136200 old town canoe in bellinghem wa. 12/26/11,1100

Hello,

Old Town 136200 is an 18 foot GS, or third grade, guide model canoe with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, ash thwarts and ash seat frames, a keel and a floor rack. It was originally painted guide special green. There's a notation at the bottom, stating that the canvas was repaired and filled and the canoe was "washed where laid back for repair to hull"... there is the statement "second" above the serial number, so this canoe may have been a "factory second"? It was shipped to Rumford, Maine, on May 13, 1943. Most of the work on this canoe was done in 1942 so it's likely that it doesn't have some of the "war alternative" features of the canoes of the later forties. 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 athttp://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 doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Kathy
 

Attachments

  • ot136200.jpg
    ot136200.jpg
    269.3 KB · Views: 209
If that's the right build record, this canoe made its way from Rumford, Maine to Bellingham, Washington, in its 68 years. That's quite a trip! Bet there are some stories to be had...
 
WCJ,
I purchased that canoe recently from the grandson of the original owner and will be restoring it for use this coming summer on Diablo Lake in Washington. Initally the only things I found needing the most attention were one inner gunwale cracked in 5 places and removal of two plus additional coats of paint. So far without removing the varnish from the interior, I saw no other breaks anywhere! For it's age and use, it's in remarkable shape.

The story behind the move from Maine to Washington is simply transported by Uhaul truck before residence was sold. Sorry...I hoped for a better story as well.

Jim
 
Back
Top