Old Town request

[JClearwater]

On the way home from the Assembly Jean & I saw an Old Town canoe hanging in an antique store. It looked to me to be a Guide model with serial number 44231 - 18. Closed gunwales, good stems. It was in decent shape except for the four badly broken ribs in one location with associated broken planking. The canoe was grossly over priced at $2500 and the seller would not come down to anywhere near what I thought it was worth. I am not interested in buying it - just curious as to age etc etc. Thanks in advance.

Jim & Jean

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town record for number 44231 shows an 18 foot long, GS (guide special or utility) grade, IF (Indian Fishing or Guide's) model with closed spruce gunwales, ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seats, and a keel. It shipped to Upper Saranac, New York. on August 3rd, 1916. The original exterior paint color was dark green. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.



This scan and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. 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 join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to join.

It is also possible that this could have another number or manufacturer if the description doesn't match the canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[JClearwater]

Thanks Benson, that would be it. There is a name stamped on the gunwale cap "A.S. Blagden". A quick search of the internet shows the Blagden family in Saranac Lake. Too bad the guy wants so much money for it. Oh well.

Thanks again.
Jim