Requesting help identifying Old Town canoe # 150422 18.

[nmshoe]

I just acquired this canoe and am trying to learn what I have. I am in the wooden boat boondocks here in Galveston, Tx so I haven't found anyone with local knowledge yet. The craftsmanship is so beautiful I am hoping to maintain/restore it like it deserves.
Thanks for any help.
C J Blessing

 

[Greg Nolan]

Welcome to the WCHA.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 150422 is an 18 foot long, AA (top or premium) grade guide model with Maine cedar planking; AA grade canoes usually have mahogany gunwales, decks, thwarts, and seats, though this is not specified on the build record; this canoe was equiped with a floor rack and a keel. The canoe was built between March and June 1948. The original exterior paint was dark green. It was shipped to Austin, Texas on July 19, 1948.
A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail images attached below.



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/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe.

When considering any work on a canoe -- maintenance, repair, restoration, and whether you plan to do it yourself or to hire a professional, there are three good sources of information that you would do well to get, or at least look at, before making any decision about how to proceed:

The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok

Building the Maine Guide Canoe by Jerry Stelmok

This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, by Mike Elliott

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction. The third was just recently published and has gotten some good reviews.

Of course, you can always ask questions here on the forums -- don't be shy, even if your question seems simple. We have all faced situations where we weren't sure what to do, but others have faced the same situations and figured out how to proceed.

You might also want to look at The Old Town Canoe Company by Susan Audette and David Baker, a great history of the Old Town company and its canoes.

These books are all available from the WCHA store, and are often on eBay, or available from Amazon.

Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. And again, welcome.

Greg
WCHA President

 

[nmshoe]

Thank you very much for your quick reply.

I think I will follow your forum for a while before I attempt anything with my average skills.

Welcome to the WCHA.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 150422 is an 18 foot long, AA (top or premium) grade guide model with Maine cedar planking; AA grade canoes usually have mahogany gunwales, decks, thwarts, and seats, though this is not specified on the build record; this canoe was equiped with a floor rack and a keel. The canoe was built between March and June 1948. The original exterior paint was dark green. It was shipped to Austin, Texas on July 19, 1948.
A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail images attached below.

View attachment 36006

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/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe.

When considering any work on a canoe -- maintenance, repair, restoration, and whether you plan to do it yourself or to hire a professional, there are three good sources of information that you would do well to get, or at least look at, before making any decision about how to proceed:

The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok

Building the Maine Guide Canoe by Jerry Stelmok

This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, by Mike Elliott

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction. The third was just recently published and has gotten some good reviews.

Of course, you can always ask questions here on the forums -- don't be shy, even if your question seems simple. We have all faced situations where we weren't sure what to do, but others have faced the same situations and figured out how to proceed.

You might also want to look at The Old Town Canoe Company by Susan Audette and David Baker, a great history of the Old Town company and its canoes.

These books are all available from the WCHA store, and are often on eBay, or available from Amazon.

Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. And again, welcome.

Greg
WCHA President

 

[MGC]

If the boat needs work in order for you to use it then don't be shy about tearing into it. Shop for a few guides as per Greg's recommendations and go at it. Anyone with reasonable self confidence and a quasi logical mind should be able to restore a wood and canvas canoe...as long as it's not a real basket case. The basket cases are (in my opinion) best left to experienced folks. Others will disagree and suggest that the best place to start is with a wreck....with the idea that your efforts can hardly make it worse.
Of late there seems to be less new dialogue about basic restoration here, probably because many members have been through it and now ask fewer questions. Regional chapters also seem to help beginners gain access to experienced advice.
In your case, if you tear into it and then post questions and pictures I can assure you that you will get lot's of expert advice and help here.
You can also use the search function on this site and find lot's of previous discussion covering most aspects of restoration and you may also find some help in the Knowledge Base.
A good place to start is to inventory the repairs.
Does the canvas need to be replaced?
Are the inside and outside rails (gunwales) intact?
Is there stem and or deck rot?
Are the decks split?
Are the seat frames whole and do the seats require cane? Is it pressed or woven cane?
Are there cracked or broken ribs and or planking?
Are the stems whole and able to accept tacks?
Is the varnish good or does the boat need to be stripped?
Etc.
Once you have an understanding of the work/repairs that need to be done then you can move on towards doing the work.
You can pull the rails, remove the canvas, strip the hull, repair/replace decks, rails, seat frames, remove and replace ribs and planking etc.
Each step requires a bit of knowledge but each step is in and of itself not all that hard to do.
Good luck. Post some pics.