What does a Old Town PACK look like with wood?

[ppine]

Nice boat.
Mark Adams in Reno built one out of cedar and canvas.

 

[Benson Gray]

embossed into the hull is this: "197616"

Better late than never? The Old Town canoe with serial number 197616 is a 12 foot long Chipewyan model that weighed 45 pounds. It was built between September and October, 1973. The original exterior color was yellow. It shipped on April 9th, 1975 to Phoenix, Arizona. A scan showing this build record can be found below.

This scan and several hundred thousand more 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 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 this description doesn't match your canoe. This is shown at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?attachments/5961/ in the 1975 catalog. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[M Clemens]

Yikes! A 45 pound 'Pack'. Folks don't give Old Town sufficient due for the engineering that went into getting the Pack down to 33 pounds from the original Chipewyan 12. I wonder why it took so long for this boat to go from the shop to the dealer?

 

[Benson Gray]

I wonder why it took so long for this boat to go from the shop to the dealer?

Old Town canoes were frequently stacked floor to ceiling and wall to wall in large storage areas. This was a classic first in, last out situation so it was not unusual that a low volume model like a 12 foot canoe would occasionally get buried for a very long time.

Benson

 

[M Clemens]

Old Town canoes were frequently stacked floor to ceiling and wall to wall in large storage areas. This was a classic first in, last out situation so it was not unusual that a low volume model like a 12 foot canoe would occasionally get buried for a very long time.

Benson

Ah, I forget what it was like before 'Just-in-Time' manufacturing became the norm.

 

[Benson Gray]

This storage problem was even worse with wooden canoes that had to sit for a few months while the filler cured. These would occasionally be stacked on the factory roof or in employees' back yards around town as shown below. Their children would often help to sweep the snow off.

Benson