michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hi, I was wondering if someone could assist in finding the original information on a canoe that has been in my family. Old town serial number 15370-20. Thank you.
Original info
- Thread starter michael g michaud
- Start date
Welcome, the information about serial number 15370 is available at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/13665/ but it shows a 16 foot long canoe. It appears that you are asking about a 20 foot one. My guess is that you may actually have the Old Town canoe with serial number 115870. This is an 20 foot long, AA (or top) grade, guide model with Western red cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, mahogany decks, mahogany thwarts, mahogany seats, half ribs, and a keel. It was built between May and March, 1938. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on March 14th, 1938 to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. A scan of this build record can be found below.
This scan 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 http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to renew.
It is possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. The information at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/791/ may help if the numbers are hard to read. The Carleton canoe with number 15370 is 17 feet long. Kennebec put this number on a 16 foot long canoe and a 17 foot long boat. There are no 20 foot canoes in the 15370x group and 115370 is a 15 footer. Canoes with a family connection are always extra special,
Benson
This scan 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 http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to renew.
It is possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the canoe. The information at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/791/ may help if the numbers are hard to read. The Carleton canoe with number 15370 is 17 feet long. Kennebec put this number on a 16 foot long canoe and a 17 foot long boat. There are no 20 foot canoes in the 15370x group and 115370 is a 15 footer. Canoes with a family connection are always extra special,
Benson
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michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Would the 20 ft canoe u describe have sponsors? This one does.
michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Sponsons
There doesn't appear to be anything on the sponson line of this build record. This will occasionally be due to a very light colored stamp which wasn't captured by the black and white scanning process. See https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/old-town-sponsons.3035/#post-14571 for an example (which also has sponsons). It is also possible that the build record has an error but this isn't common. Does everything else match? Can you provide pictures of the serial number stamps from each end and the surrounding area? Thanks,
Benson
Benson
michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hi Benson. The serial number I gave u before was one my Dad had written down but is incorrect. I did some sanding today and I believe the number is either 153798 or just 53798. Can u check those for me? Thank you for your efforts!!
The Old Town with serial number 53798 is a 17 foot long Charles River model so that isn't a good match. The build record for 153798 seems much more likely as shown below. This is a 20 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, guide model with white Maine cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, half ribs, no keel, and sponsons. It was built between January, 1950 and June, 1952. The original exterior paint color was G. S. (Guide's Special) green. It shipped on May 17th, 1955 to Eagle Lake, Maine. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Benson
Benson
michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
This sounds right. Dad said he got it from his Uncle Fred Paradis, but Paradis and Michaud families were combined via a second marriage. It makes sense too as the canoe has been in the St. John Valley of Northern Maine all its life. Thank u for this info!!
michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
I would call it in moderate condition. Definitely very seaworthy still. Any idea on the rough value?
michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
The comments at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/57/ should help you with the value it. Long canoes generally sell for less than shorter and lighter ones. This is clearly a very long and heavy canoe. Good luck,
Benson
michael g michaud
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Yes very heavy. A bit impractical. I am going to research the family heritage on it and try it out. We have a 6 horse Johnson we run on it. I haven't been in it for a long time. Thanks for your info and interest. I may have found a new hobby here.
