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A LEGACY OF QUALITY
AND INNOVATION

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EXPLORE
OUR
HERITAGE

Tap or hover on the images to get the story behind each one.
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New York State Historical Society Assoc., The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Our first wood and canvas canoe was inspired by the traditional watercraft of the Penobscot Nation, built by A.E. Wickett in 1898.

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Made with an eye for detail and a passion for quality, it wasn’t long before Gray’s and Wickett’s canoes were selling like hotcakes.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Briefly known as the Indian Old Town Canoe Co. and Robertson Old Town Canoe Co., the firm was incorporated in 1903 as Old Town Canoe Co.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Wood and canvas canoes first appeared in the late 1800s.    

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Susan Audette

The 1903 catalog cover demonstrated an iconic name change in the company's history.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Old Town played a pivotal role in the growth of canoeing as a leisure activity in the early 20th century.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Sailing canoes gained popularity during the early 1900's and were hot-selling products for Old Town.

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War Canoes were often a favorite in camps throughout the United States.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

By 1910, Old Town's workforce had grown to sixty year-round employees, many of which were local Penobscot.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years
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Courting canoes became a popular romantic endeavour along New England's rivers.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

The 1919 catalog identifies canoeing as why U.S. troops were in such great shape.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

In 1934, the Carelton brand was consolidated under the Old Town name.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

By the 1930's, the Great Depression had slowed sales to a fraction of what they were in years prior.

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Carl Klein Photo, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

As the economy regained strength, orders picked back up and the company not only survived, but prospered.

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Jenny LaFrance, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

During the war-years, materials and workers were in short supply, leading Sam Gray to get creative with operations.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

By the mid 1940's, Old Town operated five logging camps to provide the wood needed to meet demand.

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Old Town had always kept a keen eye on fiberglass technology, and in the 1960's decided to incorporate the strong, light material.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

A sign on Deane Gray's desk read, "If God wanted fiberglass canoes, he would have made fiberglass trees.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Walter King joined Old Town in the 60's and brought unparalleled fiberglass boat-building expertise.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Lew Gilman began building Old Town's first fiberglass kayaks under the guidance of Bart Hauthaway.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

With advances in material technology, many traditional sportsmen still relied on their wood and canvas canoes.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

An artist's rendering of the Old Town Canoe Co. factory in 1915.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives
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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Old Town catalog cover from 1968.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Lew Gilman, founder of Rivers and Gilman, finally decides to join Old Town Canoe Co. after losing his company in a fire.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Poling was a popular technique that allowed canoeists to navigate upriver more efficiently than with a paddle.

1970

The Lew Gilman Era: One of the most influential figures in Old Town Canoe Co. history.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Lew was an early advocate for Royalex, a lightweight and durable alternative material developed by Uniroyal.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Fiberglass and Royalex revitalized a stagnant business in the 60's and 70's, regaining lost market share and prestige.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Johnson Outdoors purchased Old Town from the Grays in 1974, adding it to a portfolio of outdoor brands such as Minn Kota and Eureka Tents.

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Gray Collections, The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

An early image of kayak surfing before it gained popularity among paddlers decades later.

1980

Old Town hits its stride now with the support and passion of Sam Johnson and his diverse outdoor portfolio.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

In 1983, Gilman created a 3-layer polyethylene canoe dubbed "Discovery" after the NASA space shuttle.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

Benson Gray, descendant of the Gray family, seen here competing in a slalom event in an Old Town K1 Slalom kayak.

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Old Town Canoe Co., The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Old Town's reputation extends far beyond the Penobscot River valley, with passionate customers all around the world.

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One of the most popular Discovery models is the 119, a versatile and maneuverable solo canoe designed by Lew Gilman.

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Old Town Canoe Co., The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

The Old Town canoe has always been a reliable and stable platform for sportsmen.

1990

New Markets

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Old Town Canoe Co., The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Old Town was the US distributor of sit-on-top kayaks designed by Plastiques LPA Ltd. of Quebec.

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Old Town Canoe Co., The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Leisure Life, Ltd., one of the largest small-boat manufacturers in the world, was acquired by Johnson Outdoors in the 90's.

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Old Town Canoe Co., The Old Town Canoe Company, Our First 100 Years

Geoff King followed in his father's footsteps and became Head of R&D in the 1990's.

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Old Town Canoe Co. Archives

After over 100 years, Old Town Canoe Co. moved across town to a new state of the art manufacturing and research facility.

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Anglers and hunters alike have embraced the Predator series thanks to its stability, durability, and storage capacity.

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The Modern Era

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The Predator Series of sit-on-top fishing kayaks was introduced in 2013 and has won the most coveted awards in the industry.

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All of our watercraft are still built by hand in Old Town, Maine, just as they were over 100 years ago.

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2018 marks the return of life jackets to Old Town's product offering. Each design pairs with an Old Town canoe or kayak.

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Old Town has always been determined to inspire people to get outdoors and connect with nature and each other.

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Every angling kayak is engineered above and below the water to enhance the fishing experience.

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The Predator MK and PDL are pioneering hands-free kayak fishing, and racking up awards along the way.

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The Predator series of sit-on-top sporting kayaks offers a stable platform for all types of fishing.

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We currently offer premium fiberglass and carbon designs for all styles.

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Our ACS2 seating system is one of the most advanced on the market and comes on our premium day touring and recreation kayaks.

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The NEXT represents the future of paddling. Built for one, designed for all, it provides a fun, unique solo experience.

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Since day one our employees have been the heart and soul of the business, and will continue to carry Old Town into the future.

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New for 2018, the Castine reintroduces custom-fit touring kayaks to Old Town's growing offering.

Special thanks to Susan Audette and Tilbury House Publishers for all historical images used on our Heritage page.

Pioneering
What's Next

Crafted with love, sweat & years

We’ve spent over a century innovating—boat after cutting edge boat. All while staying true to our Northeast heritage, and our long legacy of quality craftsmanship. Today Old Town is the world’s oldest, largest and most revered manufacturer of canoes and kayaks. And we plan to keep it that way, by using our passion for adventure to craft the finest boats on the water, far into the future.