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

[bobk544]

Hello, can you please tell me if you think this Old Town canoe is worth $250 ? I asked the seller if he could give me the serial number or product label info, but never returned my answer, so i don't know the year or model, but I do know from googling around that these Old Town canoes are highly regarded. And I saw a really excellent OT go for around $400, so i figured this one is probably worth $250 if i do the repairs myself, ie fix the scratches and repaint the Gel Coat. But i've never done any of these kinds of repairs so i thought i'd double check as maybe the Gel Coat material cost alone is $100 or more? many thanks for any hints or suggestions!
here's the link to the Old Town in question:

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[VA paddler]

Hello, can you please tell me if you think this Old Town canoe is worth $250 ? I asked the seller if he could give me the serial number or product label info, but never returned my answer, so i don't know the year or model, but I do know from googling around that these Old Town canoes are highly regarded. And I saw a really excellent OT go for around $400, so i figured this one is probably worth $250 if i do the repairs myself, ie fix the scratches and repaint the Gel Coat. But i've never done any of these kinds of repairs so i thought i'd double check as maybe the Gel Coat material cost alone is $100 or more? many thanks for any hints or suggestions!
here's the link to the Old Town in question:

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If they send you the serial #, the last two digits will be the year it was produced, and you could probably determine the model with a little research. I'd ask for pictures of the boat sitting right side up, and ask for shots of the hull's interior. It looks like a royalex Tripper, and if so, it's an excellent buy if it's in good shape. I wouldn't worry a bit about the scratches; if you find gouges, that's another consideration. I had the same motor mount on one of mine for a summer, and a little 2.5hp motor really got it flying.

 

[bobk544]

Thanks for the information and since you mentioned the motor mount, i'm now wondering if i will need to ask the owner for a title to the canoe as i also want to mount an electric motor on the boat, in addition to a sailing rig and the fact that he hasn't yet gotten back to me with the serial number makes me wonder if he has a title. So i guess i'm really asking, when someone buys a canoe as the original owner, lets say someone buys a canoe from Bass Pro Shops, will they give the buyer an actual title or is it up to the buyer to go and get a title, i quess using the original sales receipt from the the seller?

 

[Gamma1214]

To address your initial question, I'll agree with VA paddler that it may very well be worth the money but, without knowing what shape the interior is in, it's a pig in a poke at this point.

As to the second, the serial number is stamped into the hull so the seller can easily provide that without any paperwork. Title requirements may vary by state (not sure about that) but I never got titles for the boats that I bought for my daughters. The original bill of sale sufficed for registering them.

Come to think of it, I just registered my Raven and there's no paperwork anywhere for it since I built it myself. You may want to get a bill of sale just in case (or call your local fish & boat office to find out for sure)

 

[VA paddler]

In Maine, you only have to register a boat (of any kind) if you are putting an engine on it.
It's like a license plate - they want to be able to id the person who was being irresponsible with the motorized craft.

Hard to be much of a danger in a canoe.

I certainly never registered a canoe in Virginia.

 

[Robin]

At that price it’s worth a drive to beat the competition.

 

[Chip]

If it’s a Tripper, buy it. If it’s a Discovery, it’s going to be heavier and very rugged, think about it.

I recently sold my 2000 Tripper for $400. I was throwing away paperwork and came across a Maryland title. I once ran an electric motor on it and had registered it. The state issued the title, probably based on the bill of sale, I can’t remember. I bought it new and it didn’t come with a title.

 

[Alan Gage]

if i do the repairs myself, ie fix the scratches and repaint the Gel Coat. But i've never done any of these kinds of repairs so i thought i'd double check as maybe the Gel Coat material cost alone is $100 or more?

That boat does not have gel coat. It's not a composite canoe. It looks like it's probably made from Royalex. The bottom of the hull appears to be in very good condition. I would not try "fixing" any of those scratches. The only question would be if the seats and thwarts are rotted out but those are easy fixes. I'd say it's definitely worth $250 and, assuming the woodwork is ok inside, it's ready to hit the water for many more years.

Alan