Old Town Serial Number Search
- Thread starter BDon
- Start date
The Old Town canoe with serial number 7741 is a 17 foot long, AA (or top) grade, Charles River model with red western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, half ribs, an extra long keel, a tapered gunwale, and a floor rack. It was built between November, 1907 and April, 1908. The original exterior paint color was N. H. (New Haven) green. It was shipped on April 7th, 1908 to Schenectady, New York. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at 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 possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. The Old Town with number 187741 is a 14 foot long fiberglass canoe from 1972 and the Carleton with this serial number is a 16 foot long canoe that shipped in 1910. There is no record of a Kennebec with this serial number. Some pictures of the numbers from each end and the nameplate on the bow deck of your canoe could help. The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?791 may also be useful. An Old Town canoe from the 1920s is likely to have a high five digit long serial number as the chart at http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=24293&d=1360203686 shows. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.
Benson
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 possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. The Old Town with number 187741 is a 14 foot long fiberglass canoe from 1972 and the Carleton with this serial number is a 16 foot long canoe that shipped in 1910. There is no record of a Kennebec with this serial number. Some pictures of the numbers from each end and the nameplate on the bow deck of your canoe could help. The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?791 may also be useful. An Old Town canoe from the 1920s is likely to have a high five digit long serial number as the chart at http://forums.wcha.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=24293&d=1360203686 shows. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.
Benson
Attachments
Details did not match....
Hi Benson,
Thanks so much for your rapid response. Well, the details (1/2 ribs) did not match, so.... I carefully stripped the paint from the other end and revealed a number "3" which was not visible on my first attempt. (I wish I had done this in the first, but was unaware that the serial should be on BOTH ends) Also, the seats are attached with diamond heads.....
The (complete) number is 18 77413
So sorry to ask you to do double duty.
Regards,
Don
Hi Benson,
Thanks so much for your rapid response. Well, the details (1/2 ribs) did not match, so.... I carefully stripped the paint from the other end and revealed a number "3" which was not visible on my first attempt. (I wish I had done this in the first, but was unaware that the serial should be on BOTH ends) Also, the seats are attached with diamond heads.....
The (complete) number is 18 77413
So sorry to ask you to do double duty.
Regards,
Don
The Old Town canoe with serial number 77413 is an 18 foot long, CS grade, Charles River model with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, birch thwarts, birch seats, a keel, and a floor rack. It was built between March and May, 1923. The original exterior paint color was gray. It shipped on June 6th, 1923 to Cheboygan, Michigan. A scanned copy of this build record can be found by following the link behind the attached thumbnail image below.
This was built shortly after the diamond headed bolts were first introduced. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.
Benson
This was built shortly after the diamond headed bolts were first introduced. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.
Benson
Attachments
Thanks Benson. This is a match. I appreciate your help. I do have one more question. This canoe was left to rot upside down on the ground. While the hull seems to be in mostly in sound condition and the ribs including their ends are fairly good the stems and gunwales at both ends and one outer gunwale at the center are pretty much a mess. The decks I believe can be salvaged and end ribs / stems scarfed in with new materials. Now I don't want to offend it, but, is an ordinary grade boat in this condition worthy of the considerable effort to restore?
Regards,
Don
Regards,
Don
Your canoe is not a whole lot different, condition-wise, than a lot of canoes that float through these forums. A lot of them have been restored. Whether it is worth it or not is a personal choice.
This is really a personal decision as Dan mentioned. If you plan to sell the canoe then it isn't worth spending any time or money on a restoration. If you like the canoe or it has a good family history then a restoration is a great investment. The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57 may help if you haven't seen this before. Good luck,
Benson
