Oldest OPen Canoe or C-1 still in service

[chuck naill]

I heard another post mention using a 30 year old Blue Hole OCA last weekend. I tought it would be nice to know the age of any boats still in service.

I have a Blue Hole Starburst #0775 with aluminum hardware still in service. I bought the boat from the manufacters, Roy and Juanita Guinn in Sunbright, Tennessee in the late 80's.

What's your story???

Chuck Incognito from Parts, Unknown

[Louie]

Roy told me he had Blue Hole OCA #013 put up in his barn. I don't know if it would be considered still in service.

[Sir Adam]

Well, I have a Sweet-Hahn that still gets out occasionally, and I hope to bring back an old Czech C1 (not sure of the date on it...if I find it I'll let you know...but I'm guessing over 30 years easy...).

I would guess Mike W's WildWater boat is right up there too

[dixie_boater]

I bought it in March 1988 from Nolan. I still paddle it occasionally. Took it down Sect. IV in 2003 while I was repairing the Descender. A classic design with which Nolan made many first descents.

My brother still paddles (on rare occasions) a 28 yr.old Blue Hole OCA. He bought it from Blue Ridge Mtn. Sports in 1978. It came from their rental fleet.

Michael

[sbroam]

My entrant in this contest is a Mad River ME that is about 19 years old (have to check that serial #) that has recently come out of retirement. We have another kayak that has no serial number or history - it does have molded into the deck a cowboy riding a bucking bronco. Clues?

We also have what may be the oldest new boat out there - a Noah Moldau C-2. I'll have to get at the label again to confirm the build date, but I think it is about 20 years old and has never seen the water. Of course, it still needs outside seams, cockpit rims, and outfitting. Someday I'll get around to that...

[Mike W.]

I may have this one My wildwater C-1 was built in 1975. It's in real rough shape, but I raced it last month on the Neuse. I will deliver it to the new owner at the Rappahannock race in June. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wh20crazy ... /my_photos

My Viper doesn't have a label in it. I'm told it was built by Winterport.

My Acrobat was built in 1989.

I'll have to check & see how old my Wenonah Marathon is...

[Jim]

I have an old Millbrook end-hole C-2 that still gets used occasionally.

I bought this from John Berry around 1991. It was the boat he had paddled with his daughter and it had many years on it at the time. I do not recall that there is any information glassed in that will tell me when it was made, but I will look again.

I remember asking him the name for the boat. I heard a long tale of this being copied from a great design the German team was using. Apparently the different teams were camping around a river one race weekend and one night while everyone was sleeping a US team member swam across the river and stole a boat by swimming it back. He noted that the unscrupulous person would remain un-named, but since they had the boat and he wanted to be patriotic and support the team he copied the design. He also said that this hull was the hull design he used to make the ME- he just kept the hull shape and opened it up.

This is a big volume boat with the paddlers really out at the ends of the boat. It is a hoot to paddle on a big wave- the hull is fast and the bow paddler sits right in the wave and gets a wild ride.

My wife complains about too many boats and periodically asks me to sell that one. It is still in good shape, it gets paddled every few years, and it is a great piece of history. So instead of selling the boat we are moving, and the new home will have a barn with LOTS of room for storing boats where she will not see them.

Jim

[Longboatin]

Hmm let me get out the calculator (no terribly old boats, just blow at math)
The best g.d. longboat - Old Town Kennebec, purchased around 85 still in operation, yins just seen it.
Jensen ww-oc1: 81 model raced in 82 Nationals on Yough, long course Confluence to Bruner, J Adams, not me. I've raced it at Red Moshannon downriver in State College.
perception HD1 - the boat that started it all for me, 77-78? Course it was on the verge of ancient when I got it in near unused condition in 1993. Ran that thing all over the place, Section iv, Wesser falls, New River at about 3.5, Meadow Run, some steep tribs of the Casselman, Paint Creek. Unfortunately, it just wore away.
I have an Outrage now though (still got used) and I wouldn't want to go back to an HD, but maybe for an old-skool cruise, with hi-flots or Seda jackets, and Ace helmet.
Easy

[John Coraor]

I can't beat a 70s end-hole C-2, but my stable of slalom boats is pretty old as race boats go. My son still paddles my old Batmax (laid-up in the winter of 1983-84), and this weekend I'll be taking out an original Torrent C-2 (1982) and a Torrent XL C-2 (1983) when the family paddles at the LeClair's slalom clinic on 10 Mile River. My wife doesn't paddle much anymore, but we still have her Cudamax (probably 1980-81) that we bought used from Bumbo Robison at the 1982 Pan Am Cup race on the Gull River in Ontario. We also have an Appleline X-Cider OC-2 that we bought used around 82 for a brief fling with open boat slalom.

John

[riverratrsf]

I have an Old Town Tripper I bought in 86. It's been stored outside on the ground in the sun for 19 years and is still solid. I've had to put skid plates on the ends and have replaced all the wood. I just hope all my other canoes hold up that good.
Scott

[chuck naill]

I heard about a paddler getting a good deal on a Perception Dancer who decided to get on the Little River, in Tennessee, and run a rapid called Eddy Out which has several good rocks and drops. I heard that the boat split into when it hit the first drop and by the time he finished the rapid he was sitting on air. I bet that was something to see.

Chuck

[clt_capt]

I'd bet that Dancer was yellow - they were notorious...

My oldest boat right now is a T-slalom - Circa 1980, but just recently I saw Charlie Patton's C-1 (of Patton's Run on the Nantahala Fame) hanging on a wall.

That boat was old when I first saw it in '78 (Charlie had been dead for a number of years) - I have no idea of the model, but it is still paddleable.

I also know where a few old shoe keel Grummans are...

F

[sbroam]

I'd bet that Dancer was yellow - they were notorious...

Yep! A friend of mine bought a used yellow one when we were both starting out - he broke his the second time out launching off of a sand bar into a black water river near the coast!

[pevans]

I was also wondering about some Grummans. I know of a few that are from the mid seventies if not before. I also have a Supermax from 79? and a few old home built kayaks from around that time as well.

I've been finding that once in a while you find old boats that have been forgotten about over the years and are still in pretty good shape. Has anyone else had this experience or have I been lucky?

[Louie]

It is so old they hadn't started molding the names in it yet, It is a 70 something model