The most common questions about old wooden canoes are answered in the FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions section of the WCHA Discussion Forums. This is where the classic How Much is My Canoe Worth? summary can be found.
Another good source of information is Dan Miller's Canoe Identification Aids page in the Dragonfly Canoe Works site. This has a wealth of excellent information about the unique construction characteristics used by many of the major manufacturers. Some of this type of information is also available in the Historic Canoe Catalog Reference Guide right here in the WCHA web site. The books and catalog reproductions listed the WCHA Merchandise page and the WCHA's Virtual Bookstore may help. There are also some CD-ROMs with scanned catalogs from Old Town, Thompson, Carleton, Kennebec, White, and many other manufacturers. More information about these can be found on the Wood Canoe and Boat Catalogs on CD-ROM web page.
If you think that you have an Old Town or Carleton canoe then you can send $3 and the canoe's serial number to Old Town Canoe Company, 35 Middle Street, Old Town, Maine 04468. This service is currently identified with part number 01.1332.0100. They will then send you a photocopy of the build record card for that number from their collection of Old Town and Carleton records. The Old Town Canoe Company Build Record Archive Project has built an electronic archive of these records. WCHA members can request a copy of a card by posting the serial number in the WCHA Serial Number Forum.
The Penobscot Marine Museum started a List of Old Maine Canoe Builders for their 2001 exhibit titled "Bark to Canvas: The Evolution of a Maine Canoe." Special thanks to Kathryn Campbell and Jeff McKeen for their outstanding help in starting and generously sharing this research. Please contact the webmaster of this site for any additions or corrections to this information.
If you still have questions then the next alternative is to contact a local restorer listed in the Online Builders and Suppliers Directory or a member of the WCHA Historians Network as described in the following announcement.
Historians Network up and ready!
If you want to know more about the canoe you have, or want help identifying a canoe, pay attention. The new Historians Network is here to help members do just that. We now have a group of "Historians", who have agreed to help with both the identification and storage of resource material (in the form of old catalog photocopies) for your viewing.
Here's how we plan it to work. Members can check the list of Historians below to find one close to them. Contact that historian and set up an appointment to have a boat looked at and identified, or to use the catalogs. Have your member number ready, as this is a service for the membership. If you have specific boat you wish to look up, you may want to make sure we have catalogs of that company. You may then go view the material, but please be considerate of your host's time.
Due to the legalities concerning copyrights, company ownership, and other issues, we are not offering copies for sale at this time. If and when we get the necessary permission, we may offer them in the future.
We hope to make this a growing program both in number of historians and in the information we can provide. If you have any old catalogs you would like to share copies of with us, please contact the network chairman, Al Bratton at his address below. Periodically we will try to make more information available through the network.
Happy Paddling,
Al Bratton, Historian Network Chairman
Al Bratton, Chairman
Woodstrip Watercraft Co.
1818 Swamp Pike
Gilbertsville, PA 19525
Telephone: (610) 326-9282
Electronic mail: canoeal@aol.comScott Barkdoll
Skywoods Canoe Company
2861 Route 74 E
Shoreham, VT 05770
Telephone: (802) 897-5141
Electronic mail: skywoods@sover.netLarry Bowers
West Coast Canoe Co.
PO Box 143
Campbell River, BC V9W 5A7
Telephone: (250) 287-7348
Electronic mail: canoes@islandnet.comPat Chapman
McFarland Lake Canoe Co.
1714 Dickinson St. NW
Olympia, WA 98502
Telephone: (360) 352-4191
Electronic mail: mcfarlandlake@earthlink.netGil Cramer
The Wooden Canoe Shop
03583 County Rd. 13
Bryan, OH 43506-9741
Telephone: (419) 636-1689
Electronic mail: gcramer@cityofbryan.netBob Diraimo
Nashua River Craft
25 Thornton Rd.
Nashua, NH 03063-1117
Telephone: (603) 595-9066
Electronic mail: nshrivcrft@aol.comMichael Grace
605 Sugar Pine Dr.
Melbourne, FL 32904
Telephone: (321) 733-9460
Electronic mail: mgrace@fit.edu
Benson Gray
20 Fox Run Rd.
Falmouth, ME 04105
Telephone: (207) 797-5661
Electronic mail: benson@maine.rr.comRuss Hicks
7900 Columbia Hwy
Eaton Rapids, MI 48827
Telephone: (517) 663-3882Dan Miller
Dragonfly Canoe Works
162 Mammoth Spring Rd
Wynantskill, NY 12198
Telephone: (518) 248-8195
Electronic mail: drgonfly@nycap.rr.comDick Persson
Headwater Wooden Boat Shop
PO Box 254
Buckhorn, ON K0L 1J0
Telephone: (705) 657-2601
Electronic mail: boat@headwatercanoe.comWill Ruch
Ruch Canoes
Minett Post Office
Muskoka, ON P0B 1G0
Telephone: (705) 765-5390 Telephone: (705) 657-2601
Electronic mail: wruch@aryntel.netPat Smith
West Hollow Boat Co.
6880 West Hollow Rd.
Naples, NY 14512
Telephone: (716) 374-5014
Electronic mail: WHBC@frontiernet.netRollin Thurlow
Northwoods Canoe Co.
336 Range Rd.
Atkinson, ME 04426
Telephone: (207) 564-2700
Electronic mail: nwcanoe@juno.com