Rare Old Town Canoe ?

[JCM 11,132]

Looking for any info on a 1979 Old Town Canoe Fiberglass . I bought this back in 1993 from a good friend because of the unique hull pattern and flooring on this model. I have used it twice  because in 1994 I bought a brand new Old Town Katahdln and couldn't pass on the 1979. This has always been garaged since purchase. I spoke with the original selling dealer before he passed and this is what he told me. It was built for The Boy Scouts but after or during production OT found out another Company had the rights to the Birch Bark design and was forced to stop production. Anyone associated with the Boy Scouts maybe could shed light on this  @Ed Kennell  OTHERS. I believe the floor is made from Balsa wood and has a unique pattern like a parkay type floor. Have decided to put this up for sale and other '' toys '' that I don;t really need anymore. I have also contacted Old Town 3 times since purchase and no one could give me ANY info other than the year built which I knew from the ID tag.  It is not even in their 1979 brochures on Canoes.Enjoy the pictures Guy's. 

[8ntruck 8,784]

I'm impressed with the Old Town products.  We got an Old Town Huron kayck as one of my service awards from the company.  We bought a cheapo from Wal Mart so my wife and I could paddle around the lake together.   My wife has claimed the Old Town.

 

The hull form on the Old Town so much more efficient than on the cheapo.  I have to work pretty hard to keep up with her.

[ri702bill 11,883]

Nice! BTW - the Parker River, being in Mass. is pronounced "Pah-ka" Like a Kennedy... 

[wh500special 2,394]

3 hours ago, JCM said:

..I believe the floor is made from Balsa wood and has a unique pattern like a parkay type floor…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely end grain balsa.  There is nothing -  synthetic or natural - that matches the compressive strength per density of end grain balsa.  And as core materials go, it’s incredibly cheap.  completely impervious to water flow across the grain.   Basically a miracle material. 
 

Nice canoe.   I’m keeping my eyes open for a Kevlar 16-footer in a reasonable price range.   Paddling is such a pleasant activity. 
 

Steve

[JCM 11,132]

Most likely I will sell the Aluminum stabilizer kit for it that allows stand up in the canoe and fish. only used twice. Also an electric trolling motor with bracket and 2 padded seats . Complete package.

[mrc 1,070]

complete package?  does that mean a minty K20 to haul it to the lake?

[JCM 11,132]

In due time. Everything is for sale eventually Mike  @mrc

[Ed Kennell 45,792]

9 hours ago, JCM said:

Anyone associated with the Boy Scouts maybe could shed light

Sorry, no help on the OT.   We had a rig similar to this with all Coleman 17' Ram-Xs.

[wh500special 2,394]

11 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

…Coleman 17' Ram-Xs.

 

Those things are tough!

 

Grew up using one almost every weekend to fish.  Almost impossible to flip over…almost. 
 

i think ours might have been a 15-footer.  Red.   The carpenter bees loved building their nests in the styrofoam under the ends.  Sounded like a motorboat coming down the lake that never got closer or further away matter how hard we paddled. 
 

My cousins decided to paint that red plastic canoe camouflage.  Of course nothing sticks to polyethylene so the paint didn’t stay on there very well.   Somebody stole it maybe fifteen/twenty years ago.  
 

other than being heavy, those Ram-X canoes are great.  
 

steve

Edited Monday at 12:48 PM by wh500special

[Ed Kennell 45,792]

1 hour ago, wh500special said:

13 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

 

Those things are tough!

We did bend the aluminum keel pipe on a few, but they were easy to straighten.   We roughed them up pretty good when they were loaded with camping gear for four day float trips on the rocky Susquehanna river.    Never had one leak.    

Edited Monday at 02:33 PM by Ed Kennell

[CCW 1,495]

Had an Old Town for years. Sold it because I could not heft its 80 lbs.  Bought a Kevlar of the same size that comes in under 35 lbs. 

[ebinmaine 78,348]

On 4/26/2026 at 9:25 PM, Ed Kennell said:

.   We had a rig similar to this with all Coleman 17' Ram-Xs.

 

 

On 4/27/2026 at 8:48 AM, wh500special said:

Those things are tough!

 

 Almost impossible to flip over…almost. 
 

i think ours might have been a 15-footer.  Red.  

 

Trina's mom has a red canoe similar to the above. 

 

Kevlar canoes remind me of a funny occasion.  

Many moons ago in a land far far away...

 

I have cousins from around Athol & Orange MA that have been into canoeing for decades, some for 70 plus years. 

Back in the early 1960s they were among the first racers of the now decades old annual River Rat Canoe Race from downtown Athol to downtown Orange. 

They were known as The Rat Pack Paddlers.  

For obvious reasons they had several pure bred racing canoes from back in the day... 

There was a kevlar one that was 17 feet long and 17 inches at the widest point. 

It absolutely sliced the water. It also flipped if ya sneezed near it. 

 

Well they invited me to go up to the Saco River around North Conway NH and Fryeburg, Maine when I was maybe 15. Interesting I now live near that and cross it almost daily,  though some downstream. Anyway, the trip was to stay a campground in Brownfield Maine and float/paddle down the river for two days. 

My boy cousin Dave of my own age REALLY wanted to use the racing canoe instead of the "other" one. That was a behemoth of PINK fiberglass that was over 18 feet long and nearly 40 inches across.  

Stable. You had to TRY to flip it.  

Well, my uncle figured (correctly) that me having never been in a canoe was a bad idea for a racer. 

 

My uncle and my girl cousin Deb about 3 years younger than me took the Kevlar water slicing rig. 

They went NO more than 200 feet downstream and all their belongings were underwater. Trash bags helped... but not foolproof.  

Me and Dave were in the potential Ugly canoe contest winner.. warm and dry.