hull number 84989 16

The Old Town canoe with serial number 84989 is a 16 foot long, CS (common sense or middle) grade, speed square stern model with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, maple decks, spruce thwarts, a keel, outside stems, floor rack, and sponsons. It was built between April and July, 1924. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It shipped on July, 5th, 1924 to New York City. A scan showing this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail image below.

84989.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 donate, 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 canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson
 
Last edited:
Can you tell me please what the “special” refers to in this boats description?
 
The short answer is that there isn't anyone left alive who can provide a conclusive answer. Pictures of this model changed quite a bit between the 1924 catalog shown at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?attachments/39373/ and the 1925 one at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?attachments/39374/ so my guess is that your special doesn't have the high bow of the earlier version. Some of these were also described as a "speed square stern" as shown at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/15469/ for example. Can you provide a profile picture of the bow on yours to confirm this? Thanks,

Benson
 
Last edited:
Yes, in the build form I see “Speed” and wondered if that had been interpreted as “Special” rather. I’ll post some pictures on here next week. Thank you.
 
The boat we have is defiantly not canoe shaped in the shear at the bow and is more like the 1925 version. The bottom is distinctly V shaped at the bow and runs astern to flat. Also, very interesting to see is the description of the “Breadth” at the transom added to help float the weight of a motor. We were wondering about that shape and that is the only reason I could come up with for that shape.
 
I’m wondering now if the “Speed” version is really something other than the flatter sheared “Canoe” version because it doesn’t look like a canoe at all.
 
This model changed quite a bit over the years. It was shaped like a canoe during the early years and became much more of a boat later. The original width was 40 inches (without sponsons) when it was introduced in 1919 and this grew to 45 inches when it was last listed in the 1964 catalog. See http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?attachments/15063/ for more information about the later version. I've also corrected the description in my previous message.

Benson
 
Last edited:
Back
Top