Jeff Hopkins' 15' 196x AeroCraft CL-15?

I floated down many a Michigan river in this 15' canoe and a similar 17'-er in the 70s in the middle as a small child and later as a paddler. This canoe was my grandfather's, purchased sometime in the 60s. My parents held on to it in their barn until one of us children could make use of it and I finally took possession in 2024. I leak-checked it and only observed one tiny trickle coming from behind the bow bulkhead so I sealed the bow and stern seams with aluminum boat sealant. The seat webbing was replaced (at least) once when I was a child (with lawn-chair webbing) and I replaced that with a heavier-duty webbing. The webbing clips do not go fully into the indents with the heavier webbing but they hold well.

The bow-imprinted serial number is CL 36500 which makes me guess it is an early 60s ('62?) CL-15 model but I don't know for sure. It does not have the "creased" anti-tip sides like many pictures I see from that era.

AeroCraft

Serial

Hull

Port Side

Starboard Side

Stern

Bow

Interior

Owners' copyrights apply to all images.

Return to AeroCraft boats home page