Any help identifying please?

Serial # of 45886 16, or 45986 16?
Thanks, Gary

 

Looks like someone is surfing Kijiji Ottawa - not a lot of Old Towns up here! Only ever run across 3 or 4 all this time..

 

Ha Andre you caught me. I'm not actually looking as I have enough to keep me busy for awhile but when I see an older one cheap like that, I worry some predator will snatch it up and cut it half for shelves arghh! Turns out the seller is a WCHA member and we agreed on a price so I'll pick it up this week. It will hang in the rafters for a bit as I have a couple ahead of it. I'll post some more pictures when I get it.

Turns out Benson's serial number estimate was bang on as usual, "The one with number 145986 is a 16 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, HW (Heavy Water) model with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, ash trim, and a keel. It was built between July and September, 1946." That is the canoe I just bought.

Cheers, Gary

 

good stuff! im off the restorations unless they are super rare or significant, the lack of methylene chloride has done me in - none of the new strippers ive tried are worth a damn, and ive never found a furniture refinisher willing or able to do a canoe

 

Have a good look at Rehbein's canoes cuz that's what I thought when I saw the pics, although how it got here from Duluth is anyone's guess!

 

I picked this canoe up today from Austin, fellow WCHA member, very nice guy, gave me a great deal. Canoe is in reasonably good shape, it will hang in my shop until next summer when I hope to get to restoring it. Looking forward to getting it back on the water!
Gary

 

Not a Rehbein. Here's a few pics showing the seats, deck and profile.

 

The build sheet above, that Benson provided is a match for this canoe, the seats have been replaced during a past restoration so are not original. Old Town CS HW 16' previously dark green, even has a full set of the diamond head bolts. The last Old Town I did these had been removed.

 

for Dan

 

Thanks Dan...I was going by memory (old and failing it appears) and the seats and decks looked a lot more Rehbein than OT. Good to have some photo reference now, thanks again for clarifying!

 

When cane was unavailable during the war years they made slat seats.