Old Town Serial Number
- Thread starter Dan R.
- Start date
Welcome, see the link below for the build record from a previous request. Feel free to reply here or there if you have other questions.
Benson
forums.wcha.org
Benson
Build Sheet for 173577 Please
Hello Benson, Could I please get a build sheet for an OT with numbers 173577? Thank you, Brian Knudsen
You all are quick! Thank you very much for the info.
I do have another question. I acquired a wooden canoe that supposedly was wood/canvas but has been fiberglassed. I'm weighing my options on what to do with it because I REALLY want a canvas covered canoe. Which is why I'm looking around for a canoe that has not yet been fiberglassed and I can skip that mess.
My dilemma is, I do not know the make/model of the canoe. It does not have any numbers on it from what I can see. The previous owner said it was a B.N. Morris but from what I've read it should have a splayed internal stem. It does not.
I will get together some pictures and measurements and make a post regarding.
Thank you!
Dan R.
I do have another question. I acquired a wooden canoe that supposedly was wood/canvas but has been fiberglassed. I'm weighing my options on what to do with it because I REALLY want a canvas covered canoe. Which is why I'm looking around for a canoe that has not yet been fiberglassed and I can skip that mess.
My dilemma is, I do not know the make/model of the canoe. It does not have any numbers on it from what I can see. The previous owner said it was a B.N. Morris but from what I've read it should have a splayed internal stem. It does not.
I will get together some pictures and measurements and make a post regarding.
Thank you!
Dan R.
Your restoration will be dramatically easier if you get a canoe that hasn't been fiberglassed. I'm looking forward to your pictures and measurements.
Benson
Benson
Hi Benson and Todd,
Taking what you said into consideration, I started browsing for a non-fiberglassed canoe. It's a much different market for wooden canoes that are not fiberglassed!
FYI, I posted pics and info of the fiberglassed canoe I have on a different thread, here in the forum.
I found an 18 foot guide on the WCHA classifieds and have been discussing with the owner. I have a quick question for you. He has provided me a picture of the paperwork and stem number but they do not match. However, on the build slip it looks like the serial number was changed at the canvassing step. Are you able to confirm this is the case?
The serial number on the stem is 148308 18. Attached are some pictures.
Thank you!
Dan R.
Taking what you said into consideration, I started browsing for a non-fiberglassed canoe. It's a much different market for wooden canoes that are not fiberglassed!
FYI, I posted pics and info of the fiberglassed canoe I have on a different thread, here in the forum.
I found an 18 foot guide on the WCHA classifieds and have been discussing with the owner. I have a quick question for you. He has provided me a picture of the paperwork and stem number but they do not match. However, on the build slip it looks like the serial number was changed at the canvassing step. Are you able to confirm this is the case?
The serial number on the stem is 148308 18. Attached are some pictures.
Thank you!
Dan R.
You are correct, that build record does not match the canoe. The three and eight digits are often confused. Guide models usually had heavy number six weight canvas but 148303 was made with the lighter number eight. This was probably due to the war shortages. The Old Town canoe with serial number 148308 is an 18 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW (Heavy Water) model with red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, a keel, a floor rack, and sponsons. It was built between April and June, 1947. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on June 6th, 1947 to Alpena, Michigan. The back side of the record indicates that it was returned damaged on August 13th, 1947 and sold. Scans showing both sides of this build record can be found below.
These scans 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 donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or join.
It is possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the search,
Benson
These scans 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 donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or join.
It is possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the search,
Benson
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Benson,
Thank you for the info. The build sheet you provided makes more sense than the one I received from the seller. I was not sold on the gunwales being spruce. They look more mahogany. The only missing component is the sponsons but maybe they were removed at some point. Picture below.
Follow up question, there doesn't appear to be any Old Town plaques or stickers on the boat. Do different manufacturers use the same serial number system or is the matching build record and location of the numbers enough to say it is 100% the Old Town HW you identified?
Thank you for answering all of my questions and my apologies if I am asking too many. I am new to the canvas canoe game.
Dan R.
Thank you for the info. The build sheet you provided makes more sense than the one I received from the seller. I was not sold on the gunwales being spruce. They look more mahogany. The only missing component is the sponsons but maybe they were removed at some point. Picture below.
Follow up question, there doesn't appear to be any Old Town plaques or stickers on the boat. Do different manufacturers use the same serial number system or is the matching build record and location of the numbers enough to say it is 100% the Old Town HW you identified?
Thank you for answering all of my questions and my apologies if I am asking too many. I am new to the canvas canoe game.
Dan R.
Yes, and this can make identifications challenging. See the link below for more details on that topic. The canoe in your picture looks like an Old Town HW. There are probably screw holes showing on the ribs below the rails from where the sponsons were originally mounted. The carry handles in the ends were commonly mounted on sponson canoes. Questions are not a problem. This is how we all learn,
Benson
Serial Number Madness
Many canoes and boats have serial numbers but this summary might help explain how confusing these can be. It appears that Morris, Old Town, and Carleton all started assigning serial numbers around 1900. Kennebec started in 1909, Joe Seliga in 1938, Shell Lake in 1940, White around 1946, the...
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