build request

Old Town does not have serial numbers as high as 8oxxx.

Some pictures of the canoe and of the serial number will help.l
 
Sorry, still not used to my new progressive eyeglass lenses . . . .

The Old Town canoe with serial number 80679 is shown as 15 feet long, CS (common sense or standard) grade, 50 Pound model with western red cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, seats, and thwarts, and equipped with a keel. The canoe was built between October 1923 and April 1924. The original exterior paint was dark green. It was shipped to the Atherton Furniture Co. in Brockton, Massachusetts on July 15, 1924. A scan of this build record can be found by following the link behind the thumbnail image attached below.

80679-00323A.jpg


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 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.
Greg
 
Thank you Greg for your quick response. Yes this is the exact build record for this canoe. It was found submerged on Marthas Vineyard around 1989 , not sure if it was fresh or saltwater. Then it was left at my house for possible repairs. It has hung in my barn since then. It looks original. Inner gunwale needs repair where the center thwart attaches and outer gunwales need total replacement. Bow and stern decks need repairs at the tips. Canvas is ok needs small repairs. Ribs are good. I am trying to decide how much I want to do for repairs.
Thank you again for your help
Ron
 
A possible problem --

Because it seems as though this canoe may have spent significant time in salt water, you should evaluate the soundness of the brass tacks fastening the planking to the ribs. Salt water tends to remove the zinc from the zinc/copper alloy that constitutes brass. White blooms around the ends of the tacks clenched into the ribs are an indication that there may be a problem. If dezincification has occurred, the strength of the tacks may be compromised.

Take a look at the following links for previous discussions of the problem in these forums:

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.p...erial-number-157477&highlight=dezincification
good photos of zinc bloom

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?8148-salt-water-stains&highlight=dezincification
check the picasa photo link in post 10 of this thread -- there are some good photos of zinc bloom

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?10700-halo-tacks&highlight=halo

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?5185-!934-OT-Yankee-Restoration&highlight=dezincification

http://forums.wcha.org/archive/index.php/t-4912.html

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?4912-Oxidation-stains&highlight=dezincification
possible advice on how to remove bloom stains

If you don't have a dezincification problem, the rest of the issues you describe are fairly ordinary restoration matters. Good luck.

Greg
 
Back
Top