Old Town 117556 Help Please!

[MattP]

Trying to help a friend get his arms around what he owns. The Old Town label on the bow has been worn off, but the Chicago Sporting goods store is telling. Serial is: 117556 ..... 13 ( which we assume is length)

VL&A Sporting Goods Exclusively Chicago is the info on the one emblem

 

[pklonowski]

Welcome to the WCHA Forums!

Von Lengerke & Antoine... https://thevintagetraveler.wordpress.com/tag/von-lengerke-antoine/

Someone will be along with the canoe ID before too long.

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, the Old Town canoe with serial number 117556 is a 13 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, fifty pound model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seats, a keel, a floor rack, and a bob stay (i.e. a painter ring mounted low on the bow near the water line for towing). It was built between April and June, 1936. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on June, 22nd, 1936 to Chicago, Illinois. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.



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 at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/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-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to join.

It is also possible that they could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you or your friend have any other questions.

Benson

 

[MattP]

Great information and details It matches the boat perfectly. My images sizes are too big to post. Let me edit them down and will share. It is exactly as you describe. It's much earlier built than we thought too. Cool. PreWWII. We promise to keep the WCHA in mind. We'll donate the thing in 10-20 years after we re-canvas and fish out of it !! If anyone is in San Diego area, we'll be restoring this boat this summer, 2019, for a future on lakes like Miramar, Otay, Barrett, Cuyamaca, Morena, etc.