Serial Number, Old Town.

[Bert Grenier]

Mr. Benson Gray

Please can you look for information regarding a Old Town Serial number

!8 76976

Thank you very much Bert Grenier member 8678

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Hi Bert--

I'm not Benson, but if there are things I can't answer or things he can expand upon, he'll jump in too.

Old Town 76976 comes up a 17 foot canoe, not an 18 footer. You may want to double check that number-- check both stems.

76976 is a 17 foot CS ("common sense") grade Otca model canoe, built between February and April of 1923. It has red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, 20" birch decks, and birch thwarts and seat frames. It was fitted with a keel and painted maroon, then shipped to Macy's in NYC on June 6, 1923. Does this match your boat?

I'll post the scan, but if this doesn't match, we can try again. Scans of approximately 210,000 records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. Additional information about the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details.

I know you're a member of WCHA, but others reading this who aren't members yet should know their money helps fund projects such as this, and a small tax deductible contribution goes a long was toward assuring that services like this continue. See http://www.wcha.org/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA, http://www.wcha.org/wcha_video.php to watch a 10 minute video about WCHA and our programs and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to join.

Any pictures?

Kathy

 

[Benson Gray]

My guess is that you have an 18 foot long Otca model with either serial number 76978 or 76979. The Old Town with serial number 76978 is an 18 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, Otca model with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, twenty inch birch decks, and birch trim. It was built between March, 1923 and February, 1924. The exterior paint color was dark green. It was shipped on February 29th, 1924 to New Haven, Conn.

The Old Town with serial number 76979 is an 18 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, Otca model with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, twenty inch birch decks, birch trim, a keel, and two nickle flag pole sockets in the decks. It was built between March and April, 1923. The exterior paint color was royal blue with a half inch gold stripe and a name beginning with "S" painted twice in gold shaded lines for letters and an Old English "M" in gold painted twice. It was shipped on April 28th, 1923 to Portland, Maine. Please send some pictures if this is the canoe and it still has the original paint design showing on the canvas.

It is also possible that they could have another number or manufacturer if these descriptions don't match your canoe. You may want to try some paint archeology or light sanding on the canvas to see if any signs of the original color and design remain. Each digit in the serial number was individually stamped so it is not unusual to find some that are lighter than others. You may also want to verify the length of the canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Michael Grace]

name beginning with "S"

Looks like "Sioux"

M