S.N's of 3 Old Town Canoes

[Mud Bug]

Wondering if anybody would be willing to show me the shipping dates and so on for three Old Town canoes:

151066 16
117406 16
28806 17

Not sure how to access the "electronic archives" on this site. If someone wants to coach me through it rather than dig this out themselves, I'd be obliged. I think the first two are Yankees, first from 1946, the second from 1936, but I don't know the last one. I'd like to be certain of all three anyway. All are in the family.

Thanks

Mud

 

[pklonowski]

The archive of this information isn't on the web site, but can be purchased here: https://www.woodencanoe.org/digital-media

But someone who has these records will be along...

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 151066 is a 17 foot long, AA (or top) grade, HW (heavy water) model with red Western cedar planking, open mahogany gunwales, a keel, and a floor rack. It was built between July and October, 1948. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on June 19th, 1950 to Lewes, Delaware.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 117406 is a 16 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, Yankee model with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seats, and a keel. It was built between March and May, 1936. The original exterior paint color was Prin. (Princeton) Orange. It was shipped on June 8th, 1936 to Danbury, Connecticut. The back side indicates that there was a prior request for a copy of this information on May, 1981 from Port Jefferson Station, New York.

The Old Town canoe with serial number 28806 is a 17 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, Otca model with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, maple decks, maple thwarts, maple seats, a keel, and a floor rack. It was built between October, 1913 and February, 1914. The original exterior paint color was bright red. It shipped on February 25th, 1914 to Dayton, Ohio.

Scans of these build records can be found below. These scans and several hundred thousand others 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/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will donate, join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See https://www.woodencanoe.org/about to learn more about the WCHA and https://www.woodencanoe.org/shop to donate or join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if these descriptions don't match the canoes. Please attach some pictures of the serial numbers from each end of number 151066 if it is really a 16 foot long canoe. See https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/10494/#post-54642 for a longer explanation of the issues related to having a self-service serial number lookup. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Thanks,

Benson

 

[Mud Bug]

That is very good of you, Benson. Thank you. I'm doubting that I read the serial number right on the 17' HW though. The stem clearly says "16," and my dad had told me it was a 1946 Yankee. I'll look again, and I'll see if I can take a picture of it. Might be one of the ones was a seven or something like that.

The '36 Yankee you said had had a previous request for information in 1981 from Port Jefferson, New York. I bought it near Brattleboro, Vermont when I lived in New York, so that kinda makes sense. Boy was it abused on those rocky rivers! (By me too.) Literally half its ribs were broken. It's in the middle of repair and has been for too long. I need to get on with it, but I've run up against a snag I'm hoping someone on here might advise me on. First I wanted to be sure it was what I thought it was, though, in case I ordered the wrong parts. I didn't. Thank you for resolving that issue. I'll take pictures and raise my question in the appropriate, ah, column, if I can find it. (I'm better with a paddle than a keyboard or I'da been drowned long ago.)

Thank you for the suggestion that I join WCHA. I appreciate that. I'll take steps in that direction. Honestly, I didn't know that it existed. (Nobody throw rocks at me now!!) I only very recently found this site and learned there are other people who are enthusiastic about wood canvas canoes and paddle them. Boy am I happy about that! I've only ever known one other person outside my family who can paddle a canoe and even keep it going straight. And I take it you sail yours, Benson? Gee. Until I found this site, I thought my dad's sailing rig was the only one anywhere. Glad to find there are other folks out there.

Mud

 

[Mud Bug]

I looked at the first canoe's serial number again. I read it wrong the first time. The serial number is 151006. The second zero looks a lot like a 6 with the wood stains and all. There is a "16" marked clearly after that. I'll try to get a picture of it today--if I can get my camera to work.

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe with serial number 151006 is a 16 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, Yankee model with red Western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, a keel, and outside stems. It was built between April, 1948 and May, 1949. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on June 7th, 1949 to Detroit, Michigan. A scan of this build record can be found below.

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

Benson