OT 13' Trapper #121208 - ??

[The Canoe Kid]

Hello-

I'm looking for build date/info on an OT Trapper, 13', #121208.

BTW: this canoe has a removable center thwart. Was that standard on these boats? Why would someone want to remove it?

Thank you for the assitance.

The Canoe Kid

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Hi CK,

Old Town 121208 is a 13' CS (common sense or middle) grade 50-pound model canoe that was completed April-July of 1937, with open spruce gunwales, oak decks, thwarts, and seats, and a keel. Originally dark green in color. The canoe was shipped to Ware, MA, on August 12, 1937.

I'll attach information about this canoe from the 1937 catalog-- no mention is made of the thwart being removable, but my guess is that this was done so more stuff could be loaded into the canoe. These images, posted below, are from "The Complete Old Town Canoe Company Catalog Collection, 1901- 1993", available on CD from http://www.wcha.org/catalog/ and http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/cdrom.htm on the web.
The scan of your build record 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 at http://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that anyone reading this will join or renew membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to renew.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description don't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Kathy

 

[chris pearson]

I think the option was there to allow a paddler to get more of a load in the boat.

 

[SWEETWATER]

My 11' trapper has the center thwart attached with wing nuts.i wonder if it was standard back then.it is from 1933.

 

[Benson Gray]

I suspect that most of the Old Town canoes from this era have wing nuts on the middle thwart. My 1936 Otca has them and this also made it easier to open them up for use as a courting canoe.

Benson

 

[Greg Nolan]

center thwart

My 1931 15' 50 pounder also has the (center) thwart attached with wing nuts. They will make it will be easier to remove the original thwart and install the portage thwart I am now in the process of making. While I will save the original thwart, I don't expect to be switching it in and out; I expect the portage thwart will basically be a permanent installation.

There is no other thwart, and the seats, hung a few inches below the inwales, serve essentially no structural role. The canoe is quite lightly built -- it is intended to be light-weight, and not intended to be a freighter. While removing the thwart might allow easier stowing of gear, I don't think I would use the canoe for any length of time, or with any serious load, with no thwart in place.

 

[The Canoe Kid]

Thanks for the help...

I appreciate the input.

Gregg

 

[Howie]

Hi! About your 13' 50 Pounder / Trapper ... I'll be restoring one soon, but my problem is that it has been missing the center thwart as well as the front seats. I suspect this has caused the canoe to 'relax' a bit - I bet it now measures wider than it's supposed to. So... if you still have yours, could you take a few measurements for me? Can you tell me the screw-to-screw distances of the thwart as well as the front seats? Thanks for any help you can give...

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I just finished a 1966 and the bolts had wingnuts.