where substitutions were made in the rush to fill an order. The bow deck appears to be a replacement. You may also find bolts from an original carry handle that was near there. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
