Serial Number Search:

[Howard Minnick]

Found an old wooden canoe in the backyard of a newly acquired property and it needs some work but looks repairable.
Serial # 183897 17 It appears to be an Old Town.
Can anyone tell me what model and when this was built? Is it worth repairing?
Thanks Howard

 

[Jan Bloom]

You really need to post pics and provide a bit more info in regard to visible condition for anyone to offer an opinion about restorability. Also what some will restore will be very different than what others will tackle. All depends on what experience and skills a person has.

 

[Greg Nolan]

The Old Town canoe with the serial number 183897 is a 14' fiberglass canoe, so I think you have to take another look at the number. hotos of the number as stamped on the end of each stem can help with identification, and as indicated above, can help us give you our opinions about repair/restoration.

Greg Nolan

 

[Howard Minnick]

Hi Greg, Thanks for the response.

The full serial number is 183897 17. it is a fully wooden canoe not fiberglass and is longer than 14 ft. I will measure it but i think it is about 18 feet long I will post some pictures as soon as possible thanks for the rapid response.
Thanks.
Howard

The Old Town canoe with the serial number 183897 is a 14' fiberglass canoe, so I think you have to take another look at the number. hotos of the number as stamped on the end of each stem can help with identification, and as indicated above, can help us give you our opinions about repair/restoration.

Greg Nolan

 

[Greg Nolan]

Howard --

On an Old Town canoe, the 17 would simply be an indication of the length of the canoe -- which is why I'm pretty sure that 183897 is a misreading



Alternatively, it may not be an Old Town

Greg

 

[Howard Minnick]

Thanks for the response Greg,
I double checked the serial number and you were right. I was incorrect in reading the number. After scraping some old varnish flakes off, the numbers became slightly clearer in high intensity light. Although the 3's sometimes look like 8's
The revised reading is #183693 17 it is an Old Town with remnants of the green colored canvas at the gunwales.

 

[Howard Minnick]

I will post some pictures as soon as I can figure out how to do it

 

[Greg Nolan]

It is common for serial numbers to be partially hidden or distorted by old varnish, dirt, paint, or wear and tear. And sometimes the numbers were not stamped as well as they could be.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 183693 is a 17 foot long Otca model equipped with a keel. It was built between August 1969 and March 1971. The original exterior paint color was dark green . It was shipped to Gardiner, Maine on June 7, 1972. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail image 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.

FYI, 183698 belongs to a 17 ½’ kayak, 188693 belongs to a 10 ½” boat, and 188698 to a 16’ fiberglass boat, so it seeems likely that we have the right build record above. But it is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Greg Nolan

 

[Howard Minnick]

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I have attached photos of the conoe. Is it worth repairing?

 

[Howard Minnick]

More pictures of the damaged area.

 

[Dan Miller]

Is it worth repairing?

That is up to you. However, it is a reasonably straightforward repair - not much different than repairing the rotted tips that plague 85% of the wood canoes out there.

 

[Howard Minnick]

Old Town Canoe SN 183693

These pictures of Old Town Canoe SN 183693 show its present state. I'm curious as to what the value would be after restoration and what costs of restoration might I expect?
Members any thoughts?
Thanks

 

[Howard Minnick]

Thanks Dan,
Any idea what kind oc costs I can expect to incur?
I know I will have to re-canvas and paint the exterior and completely strip and re-varnish all exposed surfaces etc.
Is there any sort of repair guidline pamphlet or procedure for accomplishing this?
Thanks.
Howard

 

[Benson Gray]

The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57 should help you determine the value of this canoe. The cost of a restoration usually exceeds the increase in value so it is typically best to sell it unrestored if your goal is to make money. However, a restoration can be a great investment in many other ways if you like the canoe. The page at http://www.smallboat-shop.com/Restoration Process.pdf has a good summary of the process and cost ranges for a professional wooden canoe restoration. Good luck,

Benson

 

[Greg Nolan]

All of the above is correct. In addition, I would advise anyone considering restoring a canoe -- whether doing it themselves or having it done by someone else -- to get, or at least look at -- "The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance" by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok, and/or "Building the Maine Guide Canoe" by Jerry Stelmok.

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. These are available from the WCHA store and generally elsewhere.

I think it useful for the owner of a canoe to understand how it is built and why things are done the way they are, and why a restorer is doing the things that may be necessary -- or not doing things not necessary.