strange numbers
- Thread starter blz
- Start date
The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?791 may help you locate any hidden digits. It may also help if you can post a picture of the numbers here from each end and the area surrounding them. Occasionally diamond head bolts were used to repair canoes that didn't come from Old Town so it may take some additional pictures to identify the manufacturer of your canoe from other clues. Pictures showing the deck area, profile, and interior features are usually the most helpful.
Benson
Benson
Strange numbbers on wood frame canoe
Hi, thank you so much for your response to our post. We are including some pictures, but would like to give some history of the canoe. My father worked for the Red Cross starting back in the 1930’’s. He used the canoe when teaching instructors canoeing and water safety. I do not remember it ever being repaired. However, we did (it appears) everything on the list of what NOT to do with a wooden canoe. We put on fiberglass, added a keel and put on wider gunnel. The canoe had been stored in our barn, until a tree just fell on the barn and caused some serious damage. We are pretty sure the numbers are correct because we found the same numbers in both the bow and stern. Do not know if this canoe was made for my father to use in his Red Cross job, he traveled all over the North East. The grandchildren started asking questions about the canoe that I cannot answer. Am looking forward to your answer.
Hi, thank you so much for your response to our post. We are including some pictures, but would like to give some history of the canoe. My father worked for the Red Cross starting back in the 1930’’s. He used the canoe when teaching instructors canoeing and water safety. I do not remember it ever being repaired. However, we did (it appears) everything on the list of what NOT to do with a wooden canoe. We put on fiberglass, added a keel and put on wider gunnel. The canoe had been stored in our barn, until a tree just fell on the barn and caused some serious damage. We are pretty sure the numbers are correct because we found the same numbers in both the bow and stern. Do not know if this canoe was made for my father to use in his Red Cross job, he traveled all over the North East. The grandchildren started asking questions about the canoe that I cannot answer. Am looking forward to your answer.
My guess is that you have the Old Town canoe with serial number 161261. This is a 16 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, Otca model with a keel. It was built between December, 1953 and January, 1954. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on April 30th, 1954 to Hudson, New Hampshire.
The only other 16 foot long canoe in the 16126x range is number 161262. This is CS (common sense or middle) grade, Otca model with short 16 inch decks, a keel, and sponsons. It was built between December, 1953 and February, 1954. The original exterior paint color was Old Town yellow. It shipped on April 27th, 1954 to Pompton Plains, New Jersey. It seems less likely to be this one since there don't appear to be any screw holes along the sides from the missing sponsons in your pictures. The current decks, thwart, and rails are not original.
Scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images 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/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.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description don't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
The only other 16 foot long canoe in the 16126x range is number 161262. This is CS (common sense or middle) grade, Otca model with short 16 inch decks, a keel, and sponsons. It was built between December, 1953 and February, 1954. The original exterior paint color was Old Town yellow. It shipped on April 27th, 1954 to Pompton Plains, New Jersey. It seems less likely to be this one since there don't appear to be any screw holes along the sides from the missing sponsons in your pictures. The current decks, thwart, and rails are not original.
Scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images 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/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.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description don't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
