16' Old Town Wood/Canvas Canoe (1912) - DOXFORD

1912 OLD TOWN CANOE – AA GRADE OTCA MODEL MC
SERIAL NUMBER 20409 16
COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL OLD TOWN CANOE FACTORY RELEASE NOTE AND FACTORY AND RETAILER ORIGINAL TRANSFERS

This AA grade canoe was purchased in 1912 by 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford Northumberland from Henry Morgan and Co Department Store in Montreal. The canoe was used on the lake at Doxford Hall and stored on the rafters of the stables. Viscount Runciman’s 1938 diplomatic mission to Czechoslovakia on behalf of Neville Chamberlain’s government was key to the enactment of the British policy of appeasement of Hitler preceding the Second World War. He went on to become Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, UK between 1968-74. Interestingly Stephen Messer who is pictured holding the canoe in the images that follow was for several years a crewman on Viscount Runciman’s yacht.

The canoe was made in 1912 and is a model MC of which only a handful were made and all on a model OTCA former. The canoe is fast wide flat and stable; a rare combination. It is very probably the sole remaining model MC.
Restoration details
Woodwork: All original, no repair, no replacement.
Hardware: All original, no repair, no replacement.
Hull: Original canvas, original stem bands.
Transfers: Both original Old Town and Henry Morgan transfers.
Exterior Hull: Two coats filler, two coats marine primer, six coats enamel.
Interior Hull: Five coats UV protective varnish.
Seats: Re caned by hand, varnished as per interior hull.
Pattern 1/2” wide gold leaf.

This canoe holds the UK and possibly the world speed record for an Old Town canoe. I acquired it from an auction at Gosforth race course in Newcastle, UK and took it back 300 miles to London starting at 2am in the morning with the canoe upside down secured between two ladders on a roof rack on a 6.4 litre V12 twin turbo BMW. The upside down canoe profile proved an excellent stabiliser at 135mph as I had to shake off an upstart BMW M3 on the otherwise empty motorway in deepest North Yorkshire. I later read that inverted canoes were used in high speed car trials as the car bodies due to their very good aerodynamics. This was in the USA in the early 1910’s.