Serial number 751 17

[Anthony Sinskey]

Need help with above Serial number 751 17. Know second number is length of canoe. Think it is a Charles River canoe. Serial number is at both the bow and stern ends of the canoe and am certain number is correct. Think it was made between 1903 to 1925 but closer to 1903. Love a related picture for comparison.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Existing records of the Old Town Company, which we have on CD, don't go back that far, but I can post an image of the Charles River model from the 1903 catalog, courtesy of "The Complete Old Town Canoe Company Catelog Collection" on CD, edited by Benson Gray and Dan Miller and available at www.dragonflycanoe.com or from the WCHA store.

We'd be very grateful to see some pictures of your canoe... pre-1910 Old Towns don't show up all that often, and it helps our research and understanding when one shows up! There are some here with more knowledge than I regarding the very early Old Towns, and they may be able to give you additional information.

Kathy

 

[Michael Grace]

I'll bet this will turn out to be a Charles River-area canoe (as opposed to an OT Charles River).

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Anthony, here's a link to an older discussion regarding a canoe made by a Charles River builder... these canoes-- by several builders-- were referred to as "Charles River Canoes", but there were several builders. Although there are no existing records from these companies (that we know of), it's often possible to narrow down the builder and estimate an age, as you can see from the following discussion:

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=3300&highlight=deck+charles+river

 

[Anthony Sinskey]

Thanks

Thanks so much. I think I am getting close. Will send you a picture when I can.