Old Town Serial Number

[Sudsmixer]

I recently acquired what I think is a 16 foot Old Town canoe. It has been hanging in a garage since at least 1969, and probably a lot longer. I'm very excite as it has no broken ribs or slats that I can see, in very nice condition.

I found the serial number on the stem in the aft of the canoe. If you stand on the port side, it reads 110190. If you stand on the starboard it reads 061011. I see no indication which side to read it from and as is my luck, all the digits are readable either way.

If it helps any it has spent the last 45 years in Wadsworth Ohio and may have come from Akron Ohio.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Greetings--

Old Town serial numbers don't begin with a zero, so 110190 would be the correct number if this is an Old Town canoe. It comes up as a 16 foot, AA (top) grade Otca model canoe that was completed between September 1931 and January 1933. It has red Western cedar planking, 20 inch mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seat frames and a keel. Original color was dark green. It was shipped to The Halle Bros. Company of Cleveland, OH, on March 29, 1933.

A scan of this record is attached below.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Image of the scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image.

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 athttp://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.

Here's a link to Halle Bros, which I looked up to be sure I was reading the name correctly (and also because I like history). If you're in the Cleveland area, you probably know all about it but others who inhabit these forums might find it interesting too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halle_Brothers_Co.

Kathy

 

[Sudsmixer]

Wow, fast reply Thanks. That is the canoe, I believe. Everything matches including the green color and the Old Town decal is still legible (barely).

Is there any way to tell how it was painted? Solid green or any pattern or detail?

I am going to restore the girl, I will start a thread and post some pictures once I make some progress.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

This canoe would have been a solid dark green-- Old Town would have noted any pinstripes etc. on the build record. But if you'd like to change the color or add lettering or stripes, that's certainly up to you. The canoe was shipped to a dealer in the most common color used on canoes... if the canoe had been ordered by a private party, it might have been a different color or had lettering or possibly one of Old Town's designs. If your plan is to restore the ol' girl as authentically as possible, it certainly doesn't violate any "restoration protocols" to use whatever paint scheme you might have in mind. In looking at canoes in general-- going back to the time when native people used birch bark-- the canoe has been one of the ways people have expressed themselves artistically. The canvas of a canoe is an artist's canvas. If taking the canoe back to what it once was includes using the exact same color scheme, that's cool if it's what you want... but if you'd like a Greek key design (for instance), go for it.

Glad you plan to share pictures of the restoration of this canoe! Launching pictures are a great thrill.

Kathy