Recent auction purchase

[Brad Ernst]

I’m pretty sure that it is an old town canoe. The serial number is 18 50591 I would really like to know the model and the year any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Brad.

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with serial number 50591 is 17 feet long so that isn't a good match. The record for number 50597 shows a 16 foot long one so that isn't any better. Can you provide pictures of the serial numbers from each end and confirm the extreme overall length of the canoe in a straight line? The suggestions at the link below may help if the digits are hard to read. Thanks,

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)

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[Brad Ernst]

Thank you very much for your quick response unfortunately, I think you transposed two of the number it’s supposed to be 50591 and you looked up 50951 thank you very much for your support

 

[Brad Ernst]

Sorry I missed the first number it is 18 150591 thank you for your patience, Brad

 

[Benson Gray]

Yes, I had transposed the numbers in my original message but have since corrected that error. The Old Town canoe with serial number 150591 is an 18 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, HW model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, a keel, and sponsons. It was built between March and June, 1948. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on July 3rd, 1948 to Spicer, Minnesota. 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 your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson