OT 16' maybe 159152

[GreeneGirl]

Hello -- I am new and working on collecting information on my grandfather's beloved OT wooden canoe. It came to my father, who has stored it in our barn (with his vintage cars, not with cows) and now it has come to me. We are having a lot of trouble figuring out a full serial number but I thought I would try our best guess, for now. If this is annoying and insufficient, apologies. We can clearly see the 16' designation though.

My grandfather often worked as a guide, raised in Island Falls but the canoe was probably purchased in New Hampshire in the late 40's. I read somewhere that the last two numbers of the serial number are the date; those are the clearest numbers and 1952 would make sense. Thank you in advance for your work and helpful site. The canoe has been well cared for but is pretty battered just from use -- my grandfather was famous for preferring to portage the canoe by himself, giving his sons the gear and the cameras to carry.

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, the Old Town with serial number 159152 is a 15 foot long motor boat so that isn't a good match. Another option was 169152 but that is a 13 foot long canoe. My guess is that you may have the canoe with serial number 158152. This is a 16 foot long Yankee model in CS (Common Sense or the middle) grade with a keel. It was built between July and August, 1952. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on August 19th, 1952 to Providence, Rhode Island. 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 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. Page 11 of the 1952 catalog at https://www.woodencanoe.org/_files/ugd/537308_e2b39962102b451bb6167e04415418e9.pdf has more details. The last two digits of a hull identification number indicate the date but this is not usually true for serial numbers. You will probably need some varnish remover to confirm the serial numbers on this canoe. The tricks described at the link below may also help. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

Thread 'How do I find a serial number on an old wooden canoe or boat?'

Oct 2, 2005

Many old wooden canoes and boats have a serial number on both inside stems and a decal or tag with the manufacturer's logo on the bow deck. The number is usually stamped on the top of the lower part of the stems. The inside stems are the long curved pieces of wood that form the ends of the canoe. You want to look on the part that extends out from under the decks on the bottom of the floor inside the hull. The serial numbers are stamped in each end of the canoe so check both if a single digit is not clear. These numbers in the stern of boats are occasionally on the edge of the center...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• 

 

[GreeneGirl]

Thank you for all that information! We have read through the suggestions and will give it another try once we get the canoe out of the rafters. Rhode Island doesn't make a lot of sense but I suppose it could have been shipped to an outfitter from there. I did have another question -- there is a socket in the canoe--was that for a sail?

Thanks for the good advice and input. We really do appreciate it.

 

[Benson Gray]

there is a socket in the canoe--was that for a sail?

Yes, that is known as the mast step for a sailing canoe. The link below describes it along with the other parts.

Benson

A Quick Guide to Old Town Sailing Canoe Hardware | Wooden Canoe Museum

woodencanoemuseum.org