Hi all! I need help deciphering an old Grumman serial.
362-GM-3-17
Thanks!
What is it that you need to know? This question has been asked here before, and in those cases there has been nothing that anyone could do. Here’s something to think about, though. As far as either monitory value or usable quality, what year a good aluminum canoe was made is very nearly irrelevant. If you describe the boat, someone here can probably tell you the exact model that it is. For example, the number suggests it’s 17 feet long. Now, does it have a “fin” keel or a “shoe” keel? That difference alone will tell you most of what you need to know. Older models were available in a few different “degrees of ruggedness”, and knowing how much it weighs would likely be enough for at least one frequent poster here to identify it.
If you need to know the year for state registration, they will know how to make allowances for the year being unkown. It’s not the first time that has happened.
Thanks for the reply. It’s not a shoe keel. Looks like a normal ‘fin’. I think it’s a lightweight as it has a lot of ribs. I count 7 in the seller’s pics.
I thought the ‘3’ in the old serials was the thickness of the aluminum, but I can’t say for certain. I phoned Marathon boats and all they could tell me that the ‘17’ is the length and it was made before 1972 when they acquired Grumman canoes.
It’s in amazing shape for its age. No dents at all, the original paint on the inside looks pretty much new. I’m trying to convince my Brother-in-law to buy it.
It’s interesting that it has 7 ribs combined with a “fin” keel, since usually that number of ribs goes with the shoe keel. There’s an expert here by the name of PlaidPaddler who probably knows what variant that would be. In any case, more is better when it comes to ribs, though it does add to the weight. Old Grummans never die, and if you have a use for an aluminum canoe, Grumman is the best-built brand.
I think that is the lightweight version with .032’ aluminum. I think they had 7 ribs. If so, it should weight 60 lb.