Serial Number and Old Town I.D.?

[Happy Campers]

Hello everyone!
We just got an Old Town canoe, in great shape, like new, and for free!
We definitely want to enjoy it, and the grandkids are already all over it.
My question is, how can I get more information about the canoe? Never knew much about canoes, so I looked up Old Town Canoe, but seems it closed shops?!
I have found the following serial number: XTC34260M80J
Any help would be appreciated!
Also, not fitting in this topic, what should I use after cleaning it up, for the outside, inside, etc.?

So many questions, so much to learn!
Thanks everyone for this cool forum!

A-

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the Old Town canoe with hull identification number XTC34260M80J and serial number 234260 is a 16 foot long, ABS Chipewyan Penobscot model with aluminum inserts in the rails that weighed 84 pounds. It was built in May, 1980. The original exterior vinyl color was green. It shipped on June 13th, 1980 to Chicago, Illinois. The back side of the scan indicates that the source sheet was designed for a 17 foot long canoe. Scans showing both sides this build record can be found below.

These scans 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 the canoe. The Penobscot model was introduced in the 1981 catalog as shown at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?attachments/42326/ but it was not unusual for them to start making a new model in the pervious year. The exterior layer is vinyl so most cleaners designed for automotive interiors should work fine. The Old Town factory store is closed but the company is still operating. See https://oldtownwatercraft.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/canoes/tripping/penobscot-164 for their current version of this model. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Happy Campers]

Benson,
You, sir, are awesome! That's basically all information possible that there is! This definitely makes it easier to plan ahead, especially for getting a proper hoist for the garage for its weight, but also for strapping it on top of the truck!
And yes, it is green on the outside, and a light green on the inside.
We will have some pictures coming soon to the forum to share, but for now, one of the grandkids already practicing some canoeing
Thank you!
A-