Serial # 19280-17. Likely a Carleton

Howie

Wooden Canoe Maniac
Just picked up what appears to be a Carleton, ser # 19280-17. It has Carleton style decks plus Old Town type diamond head bolts. Also sponsons, carry thwarts, and half-ribs. Along with a ton of fiberglass.. Thanks for any info!
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The Old Town build record for serial number 19280 shows a 16 foot long canoe which does not match your description or pictures. I agree that you have a Carleton. Their build record for this number shows a 17 foot long Carleton model in CS (Common Sense or the middle) grade with red western cedar planking, open "wales" (gunwales), ash decks, ash thwarts, ash seats, a keel, outside stems, sponsons, a bang plate, a half inch gold stripe, and "Our nameplate omitted, Houser's used." It was built between November, 1925 and 1928. The exterior paint color was bright red. It shipped on May 22nd, 1928 to Scranton, Penna. 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 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/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/wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/join.php to renew.

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. Good luck with the fiberglass removal and restoration,

Benson
 

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Mr. Gray, I have a potentially stupid question. Why do you say the canoe was competed between 1925 and 1928 when the paperwork says 1911?

is the 1911 paperwork actually from 2011? It looks like the color was changed to green on that record (the color it is now).
 
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Dave you’re so right, I wasn’t even paying attention to the model. But why wouldn’t they just write 2011? Haha.
 
Just to add to the confusion, if you type into the search box 18517 you can view the build sheet for a Carleton built in 1924. It would seem to make sense that a canoe built in 1925/6 ought to have a serial number several hundred higher, which your does.
 
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