OT Model #143044-16
- Thread starter Jim79
- Start date
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Hello Jim,
Old Town 143044 is a 16 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade Yankee model canoe that was completed October--December 1945. This means it was finished during the time of shortages due to WWII, and I'll mention things to look for so you can verify if this is what you're seeing in your canoe. The canoe has red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, and ash decks, thwarts, and seats. The decks would be the typical Old Town short deck and the seats would be slat seats rather than cane-- unless someone replaced the wartime slat seats later-on.
The canoe has half ribs. If you aren't familiar with the term, half-ribs are fitted between the regular ribs and only cover the bottom of the canoe. If your canoe doesn't have half-ribs, this may be the wrong record. This canoe also has outside stems... this is an extra strip of hardwood on the outside edge of bow and stern, which defines the edge of the canoe... it not only looks pretty but helps to protect the ends of the canoe.
This canoe also has a keel and brass bang-plate. The bang plate is mentioned because brass was probably still hard to get at this time. Original color of the canoe was dark green. It was shipped to New Brunswick, NJ, on March 12, 1946. Post pictures if you aren't sure if this record matches your canoe.
There is interesting information on the Yankee model in older discussions, which you can locate using the "search function" and typing in "Yankee". A copy of this record is attached below-- click on it for 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 you will join or renew your 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 join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.
Kathy
Old Town 143044 is a 16 foot CS (common sense or middle) grade Yankee model canoe that was completed October--December 1945. This means it was finished during the time of shortages due to WWII, and I'll mention things to look for so you can verify if this is what you're seeing in your canoe. The canoe has red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, and ash decks, thwarts, and seats. The decks would be the typical Old Town short deck and the seats would be slat seats rather than cane-- unless someone replaced the wartime slat seats later-on.
The canoe has half ribs. If you aren't familiar with the term, half-ribs are fitted between the regular ribs and only cover the bottom of the canoe. If your canoe doesn't have half-ribs, this may be the wrong record. This canoe also has outside stems... this is an extra strip of hardwood on the outside edge of bow and stern, which defines the edge of the canoe... it not only looks pretty but helps to protect the ends of the canoe.
This canoe also has a keel and brass bang-plate. The bang plate is mentioned because brass was probably still hard to get at this time. Original color of the canoe was dark green. It was shipped to New Brunswick, NJ, on March 12, 1946. Post pictures if you aren't sure if this record matches your canoe.
There is interesting information on the Yankee model in older discussions, which you can locate using the "search function" and typing in "Yankee". A copy of this record is attached below-- click on it for 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 you will join or renew your 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 join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.
Kathy
Attachments
Wow, that was quick! It is amazing to me that it is possible to get such detailed information about a 50+ year old canoe that has ended up in my garage. What a life it must have lived, and now to end up sitting in my garage hoping that I can return it to the water. The options you described sounds like my canoe, though the seats are both stamped metal seats and only one of the cross braces inside the canoe is wooden. It does have half ribs and the outside stems are there thoug there is only one of the bang plates you mentioned. The ouside of the canoe has no covering currently so as for the color I trust your documentation. I am new to this and am doing my homework reading as much as I can!
Kathryn Klos
squirrel whisperer
Hi again, Jim--
This should be a good canoe for a first project. If you have any questions, post pictures and you'll get lots of input. A good basic reference for wood/canvas restoration is Stelmok and Thurlow's "The Wood and Canvas Canoe", which is available new and used in many places, including the WCHA store.
The information on Old Towns exists because the company never went out of business and tossed their records on a burn-pile, as most of the old companies apparently did. Although OT stopped keeping these detailed records in the 1990s, they maintained the old records and permitted them to be scanned.
There are others here who have restored Yankees and can give you the information you'd need to recreate the seats on your canoe... if you want to restore (versus rehab) the canoe. You'd have the option of putting cane seats in or re-creating the slat seats that were probably there.
With the half-ribs and outside stems, your canoe has an extra bell and a whistle, and it should be a pretty canoe once it's done. I'll attach a picture of the Yankee from the 1946 Old Town catalog, courtesy "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.
Kathy
This should be a good canoe for a first project. If you have any questions, post pictures and you'll get lots of input. A good basic reference for wood/canvas restoration is Stelmok and Thurlow's "The Wood and Canvas Canoe", which is available new and used in many places, including the WCHA store.
The information on Old Towns exists because the company never went out of business and tossed their records on a burn-pile, as most of the old companies apparently did. Although OT stopped keeping these detailed records in the 1990s, they maintained the old records and permitted them to be scanned.
There are others here who have restored Yankees and can give you the information you'd need to recreate the seats on your canoe... if you want to restore (versus rehab) the canoe. You'd have the option of putting cane seats in or re-creating the slat seats that were probably there.
With the half-ribs and outside stems, your canoe has an extra bell and a whistle, and it should be a pretty canoe once it's done. I'll attach a picture of the Yankee from the 1946 Old Town catalog, courtesy "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.
Kathy
