Old Town Serial #1192

Bebrally

Curious about Wooden Canoes
I accidentally posted the wrong number before (sorry). The correct serial number on our new (to us) OT canoe is #1192.
(Pic attached)
 

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Are there any nail holes on the bow deck or combing from a missing tag? Are the ribs tapered? This doesn't look like an Old Town from that period. Open gunwales were not listed in any Old Town catalog prior to 1906. The extended 'torpedo' stems didn't become popular until the late teens. The shape of the font for the digit one is different from the confirmed Old Towns like the one shown at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/12416/ from that era. My guess is that this canoe is from a Charles River area builder. Waltham used a font like that as shown below. Do the ends of the stems look like the image below?

Benson


Waltham-147.jpg
 
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Thanks for the reply and info Benson!!!
I will investigate further for any signs of information and post pics back here!

Any other Waltham resources out there I could reference?
 
Any other Waltham resources out there I could reference?

Very little has been written about Waltham. You can search these forums for some details and a few other examples. Two of their catalogs are included in the collection at http://www.wcha.org/store/historic-wood-canoe-and-boat-company-catalog-collection from the store. The planking pattern shown in your most recent picture is also consistent with a Charles River area builder. One of their tags is shown below. Good luck,

Benson


Waltham-147-tag.jpg
 
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Notice the chamfer on each of the upper edges of the stem, and the chamfered sides of the stem end... features of some Charles River-area builders, but not characteristic of Old Town. Neither the thwarts nor the seat frames are Old Town-style either. The decks and coamings, though, look like direct copies of an Old Town Otca. It would be interesting to know more about this one.
 
Looks like a St. Loius Meramec Canoe Co. to me - scarfed outrail, seat caning without holes in the corners, inrail wider than the outrail, plugged seat hangers and it looks like an arrowhead deck. - Wally
 
Thanks Walter for the detailed notes and builder suggestion. This gives me a little more to research. Very excited to discover more of this canoes history and get it out on the water!
 
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