Old Town Serial Number

The Old Town with serial number 124207 is a 16 foot long double end boat model in CS (Common Sense or the middle) grade with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, spruce seats, a keel, outside stems, and a floor rack. It was built between January and July, 1938. The original exterior paint color was dark green with a G. S. (Guide's Special) green bottom. It was shipped on July 26th, 1938 to Ashland, New Hampshire. The back side of the record indicates it may have moved to Muncie, Indiana by July of 1981 when there was a previous request for a copy of this information. Scans showing this build record can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below.

124207.jpg 124207-b.jpg

This scan and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others as you probably know well. 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 renew.

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

Benson
 
Benson,

That's the one! Thank you! How common are the double enders? Did they make a lot of them? Also what is the Guides Special green bottom? Not sure I know what that is? Different color?
 
How common are the double enders? Did they make a lot of them? Also what is the Guides Special green bottom?

An estimate of Old Town's production of canoes is available at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/models.html and this same technique indicates that about 1709 double ended boats were produced in the 16 foot length between 1906 and 1968 which works out to an average of 27 per year. This makes it more common than a 13 foot long fifty pound model which is 17th on the list of canoes.

My guess is that Guide's special green was slightly lighter than the more common dark green but there is no easy way to confirm this assumption. It was a reasonably common bottom color during this period. See http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/15535/ for another example of a square end canoe with this color on the bottom.

This was Old Town's wood and canvas version of an Adirondack guide boat. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Benson
 
Back
Top