Serial Number Search

[Walter Hauck]

Hi Brian! Welcome to the family of Arrowhead canoes. From the photos, it looks like your carrying thwart has plugged bolts attaching it to the inwales. This was used on the St. Louis Meramec and all the other attachments on the inwales were probable also plugged. As repairs are made over the years the plugs were dug out to get to the bolts, and then replaced with bolts with heads on the surface. This may be the reason you have the Old Town bolts on your canoe. When John and I cleaned out the St. Louis Boat and Canoe shop (aka St. Louis Meramec Canoe Co.)
we found a new set of Old Town bolts.
I would estimate the age of your canoe with the number 725-18 to be built 1924-1925.
From the pictures it looks like it's in good shape. The tips look nice and solid. I'd love to see more pics of the other deck and thwarts. It would have had a middle thwart, but the one with the pads is not original.
Where are you located? Where's your bait shop? Let me know if you have any more questions I can help you with.........Wally

 

[brian22]

I guess one question is value. If it was restored what the value might be? I have thought about restoring it, but I have not done much research on it yet?

 

[Dave Osborn]

Check the link..
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57-How-much-is-my-old-wooden-canoe-worth

 

[Dave Osborn]

The sad truth is that most vintage canoes are over priced, even as rough hulls such as yours.
If you take the time to do a proper restoration or pay for a proper restoration the cost involved will exceed the sales value of your canoe in an informed market.
The exception would be if you had an extremely rare and collectable canoe or if it was tied to someone historically famous. In your case, the canoe is not extremely rare and collectible, and was not owned by Teddy Roosevelt or Ernest Hemingway.
But I digress.. Your canoe, properly restored and cared for would serve as a really cool canoe to use and pass on for generations...that is priceless.

 

[brian22]

Hi Dave,
Thank you very much, you hit the nail on the head with the information you gave. I will hang it on the wall as is. The Bait and Tackle shop is in Jay, Maine, and we hope to open in November.

 

[MGC]

The sad truth is that most vintage canoes are over priced, even as rough hulls such as yours.
If you take the time to do a proper restoration or pay for a proper restoration the cost involved will exceed the sales value of your canoe in an informed market.
The exception would be if you had an extremely rare and collectable canoe or if it was tied to someone historically famous. In your case, the canoe is not extremely rare and collectible, and was not owned by Teddy Roosevelt or Ernest Hemingway.
But I digress.. Your canoe, properly restored and cared for would serve as a really cool canoe to use and pass on for generations...that is priceless.

Dave, that is extremely well put..extremely. I have struggled to find those words. Now I will just steal yours.
There is intrinsic value in wooden canoes that does not always monetize...