Old town sailboat

[David Satter]

No, I don't have one. Maybe someday. I was wondering ....what was the largest sailboat that Old Town made? I'll do some research, but I thought someone may have an idea Benson?

 

[Benson Gray]

The short answer is probably the 14 foot long Alden sail boat with 115 square feet of sail as shown in the first link below. The second link has the build record. The 19 foot long sail sleds with an unknown sail area as described at the third link could also be in the running. However, a longer answer will require more details about how you want to define your terms. The Alden sailboat and sail sleds were never listed in any catalog so the 13.5 foot long lapstrake Whitecap with 90 square feet of sail will the top of that list. Do sailing canoes count? The 18 foot long canoes with twin lateen sails had 100 square feet of sail as shown in the fourth link below. The 24 and 34 foot long war canoes would also occasionally have sails added. The largest single sail on a wooden canoe may be the 73 square foot one shown at the last link below. Let me know if this doesn't answer your question.

Benson

Thread 'Alden 512 OT Sailing Dinghy - looking for more info'

Feb 16, 2021

Hello,

I have been fascinated by the wood and canvas sailboat and shape of the Alden 512 that can be seen here, which are pictures from Benson I believe: http://www.stroudwater.biz/alden/

I initially inquired with Benson and read up on some threads he sent, and sent an inquiry email to MIT who holds the collection of Alden plans. Unfortunately with the pandemic I only got an auto response that nothing is happening at MIT until at least 2022.

Does anyone here own one of these boats and live in the Northeast?

Does anyone have the plans for this boat?

Someday, not soon, I'd...

• floydvoid
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Research and History

Post in thread 'Old Town Sailing Dinghy'

Nov 11, 2008

Congratulations Mark,

You may have suffered in some previous canoe purchases but this time you found a real gem. Your new sailing dinghy was designed by John Alden for Old Town in 1931. It is identified as his design number 0512. The original plans are still available from http://www.aldendesigns.com/ and you may also want to register this one in their Alden's Owner Registry at http://www.aldendesigns.com/ownerboatinfoform.html since there is only one other known to still exist. The Alden plan numbers are:

0512009 0512 09 Lofting - Table of Offsets 1931 CAA...

• Benson Gray

E

Thread 'Old Town sailing canoe serial number 90900'

Sep 15, 2016

I recently acquired a 19 foot sailing canoe. the serial number is 90900. I'm trying to find out as much information about this canoe as possible before I start making repairs. attached are a few pictures of the canoe.

• Edsstuff57
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Serial Number Search

Thread 'Rigging twin sail canoes'

Dec 28, 2023

Chris Pearson had asked recently for more details about rigging a canoe with two sails. I decided to post the answer here since someone else might want to reference this information some day. There are several advantages to having two small sails instead of a single big one. The center of effort is lower so it is easier to avoid a capsize. Less rudder effort is required since you can spill wind from either sail to make minor changes in direction. Sailing downwind with one sail out on each side (i.e. 'wing on wing') is poetry in motion. An 18 foot canoe or larger is usually required...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Canoe Sailing

• 

Post in thread 'Canoe serial # info'

Jul 27, 2009

On the water

The second image below shows how it looks on the water last weekend for anyone who wasn't at the Assembly. The first image is from the 1927 Old Town catalog which confirms that this canoe was built on the Otca form as Kevin and Dan suggested previously. Kevin also confirmed that the bronze centerboard alone weighs 16 pounds.

Benson

• Benson Gray

 

[David Satter]

WOW thanks Benson, Yes I was looking at something like the Whitecap, which I see in one of my books. I have a pretty good obsession with sailboats so having an Old Town sailboat would be on my bucket list, thanks