Old Town Octa serial number look up

[CraigNiemi]

In 1976 in late father restored an Old Town Octa model canoe.
It has been stored indoors ever since and rarely paddled.

The information we have is from an old registration is 1920, 17’, hull number 88403.
A few years after he restored it (1976) he displayed it at a boat show as a 1926 18’ Octa with full length sponsons.

It is currently in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
We are in Cincinnati but will be back in the UP in September and will verify the length and hopefully the serial number.

Any information is greatly appreciated!
Craig

 

[Todd F]

Look forward to seeing pics. Nice family history for it.

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, the Old Town with serial number 88403 is a 17 foot long HW model in CS (Common Sense or the middle) grade with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, birch thwarts, birch seats, a keel, a floor rack, a painter ring, and two number one grade spruce paddles. It was built between October, 1925 and May, 1926. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on May 11th, 1926 to Keyport, New Jersey. 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. 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 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 you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match. Canoes with a family connection are always extra special. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions,

Benson

 

[Michael Grace]

HI Craig. As you might see from the build record posted above, this may not be your family's canoe. The one in the record is an HW model and lacks sponsons. Sponsons are large and somewhat complex additions to a canoe, so if a canoe left the factory without them, it is extremely unlikely that they were added later (anything is possible, but in decades I've never heard of a canoe having sponsons added... though many are removed). To give you some distinguishing things to look for, a 1920s Otca's deck looks like this:

An HW's deck from the same timeframe is shorter, has an ogee-type cutout, and lacks the decorative coaming (trim piece) along its inside face).
Here is an example:

In case you're unfamiliar with them, sponsons are very obvious, bulbous air chambers on the sides of the canoe:

Hope this helps.

 

[CraigNiemi]

I’m doubting that the hull number on the registration is in fact correct. The canoe definitely has sponsons.
When we get back north in September we’ll search for the serial number and throughly document the boat.

Unfortunately the people who would know are all passed but the story is that my uncle and Grandfather (Dad’s dad) got it from a gentleman named Gerhart(sp?) who ran a hunting and fishing camp in the UP. When exactly is unconfirmed. They were guides, cooks and handymen. The clientele included lumber barons and copper mine owners. My dad discovered it under his parents front porch and brought it back to Cincinnati. Might find more clues as we digitize old family photos.

Not sure what we’re going to do with the canoe, especially if no family members are interested in it. My personal canoe is a Mad River Kevlar Explorer with wood trim. Couldn’t go all high-tech.

Perhaps it will go to an enthusiast or museum. Certainly is not going to be scrapped.

We’ll follow up with more information once we have it.

Thanks all!
Craig

 

[CraigNiemi]

Finally back in the U.P. and had a chance to get the canoe out of storage and take a better look.
Consensus is that the serial number is likely 58403.
16’ bow to stern. 34” outer gunwale to outer gunwale. 41-1/2” width with sponsons.
Some photos attached.

 

[MGC]

Craig, Your canoe does appear to be numbered 58403...making it quite a bit older than your father believed it to be. It is also an A grade boat so built using finer materials...the decks, gunwales, thwarts and seats are all made with nice old mahogany.
It is a nice boat and it seems that your father did a nice job of restoring it. One further detail... your canoe is stamped 17 on the stem. It left Old Town as not an 18 or 16 foot canoe, rather a 17 foot. My paddling preference for an Old Town has always been the 17 foot model. For some reason the lines on a 17 "feel" just perfect when you paddle them.
It will be interesting to see the build sheet for this one.

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 58403 is a 17 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW model with red western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, a keel, outside stems and sponsons. It was built between December, 1919 and March, 1920. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on April 1st, 1920 to Chicago, Illinois. A scan showing this build record can be found below.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer this description doesn't match. The length of a canoe is generally the extreme dimension, not just the tip to tip. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson