Warning About Two Serial Number Sequences For Old Town Canoes!

HEBlumer

Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
I purchased a vintage canoe recently specifically to restore and resell it. It was represented to me as a 1911 Old Town based upon the serial number 204341 stamped into in the inside keel strips. It turns out that it truly is an Old Town but it is a Carleton Model of the Old Town and the Carleton Model canoes made by Old Town have a different sequencing of serial numbers... This one is actually a 1942 model, shipped from Old Town Main and delivered to a sport shop in Peoria IL. It turns out that the 1911 model was a 17' unit whereas the Carleton unit in 1942 was a 16' unit. Another distinguishing feature is the short carrying handles (thwarts) at each end on the Carleton model. Not many folks who access WCHA's canoe information resource realize that Old Town maintained two different serial number sequences. In 1909 Old Town bought out the competing Carleton factory in Old Town, Main and just two years later the Carleton factory burned down. Old Town then dramatically expanded their own facility and continued to build the Carleton canoes in their new facility. They continued the use of the previous Carleton serial numbers in the process.

Some 40 years ago I bought a 16 foot Old Town canoe who's serial number indicated it was a 1911 production model... We used that canoe for a number of years and then gave it up in favor of aluminum canoes for our family... I'm of the opinion that 16' canoe was also a Carleton model and probably a lot newer than I realized at the time. I probably made the same mistake that my seller did. I don't feel cheated by the misrepresentation as I'm not into restorations to make a profit and it was a honest mistake. I would hope WCHA might consider writing a news article in their magazine alerting our membership to the problem and also suggesting that when researching the age of a canoe, more descriptive information is needed than just the serial number.

Harold
 
Hi Harold,

I don't recall ever seeing anything purposefully written about this, but this mistake happens often. Many of the serial number questions on these forums and also many responses about serial number inquiry assume Old Town. But as you've experienced, several other companies had similar numbering schemes. And Carleton presents a bigger problem because many were built by Old Town after it acquired Carleton. The issue has been raised here quite a few times as people ferret out historical info on their canoes. The Old Town/Carleton serial number might not be enough for a full story in the journal, but maybe a more general article on serial numbers (including OT/Carleton)?
 
Dan. Thank you for your references. No doubt this issue has come up before and WCHA has done an admirable job of researching and getting out information to its members. Being a fairly new member I obviously haven't seen the past WC issues and I wasn't concerned enough to do a thorough search of the Knowledge Base before I made the purchase. As Canoe Nut indicated above this is a continuing problem and my thread and these two responses have served well as a reminder to everyone. Thanks again.
 
Being a fairly new member I obviously haven't seen the past WC issues and I wasn't concerned enough to do a thorough search of the Knowledge Base before I made the purchase.

Actually, this is not a "problem". It is history. Researching before buying is discretionary. Post purchase regret is not all that uncommon. I wonder how many folks have come back from an auction with a useless tool, a worn out duck decoy or a painting of dogs playing pool and felt buyers remorse (certainly for the painting, what was I thinking?).

I am a bit less impulsive than I used to be but every now and then I still find myself tempted to buy a canoe that I am not 100% sure of.
Since it is literately impossible to know all of the makers, styles, nuances it is really helpful to research a bit here but also to ask for help from those in the know:
This list of WCHA historians is posted here on this site and is a valuable tool if you have any doubts or need a more expert opinion:
http://www.wcha.org/wcha-historian-network/ This is on the site landing page.

Without fail each one of these folks that I have contacted have responded with information, advice and an occasional suggestion to walk away. Even if you don't have all of the old Wooden Canoe issues or an interest to read about the various builders on this site you can still tap into the wealth of available knowledge. Each of us have picked up a boat (or a few) that was not what we expected. Turns out that the Carleton/OT story is one of the better known and more well understood/documented stories................
 
The serial number in the original post seems to contain an error -- an extra digit. An Old Canoe with a serial number 204341 would have bee built in 1974. OT's built in 1911 would have a serial number with only 5 digits. Similarly, a Carlotn built in the 1940's would have a 5 digit serial number.
 
The serial number in the original post seems to contain an error -- an extra digit.

Yes, I believe that the information about this canoe can be found at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?11718 if anyone is curious. The actual date of Old Town's purchase of Carleton was March of 1910 as shown in the public announcement and internal company records below. The fire was front page news in May of 1911 as shown at http://oldtown.advantage-preservation.com/document/old-town-enterprise-1911-05-20-page-1 on the top of the fifth column.

The serial number confusion issue is a common one and I am frequently checking the available records from Old Town, Carleton, and Kennebec to find a match. Positive identification usually requires more than just a serial number. Thanks for the reminder,

Benson
 

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