# Can't find proper Serial Number for canoe



## mtstringer (Jan 7, 2005)

I have a vinyl canoe made by the Canadian Coleman Company, LTD. in 1979. I purchased it used in 1991. I have had no problem registering the canoe from 1991 to the present time. It had a title and the serial number on the title matched the serial number on the name plate that is rivited to the boat just behind the stern seat. In May of this year, I took the registration to the ODNR office in Ashtabula and paid for an additional three years of canoe use. I was issued a registration card and a sticker. I put the sticker on my canoe and proceeded to use the canoe at Pymatuning.

In June I received a call from the ODNR office in Ashtabula. A computer in Columbus singled out my canoe as having too few digits in the serial number. I was instructed to bring the canoe to the ODNR office in Ashtabula along with the title. The clerk indicated that the state of Ohio no longer requires titles for canoes, and she confiscated the title. She did give me a photocopy of the title at my request. An ODNR officer thoroughly examined my canoe. He came to the conclusion that the serial number on the title was the same as the one on the canoe.

The clerk tried to contact the Canadian Coleman Company, but it is no longer in business. She did contact the Coleman company in the U.S., and they called me with hints on places where I could find the serial number on the canoe. I dismantled the canoe, combed the surface from stem to stern, and found no hidden serial number. I even removed the floatation devices located at the bow and stern. I also cleaned and examined the hull, looking for numbers etched into the vinyl. I had no luck. 

Has anyone had a similar problem? Has anyone been successful in registering a canoe or other boat that has no serial number or HIN. Please help if you can.

Thanks,
M.T. Stringer


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## FISHIN 2 (Jun 22, 2005)

I heard in the case of a person owning an older boat with too few reg numbers that they will issue you the new id numbers, kinda like registering a new trailer. Not 1000% shure but this is what I was told about older boats. Looks like they wouldn't hesitate as they have issued licensing for this canoe for years. As long as you can provide the proper receipts for it they shouldn't have any problem. Worth a try, good luck, Mike


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## creekwalker (May 23, 2004)

My dad sunk a boat at Lake Vesuvius some years back. It was actually my grandfather's boat. They drained the lake for some dam repairs a couple of years ago and we retrieved the boat. The seats and mounts were damaged/rotted and we had to patch a few small leaks, but otherwise the boat was OK. Funny story really...

At any rate, we couldn't read the whole S/N on the boat and my dad had to jump through some hoops to get an ID number of some kind for it, but he was eventually able to get it registered and licensed. I'm not sure what he did, but if you can't get yours taken care of through the ODNR or a local title place, let me know and I'll get the details from him.


CW


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## mtstringer (Jan 7, 2005)

CW

I will keep your offer in mind. If the ODNR isn't satisfied enough to come up with a permanent fix to this problem, I'll let you know thru this forum.

Thanks,
M.T. Stringer


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