canoe ID

So a friend of mine has an older canoe that he’s thinking about selling and wants to know what it is.



The info he has provided to me is as follows:



SN XTC37111F989

There is a model name on it “Wilderness”

It’s 17 feet long.

Old Town

– Last Updated: Nov-12-12 10:09 AM EST –

The "SN" presumably means serial number and is not part of the hull identification number (HIN). The "XTC" is the manufacturer identification code assigned to Johnson Outdoors, which now owns Old Town Canoe. The canoe was built in 1989.

The 5 digits following XTC might identify the model number to an Old Town expert. I am not an Old Town expert but for what it is worth I am not familiar with an Old Town model called the Wilderness. Old Town made a number of models around 17 feet in length including the Tripper and Penobscot in Royalex, the Canadienne in composite, and a couple of Discoveries (169 and 174) in polyethylene.

You can try calling Johnson Outdoors at 800-343-1555 or 207-827-5514, or post pictures here if nobody can identify the model from the HIN.

I’m guessing the prefix denotes
a specialty production for one of the big-box retailers and that it’s a Disco clone.

discovery
Did the discovery go all the way back to '89? I didn’t realize that Poly boats went back quite that far.

Yes
Old Town introduced the Discovery series in 1984.

the real ones

– Last Updated: Nov-12-12 5:56 PM EST –

are royalex. '89 would be a real one.

Discovery = polyethylene
Of course, we don’t know that the boat is a Discovery model but Discos were and are polyethylene.



Old Town made somewhat similar hulls in both three layer poly and Royalex such as the Penobscot 164 (poly) and the Royalex Penobscot 16, or the poly Penobscot 174 and the Royalex Penobscot 17, and still do.



They have also added to the confusion by renaming some of the hulls originally called Discoveries. For example, the Discovery 174 (the original Discovery) later became the Allagash 174, and is now the Penobscot 174. But they are all three layer poly.

oops, thanks Pete
I was thinking of MRE’s due to cerebral expulsion.

brand sticker
It also has a “White” sticker on each side. I had read somewhere that OT bought out white many years ago.

White Canoe Company
I believe that White Canoe Company had a wood/canvas model called the Wilderness back when.



According to this: http://www.islandfallscanoe.com/about-us.aspx



Old Town bought out White Canoe in 1984 but made a line of synthetic “White” canoes until 1990, so this boat is probably one of those. Still don’t know what it is made of though. I would call Johnson Outdoors who might be able to look into it.

Old Town records
Old Town keeps the most accurate records of any company producing canoes. All you need is the serial number and Johnson’s phone number and you’ll have all the information you’re looking for.