Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with hull identification number XTC96879M73A and serial number 196979 is a 17 foot long Chipewyan Tripper model that weighed 75 pounds. It was built in July, 1973. The original exterior color was yellow. It shipped on August 1st, 1973 to Cranford, New Jersey. The back side of this record shows that the warranty card was returned from Flemington, New Jersey in September, 1973. 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. 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 also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. The outside exterior and interior layers are vinyl so little maintenance or care is required. Most products designed for automotive interiors (i.e. Armor All, 303 Protectant, etc.) can help if you want to shine it up a bit. The 1973 catalog page for this model at
https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/45087/ has the original length and width information. Canoes with a family connection are always extra special. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the trip,
Benson