What are they worth?

[Kelly walker]

Hi! I am new here! I have received 2 Old Town boats - I believe 1 canoe & 1 row boat - that were purchased by my great grandfather in July of 1973. One is a special order 18’ canoe and one is a 18’ guide old town. I have all the original receipts and paperwork, mail, pamphlets, etc.

The canoe was purchased for $1,041.95 and the row boat was purchase for $680. They were bought through H.H. Petrie Sporting Goods in Madison Wisconsin. They have only been in the water maybe 3x each. Please help! I also have no idea where to start in selling these items. They are in brand new prime condition. I was told to get a hold of Benson Grey if possible!

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, there are many here who can help you. The best valuation summary is at http://forums.wcha.org/index.php?threads/57/ from a variety of sources. The similar canoes and boats listed at https://www.woodencanoe.org/classifieds may also provide a useful reference. You can post the serial numbers here if you would like to see copies of the original build records. Good luck with the sale,

Benson

 

[pklonowski]

If you, or the boats, are still in the Madison WI area, bring them to Rutabaga (the paddlesport shop), and talk to the owner, Darren Bush. Maybe call ahead for an appointment, to make sure he'll be there.

 

[Kelly walker]

Hi Benson! I found the serial numbers if this helps retrieve any information. I have also attempted to reach out to Old Town directly. Haven’t heard back yet.
Thank you so much!

Canoe : 187709 18
Row Boat : 18 195281

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with the serial number 187709 is an 18 foot long Guide model with a keel that was built between November, 1971 and January, 1972. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on March 21st, 1972 to Madison, Wisconsin.

The Old Town with serial number 195281 is an 18 foot long square end model with a keel and an outside stem. It was built between May and June, 1973. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on July 10th, 1973 to Madison, Wisconsin.

Scans showing both of these build records can be found 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/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if these descriptions don't match the canoes. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson