Re: Arkansas Traveler Boat Does Not Have Capacity Rating Plate........
Here is what I know: I have what appears to be a 1952 or 53, 14ft (13ft.+)Sportsman.
They didn't start stamping the aluminum hull til the mid-late 50's. Watch the forums for info from users who discovered stamped on IDs and the location to confirm the earliest years of stamping for your specific model.
On my Sportsman, on the inside bolted on wood transom, there were two small metal plates that were tacked in place with brads= centered on the transom. One of these, the capacity plate / max HP, I still have (up to 25hp). There is a discoloration on the plywood where the serial & model number plate was but is no where to be found - I bought it this way with tell tale signs the boat sat outside with water in it for several years. I have the original wood transom in place which needs replacing as a final step of restoration.
Many Arkansas Traveler history article have the early dates of the company wrong. I have a January 1951 ad showing the entire fleet of boats. I always wondered how mine made it up to Wisconsin; Easy, they were made here too.
Fiberglassics.com has a gallery of boat info. For clues to you boats age you have to dig around various sources and through posted photos. Go here:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Arkansas_traveler
to see the hull info, starting with 1954. Max HP included. By verifying transom width and flotation material (air or styrofoam) I was able to confirm mine predates 1954 (I have non-foam filled air cans - 54 had styrofoam). My 1951 ad shows a couple different design elements too.
I intend to share the ad on Fiberglassics in the future.
Good luck searching...I have been over every inch of the hull cleaning and stripping old original paint off. Don't get discouraged by the replies from folks who found the stamped numbers. Yours most likely predates theirs.