THINNIN" the herd by one

Ed Moses

LOVES Wooden Canoes
Letting S/N# 16568 16 go, need the space. Andre would be psyched!!! Was a gift from a friend way back when I started refurbishing W/C canoes. Was rescued from the burn pile back then and probably shouldn't have been. Never ran the # for the build sheet due to its high storage location so if someone would be so kind as to check it, I would appreciate it. Curious to know what model it is before the flames consume it and all the fiberglass slathered over it!!!

Ed
 
Sad to see 'em go, but sometimes you just have to let go and recycle. Watch the fumes and smoke from the fiberglass... Wise to run the serial number, just make sure it isnt the proverbial unicorns horn before you send it to its reward!
 
Hi Ed,

Old Town 16568 is a rare 16 foot CS (common sense or rare middle grade) rare Charles River model canoe that was completed during the historic time of November 1911 to March 1912. It has rare closed gunwales of wood from the lovely spruce tree, and maple decks/thwarts/seat frames which may be birdseye or flame (oops, I said 'flame'). It was uniquely fitted with a keel and was painted a rare dark green shade. It also had an important painter ring and valuable flag socket. It was shipped to folks who dearly loved it in Pittsburg, PA, on March 28, 1912. Someone curious about the fabulous canoe contacted Old Town from Palo Alto, CA, on 9/3/82... obviously heard of its grandeur and needed to know the facts from Old Town. Image of the scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image.

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/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to join.

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.

Kathy
 

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Kathy,

Your description brought a super smile. Thanx for your sense of humor. Hey , since this is such a rarey maybe I ought to drive it out for you and Denis to treasure & store, rather than torch it then I could take you up on your offer for a visit and stay with you nice folks. It sure was a pleasure to finally met you both at assembly and discuss our common interests.

Ed
 
We actually would have room to store the poor ol' thing, and if there's a chance it would lure you in our direction, we'd give the unique ol' girl a home. We currently don't have an Old Town in the fleet... we'd love to have you visit (and not simply to spare the canoe)!

Kathy
 
Not true! like Kathy and Denis i too want for an Old Town, and you know my affinity for closed gunwale boats... besides the marshmallows would likely be of the magic kind over a polyester fueled fire.
Now we will be burning a Huron and a Wideboard at Killbear this year.....:D
 
Too Quick with the Match?

Andre, with all due respect, and I do mean all due respect, and having seen some of the "restoration projects" you have taken on lately, I can only surmise that your quick use of the MATCH to seemingly decent canoes and old canoes smells of a CONSPIRACY THEORY, and that in fact, you may be trying to make these relicts more rare, one poor canoe at a time, to increase the value of your own HERD.

What say you?:p
 
I will respond at Killbear, will you be present to share in a refreshing beverage? Since Steve is coming, fill the car with Norumbegas...
 
Kathy & Denis,

I was just funnin and continuing with the levity of this thread when I , in jest, suggested bringing the old girl to you fine folks. Believe me this is one horribly messed up canoe!!!! Just about every rib is broken, inwales are broken, patched, rotted, covered with fiberglass, interior heavily painted, decks rotted and fiberglass slathered all over them at the tips to hold the ends together, etc., etc. ad nauseum. Even Andre (The Pyro) would not want to take this restoration project on!!! Being a gift from a well meaning friend, I did not want to immediately trash it so I hung it 13' high in my fabric shed. Being so high and difficult ( read that dangerous) to get it down, it has been easy to forget about it til now as I needed the space to get a much better canoe in out of the weather. Yesterday afternoon (after reading the thread & the build sheet) was yard clean up time (we have a large family get together this coming Monday for a cook out ) and it went into the burn pile with all sorts of other odds & ends of scrap lumber, brush and other burnable debris) so it is a done deal!!!

Kathy and Denis, again thanx for the re-invitation to visit. Will surely take you up on it if I'm ever out that direction.

Ed
 
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flag sockets dont burn

Hi Ed,
Is the flag socket still with it? I can always use an original to install in one of my OTs if you don't have a plan for it.
Hate to hear of one going up in smoke, but sounds like this might be the only part of it worth hanging on to.
 
Ken,
Sorry to say that the painter ring and flag socket were missing. Must have been taken off when fiberglass was slathered all over the decks. I would liked to have been able to salvage them . Only things I could salvage were the diamond head thwart and seat bolts that someone had obviously installed in place of the original bolts .

Ed
 
Well, Ed--you're welcome to visit anytime, with or without a canoe! Glad there was something to salvage on the ol' girl.

Kathy
 
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