Old Town S/N 179265

[Steve Lapey]

I just removed an Old Town Guide from a barn in New Hampshire, it's a Guide, appears to be an AA with mahogany outwales, it has its original fire red paint with design #37. It has been in the barn for the past 30 plus years, it doesn't appear to have been in the water more than a few times. The widow of the original owner thought they bought it new sometime in the 1960's. The only thing that doesn't look right is two Old Town stickers, about 4" X 10" located just below the gunwales, amidships. Were they added and if so should they be carefully removed? Please post the original work order on this forum. Thanks a lot. Steve Lapey - WCHA 2300.

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 179265 is an 18 foot long Guide model with a keel. It was built between November and December, 1967. The original exterior paint color was probably similar to the image at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/designs/design37.gif which was known as design number 37. It shipped on February 7th, 1968 to North Andover, Massachusetts. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the attached thumbnail image below.

This scan was created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. Additional information about 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 renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA.

Old Town began putting their name amidships on wooden canoes starting in the 1950s. This can also be seen at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/covers/large-68.gif on the cover of the 1968 catalog and at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/covers/large-59.gif in 1959. I suspect that the stickers on your canoe were probably there when it left the factory. I would leave them on but that decision is yours.

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

Benson