Serial # 3012

[Brad C]

I now have the wooden canoe (serial # 3012)that my father purchased in the 60's. It was in need of repair as it had been retired from a kids camp. The canvas was replaced with fiberglass and new seats were added so we could use it. I am going to fix it for my brother as it will eventually be his.I took it to Ross Brothers and they thought it was an Old Town 16' Rowing boat. The number suggested it may have been made in the early 1900's. When we looked at an old, Old Town catalog, it showed the seats attached to a short ledger stip. My canoe has a continuous ledger stip that runs the full length of the boat. This feature was shown in a 1955 catalog picture.
The boat is actually in good shape,( no rot) with the exception of the fiberglass. Any help on this would be appreciated.
Thanks: Brad C

 

[Benson Gray]

There are not many records available to identify boats or canoes with a serial numbers in the low 3000 range. The existing Old Town serial number records are missing between numbers 3010 and 3016. The existing Carleton serial number records are missing between numbers 2235 and 5481. The Kennebec serial number 3012 went on a Maine Coast model that was 14 feet long. The Old Town serial number 13012 went on an XX model that was 16 feet long and 113012 went on an 16 foot long HW model.

You may be able to identify yours from other characteristics described at http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/id/ in the Wood Canoe Identification Guide. It would also be helpful if you could post some pictures here along with the actual dimensions and other details.

The 1912 Old Town catalog is the first one with an image that shows the interior of their double-end boat. It includes a full length seat brace as shown below. More information like this can be found on the Old Town Canoe Company Catalog Collection CD that is available from http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/cdrom.htm or at http://merchandise.wcha.org/product_info.php?cPath=90_91&products_id=404 in the WCHA store.

There could be some additional serial number digits that are hidden. You may want to try a flashlight at a very low angle to emphasize the shadows or a crayon with paper like a grave stone rubbing. More information is available at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=791 about how to find a serial number. Feel free to reply here if you find any more digits or have other questions.

Benson