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  1. Benson Gray

    Poll: How much sex have you had in a canoe?

    Yes, as shown below. Benson
  2. Benson Gray

    Photo of the day

    The description below is from page 44 of their 2000 catalog. It was first shown in the 1999 catalog. Benson
  3. Benson Gray

    16 ft Old Town Canoe

    You can get more information with the serial number. The information at the link below may help if you aren't sure where to look. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/how-do-i-find-a-serial-number-on-an-old-wooden-canoe-or-boat.791/
  4. Benson Gray

    Is this Old Town worth $250? it has many scratches and well worn gel coat

    Be aware of the difference between a serial number and a hull identification number. The picture below shows the serial number 206325 on an Old Town Tripper model canoe. The picture below shows the hull identification number XTC06325M75I from the starboard stern of that same canoe. The...
  5. Benson Gray

    Ely marathon

    Two runners tried to make the 16.5 mile Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race in Bangor, Maine a very long portage many years ago and were disqualified. Benson
  6. Benson Gray

    The Most Expensive Canoes and Paddles in the World

    I would encourage anyone who wants to spend a lot of money on canoe shaped art to consider antique model display canoes. The summer of 2023 saw both a seven foot long Chestnut model sell for $54,000 and a four foot long Old Town sell for $25,200. The links below have more details, Benson...
  7. Benson Gray

    The Rainbow-Debsconeag Wormhole

    Getting people to wild areas was a big business for the Maine railroads during that era so a lot of money was spent on books like these. They have been a great resource for my researching of early canoe builders through the advertisements there. Many of these books have been scanned so the...
  8. Benson Gray

    Carrying Place Canoes - Designs not available anymore

    A local sign shop can probably reproduce the decals from a good picture or scan. This is likely to be much easier than any removing / re-applying efforts. Pick any color you like since "It's your canoe..." Painting is usually regular maintenance so it may not be difficult to alter in a few...
  9. Benson Gray

    Ai bots threaten the digital canoeing world

    I help manage the Fans of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) group on Facebook and I am confident that not all of the current 12,818 members there are interested in wooden canoes. The same is true for the WCHA forum's 30,838 members. The screening processes for both of these are not...
  10. Benson Gray

    Ai bots threaten the digital canoeing world

    This is also an ongoing issue with the WCHA forum as well if that is any consolation. Bots and spam are simply parts of life in a modern internet forum. Benson
  11. Benson Gray

    1972 Old Town Chipewyan 18'

    You may find that weight is not a great indicator for Oltonar versus Royalex. The 1972 catalog listed the 18 foot long Chipewyan at 75 pounds and the 17 foot long Tripper at 74 pounds. This increased to 80 pounds for the 18 footer in the 1976 catalog when the Oltonar name was introduced. The...
  12. Benson Gray

    Over Maximum Load

    I would like to know more about how "the maximum load" for your canoe was determined. There are a broad variety of ways to calculate this and all manufacturers do not use the same technique or formula. Their standard may be higher or lower than your comfort level. Page 24 of the 1974 Old...
  13. Benson Gray

    1972 Old Town Chipewyan 18'

    A full set of Old Town Canoe catalogs from 1901 to 2023 is available in the member's section of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association site at https://www.woodencanoe.org/member-home-page if you want more details. Various Old Town catalogs are available from other sources. The 1972 is at...
  14. Benson Gray

    1972 Old Town Chipewyan 18'

    The Chipewyan model was introduced in the 1972 Old Town catalog and described as "vacuum-formed from a single sheet of amazing Royalex (R)" on page six. The reference to Uniroyal's trademarked Royalex was omitted in the 1973 and following catalogs. The 1976 catalog introduced the term OLTONAR...
  15. Benson Gray

    Can you define these wetlands?

    The usual expression is 'too thin to plow or walk on but too thick to drink' or something similar. Benson
  16. Benson Gray

    Photo of the day

    These are generally known as "photographer's canoes" so they can more easily match the color of the canoe to the background of their picture. The image at https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/32530/ and link below have some more information and other examples. Benson...
  17. Benson Gray

    1972 Old Town Chipewyan 18'

    The fragment of the hull identification number indicates that it was made by Old Town Canoe in the early 1970s. The picture below shows a similar complete tag from that era. There should also be a six digit serial number stamped into the hull just below the rail near the end. The picture...
  18. Benson Gray

    What are your current solo canoes and how do you like them?

    No small boat builder ever seems to have enough clamps. I attended the estate auction of a long time canoe builder several years ago and noticed that Rollin Thurlow was also there. Rollin has been building canoes for fifty years now but he bought a large assortment of clamps at this auction. Benson
  19. Benson Gray

    The Maine Guide Paddle

    Murat's Paddle Making blog is a great resource if you want to explore very old paddles at the first link below. Paddles, canoes, and other wooden objects don't survive very well in most North American soils so the archaeological record is a bit thin. We know much more about the stone tools used...
  20. Benson Gray

    Old Town Discovery?

    I believe that is actually an Ojibway model and not a Discovery, although it is made from the same material. The 2005 catalog description below has more details. This model name was also used previously for wooden and fiberglass canoes. Benson
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