I think the original selling price is irrelevant in determining current value.
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Agreed. New Grummans sell for $1.5-2k so why would anyone pay that for used? Used aluminum canoes in great shape are maybe $400 on a very good day. If there are Grumman collectors out there who would pay more, they would want one in pristine condition.
Believe it or not, I actually watch Grumman canoe prices pretty closely. You get can Grumman canoes, regardless of “vintage” size and model, all day long for $300-$500. Canoes in better shape will typically command a higher price, that makes sense. You CAN with patience, find incredible deals on Grummans when someone is moving or grandpa dies, divorce etc… A few guys are asking crazy high prices for 1946 canoes. Those sit forever.
If you are trying to sell, depending on how fast you need to sell, set your price between $500 and $700 and come down as needed.
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so I listed it for sale had 1 guy come out and one call from out of state that guy offered $500 so I told the guy that came out, he paid the $500 cash and took the canoe, I hopped it was worth more but hey $500 I am good and the dude was in love with it so, win, win, thanks to all that took time to help
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Glad to hear! I just got back from a little trip… This all prompted me to go visit an old friend of mine who owns a shop about an hour and a quarter from me. He’s been selling canoes for his whole life and knows the business well. I haven’t seen him, or hardly any of my other regular paddling community, since the Covid situation set in, and now that we’ve both gotten our shots welll… free to take a little drive, see what’s up with him, what’s new in the shop, and get a real pro’s valuation. He suggested $500 as a reasonable price and perhaps more. He had a couple mid-40’s Grummans (and a lot of other neat vintage stuff, BTW) that he’s asking around a grand for - but they’ve been sitting for many years.
Eventually he’ll probably find buyers that will be happy to find them - he’s in the business and is pretty canny about pricing, but not everyone cares to wait that long for a sale.
So glad tidings for us both. Both our boats are more in line with 47’s pricing.
You sure didn’t let any grass grow under your feet! Good for you.
Good evening everyone,
I am new to the forum and joined because I have been searching for information on my square back Grumman canoe/boat. Which I have learned is called a Sport model (15s). This post is the best information I have found so for. My boat was also made in Bethpage, NY so from what I read above it has to be between a 1944 to 1952 model. The strange thing about mine is that the plate isn’t numbered like the one in this post. All it has is 217-15s. Any chance this was one of the early prototype boats or something?
I don’t want to hi-jack someone else’s thread and can start a new one if that is best. Being new I wasn’t sure.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Stacy
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Hello and welcome. 217 is probably a production number. Is there a HIN on the stern? That may give you more to work with.
Hello! Thank you for the response. There isn’t a HIN or anything on the Stern. From what I understand they didn’t start using HIN numbers until 1972 and with tag being a Bethpage, NY tag the boat would have been made somewhere between 1944 and 1952. After that the tag read Marathon, NY instead of Bethpage, NY. What is strange is that the other 2 Bethpage, NY tags further up in the thread have a different format and included a letter to indicate the year. A = 1946, B = 1947, C = 1948 , D = 1949, E = 1950, F = 1951 and G = 1952.
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My thoughts are you got an early one maybe number 217 made. At some point they figured out some sort of convention for a number.
That’s just a guess on my part. Have you tried contacting marathon and asking if they have records?
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Could you post some photos of your boat? I have spent a great amount of time looking at Bethpage Grummans. I have only seen one other tag without a black “insert” for lack of better term and I have never seen a serial number like yours
Yours may be a really early one. Is your boat a 15 footer? I assume the 15S if for 15 foot and probably standard. Doest your boat have any other markings? It is my understanding that the earliest “for sale” boats were actually sold to the public through Abercrombie and Fitch and sometimes had Abercrombie and Fitch tags or markings.
Here are the tags from my canoe and my girlfriends canoe. It is my understanding that 1946 was “A”, 1947 was “B”, 1948 was “C”, and so on. On my tag “5” is the thickness and 15 is the length. I know my boat is a 1947 because I bought it from a 90 year old guy who bought it new. So… at least the theory matches for my boat. Yours has a much lower number, so yours could maybe be really early, maybe before they had finalized a numbering scheme?
I have talked to the boys at the Marathon factory, they are nice guys, offered to give me a tour of the place, but, they didn’t seem to know or care much about the Bethpage canoes.
Thank you. Mine is a 15’ sport so it has a square back on it. Almost like a gheenoe but WAY before there where gheenoes. I believe it was made to row, sail or be motorized. I will get some better pictures and upload them but here is one I have in my phone. Right now it will only let me post 1 picture because I’m new to the Forum.
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Wow, I would definitely like to see more photos of that. I have NEVER anything like that out of Bethpage.
PJC, do you know the name and model of that float plane. My father took us to Essex Skypark Airport during my childhood. One of those floatplane had been abandoned in the wood line north east behind the hangers. I tried to find information on the plane for the past 60 years but couldn’t find pictures or any information. Until you posted that picture, I was starting to think it was a figment if my imagination.
PJC, you confirmed in a following post that it’s the “Duck”. Thanks for that post.
My brother had a Grumman 17 ft canoe in the 1970. I loved the boat. Unfortunately, it was reformed around an object in the Gunpowder River. We painted a mark on the Rt 1 bridge so we knew whether a short section or rapids on the river would be passable.
If there is a boat I miss, that canoe would be it. It fulfilled the dream of getting on the water, and it’s destruction ended my white water adventures. My favorite boat for many reason, including camping down the Potomac with my sister and her husband.
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50-C-3-17 list $ 131.00
brochure from 1946-1952 while still in bethpage.
All those interested should copy this photo as I notice after awhile the photos I link to using imgur disappear.
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Its how most of us started. I remember paddling a rented Grumman that was 15 feet in the Boy Scouts in 1961.
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I have a fond affection for the 17 foot aluminum canoe my brother owned. Doesn’t matter about the deficiencies. It represented a fond moment in time.
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I always hated portaging the keg, but at that price point I will take one of each fully accessorized.
Wood paddles and all. Where do I send the check ? I’m good with “Express C.O.D” that must be something new.
J
About 8 years ago I met the guy that runs the local fish hatchery. He was a paddle head from Pennsylvania and we started talking about running the East Fork of the Carson River in a canoe. It has some rocks and is very rarely run in a canoe. We took his old Grumman.
It has a fun Class II run but fairly tight in spots with a lot of overhanging willows. We had to carry around 4 irrigation diversions which is why the run is not popular. .
The old aluminum canoe was a little hard to turn because of the shoe keel, but it was plenty buoyant and rode over waves with great ease. One of the most skilled paddlers I have run rivers with. We had a lot of fun and I got to paddle in the bow for a change.
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We hear square back and flat back as ways to describe what is properly called the transom on a canoe designed for a small outboard.