Penn Yan Cartopper

[rangerkevin]

Not a canoe, but a w /c rowboat. Just got this and have begun restoration. I'll have a separate post with photos to document the progress (and ask silly questions). Anyhow, I'm trying to get an idea of age of this boat. I know they were built between 1940-1960, but trying to nail down something more specific. The half ribs alternate short, long, short, long....compared to others I have seen that are all the same length. Serial number is WXH 9038 or 9039 - there is a hole on the last number so almost impossible to tell if it is 8 or 9.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Hi Kevin--

You've probably already checked-out Dan's dragonflycanoe.com site. The information given states that the first two digits of a serial number MAY indicate the year in the SECOND HALF of any given decade. Since we know the decades are 1940-1950 and 1950-1960, we obviously have to look at the FIRST half of the decades (cuz 90 doesn't work for this theory). So... your boat is maybe from 1940-1945 OR 1950-1955. So my suggestion would be to look for signs of a canoe built during WWII. Pictures will help. During the war, all the canoe builders ran short of copper, brass, cane... maybe some other building supplies unique to the cartopper.

Or, someone will look at your boat and say it's just like theirs and they have the sales receipt.

PY Cartoppers are cute little boats.

Kathy

 

[ken.kelly]

late 50s

Hi Kevin,
Others may help you be more accurate, but I've had a few of these cartoppers and asked enough questions to be confident sharing these answers as they apply to your WHX...
The transom is one clue. Penn Yan used vertical cedar in the earlier cartoppers. Your's is one piece like the later boats.
Another is the serial number. Late 40s-mid 50s Penn Yan started the serial number with the year of production. Your's doesn't have that, so it suggests a later boat....late 50s is my conclusion.
btw - I think your last digit is an 8 since the bottom of the remnant seems to go around further than the number 9 used earlier in the sequence.
Good luck with the restoration. These are wonderful boats to row.
Ken