Old Town Penobscot 17

[CaptainOllieWest]

Old town penobscot canoe - boats - by owner - marine sale - craigslist

Old town penobscot 174. 17 foot canoe. Some patches on the hull.

portland.craigslist.org

I have a soft spot for derelict canoes I guess.

I will be in Portland tomorrow so I arranged a time to check this out.

 

[snapper]

Good luck with getting the canoe. We used the 16' version in the outdoor program I worked in for many years. Great boats and easy for beginners to feel comfortable in.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[goonstroke]

That looks like a 17 (royalex), not a 174 (poly). If so, very nice for the price, even with some bodyart.

 

[Alan Gage]

Can't go wrong for $100. Ten years ago the old saying was "any dry hole in the water is worth $300"

Alan

 

[ppine]

Its hard to stop looking at used boats to buy.
That one is a perfect rock canoe.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

Its hard to stop looking at used boats to buy.
That one is a perfect rock canoe.

I am always looking at the used market in the areas that I frequent.

I saw this one on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. We made an unplanned trip to check out our vacation house on the coast and drop off supplies to the kids in Portland after the storm. Might as well check it out right?

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

That looks like a 17 (royalex), not a 174 (poly). If so, very nice for the price, even with some bodyart.

I am pretty sure it is the 17 Royalex version.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

So I picked it up today. It is an early version of the P17 so it is Royalex. She is a little rough around the edges as expected. I will get a better look at it tomorrow.

The last 2 digits of the serial number look like 92. Does this indicate it was built in 1992? It doesn't have the molded decks with handles. It has the separate wood handles at each end.

 

[Benson Gray]

The last 2 digits of the serial number look like 92. Does this indicate it was built in 1992?

Yes, the information at https://www.usps.org/national/safety/HIN/HIN.pdf indicates that it was built in November, 1992 for the 1992 model year. The 1992 catalog page below has more details. Nice score,

Benson

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

Yes, the information at https://www.usps.org/national/safety/HIN/HIN.pdf indicates that it was built in November, 1992 for the 1992 model year. The 1992 catalog page below has more details. Nice score,

Benson


View attachment 139252

Thank you for the information Benson!

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

I was able to get a closer look at it today. It definitely has sun damage. I hope the vinyl is not too brittle. The hull is dirty, mossy, and might even have some paint overspray. My plan is to clean it up and maybe buff it with some rubbing compound before adding some 303 or Armorall.

The patches look like someone removed some tape or something that didn't adhere well over the epoxy that was used to fill the damaged areas. I may dremell it out and replace with g-flex.

The yoke and seats seam solid. I will probably web the stern seat. The cane on the bow seat seams okay. The thwart behind the bow seat is missing. I wonder if it was removed to paddle backwards from the bow seat? I will probably replace it.

It also came with two Caviness plastic and aluminum paddles.

My plan is to make it usable without spending too much money.

Here it is next to my Tripper.


You can see the patched areas in this picture.

 

[ppine]

The best $100 canoe around.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

Mid 40's F today. I got a little work done. I Used some rubbing compound on the worst half of the canoe and hosed it off. It may clean up okay. Looks pretty good wet. The paint overspray is more apparent now.


Here is a look at the worst of the two patches. It looks like it may have had some fiberglass cloth over it at some point.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Good buy for $100 plus a little fixing up.

I will probably web the stern seat. The cane on the bow seat seams okay.

You might want to web both so the seats look the same. Plus, old cane will sag or break eventually. Webbing will last far longer.

The thwart behind the bow seat is missing. I wonder if it was removed to paddle backwards from the bow seat?

That's the likely reason.

Here it is next to my Tripper.

I see three nice trippers in that garage.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

You make a good point Glen. I should web both seats. Any recommendations on webbing material and width?

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

Decent weather and some free time so I did a little cleaning on the Penobscot.

Lots of overspray on one side. I haven't decided how far I am going to take this restoration. I may just leave it for now. I haven't paddled this canoe yet.

 

[Jmharrick]

View attachment 139895

It’s a shame the overspray isn’t over the entire hull. Then it would look intentional. Haha

 

[jdeerfoot]

I am thinking I might be able to pickup a similar Penobscot RX 16’ from the local nature center where I volunteer. It is a well used rental canoe in the center’s fleet of canoes and kayaks.

The nature center is located on a river which has a dam about 1 mile downstream which is being considered for removal starting next year. If the dam is removed and the river returns to its natural flow, the river will likely be too narrow and shallow to support much boating. If the dam goes there will probably be a boat auction.

This is the canoe I start carrying each spring on the center’s trails to prep for portaging on my summer trips.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

I am thinking I might be able to pickup a similar Penobscot RX 16’ from the local nature center where I volunteer. It is a well used rental canoe in the center’s fleet of canoes and kayaks.

The nature center is located on a river which has a dam about 1 mile downstream which is being considered for removal starting next year. If the dam is removed and the river returns to its natural flow, the river will likely be too narrow and shallow to support much boating. If the dam goes there will probably be a boat auction.

This is the canoe I start carrying each spring on the center’s trails to prep for portaging on my summer trips.

I have heard good things about the Penobscot 16. Soon I will try out this 17.

 

[eckilson]

Never paddled one, don't know anyone that owns one, but here is my favorite picture of a Penobscot 17.

https://flic.kr/p/HWfbnV

This was the Hill & Dale Rapid on the Westfield River during the Wildwater Race in 2010. We did an early run and then stopped to watch the race carnage on the way home. Looks like a capable boat and a nice find. I actually like the paint spots.