Looking for a way to identify this boat

[Thumperdude]

I just inherited a boat from my Uncle who passed away about 25 years ago. It stayed with my cousins for the past 25 years in a garage and just recently my cousin gave it to me. We towed it home to my house yesterday and I'm trying to find info on it and batting a zero. The Brand Name is "FiberCraft" from Seattle Washington, and it appears to be about 1958-1963 perhaps (I'm thinking closer to the late 50s side of things). So far I've googled and searched both images and articles and - other than a Fibercraft company that produces late model cabin cruisers and larger fishing boats, I'm not seeing a company that produced this 1950's runabouts.

Anyway, it has very cool very classic 1950's lines on it, dual tone color scheme that was very popular with 57 chevies and fairlanes, and I'd like to partially restore it and partially customize it for fishing. The fiberglass and seats are nearly immaculate and the wraparound windshield is intact and in good shape and I'm not going to do anything that alters those in any way. But I'm thinking about putting a bigger motor on it (haven't ridden in it since I was a little kid, but my cousin said the 40-horse just doesn't get the hull up high enough to get rid of the water resistance), although I'm not committed to changing out the engine until I see it run for myself and see if I like where it's at.

Does anyone know of any sites or urls that might have a "picture book" setup where I might be able to match this model? I'd really like to know the specs.

Also, if you don't mind another question, what's your recommendation for restoring the finish to the paint? The paint is over 98% intact but it looks a little oxydized with age. I don't think I need to repaint it, just find the right kind of buffing compound or polish to give it some luster again.

Anyway, any assistance you can offer would be appreciated. For the most part it's a pretty simple boat, mechanically speaking, so I think if I work practically I can keep the overhead pretty low on it. I can provide pics a little later but the only ones I have right now show it covered with a tarp (it's about to rain here this week). Thanks again.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Welcome to iboats.

Specs on an older boat is tough. Browse through here www.[B]fiberglassics[/B].com Hope it helps​

 

[cr2k]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

How about a picture?

 

[Thumperdude]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

How about a picture?

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I hope to have pictures soon, right now we're expecting rain for the next few days so I have it covered with a tarp.

I did manage to find a picture that is nearly identical to mine of a 1962 Fibercraft (I was starting to think no one had ever heard of them before), this one looks to be slightly newer than mine though.

http://www.theclassicboathouse.com/fibercraft1.html

I don't think the site allows hot links so I'll just provide the url for now if that's okay.

 

[CaptOchs]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Any local marina or boat parts store should have an Oxidation remover. Try that before you repaint.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

great find! has it been inside all this time?

Any motor on it?

 

[Thumperdude]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

great find! has it been inside all this time?

Any motor on it?

Capt. Ochs: thanks for the tip, I'll take a look there. The paint is almost completely intact, so I have no intention of repainting it. I just want to find the gentlest way of bringing the color back to the surface and protecting it.

Home Cookin': Thanks! It literally fell in my lap. This boat has been in my family its entire life, and I remember riding in it when I was little, about 6 or 7. I know for sure it's been garaged for at least the past 25 years, probably more. My uncle doted on it as well. According to my cousin, Uncle Harry redid the flooring in it about that long ago as well, when he inadvertently forgot to drain the bilge after an outing and ended up rotting the wooden decking he had installed, so he replaced it, laid down a fiberglass deck and sealed it.

My knowledge of the ins and outs of fiberglass boats is pretty limited but from a mechanical point of view I'd say it looks to me like he did a good job; the deck looks professionally done. If my cousin hadn't told me about it being replaced, I never would have been the wiser.

It also looks like he reupholstered the seats. I think they were originally either white or kind of a tomato soup red back in the day (whatever it was that was popular when the boat was first manufactured). Now they're a brown leather, although I'm guessing they're probably more likely a naugahyde or vinyl or something more maritime-friendly than leather would be.

Motor: yes. It's got a late 60's (1969 or so) 40HP Evinrude Lark VIII (I think I read "Big Twin" on the cowling somewhere as well). My cousin was saying last time he took it out it ran great except for the charging system, and he said a 40 horse is a little underpowered for it.

But it's been sitting for over 20 years now without being run, so I'll need to make myself a check list of things to check. Impeller definitely, and the battery is missing, but after sitting for so long it would have just been a a chunk of dead weight by now anyway. Some of the pulleys for the steering control lines are chipping and in need of replacement, but I've noticed the local marine shop charges $30-50 PER PULLEY (with no option of buying a pulley kit to save a little money), in spite of the fact that they're really not a whole lot different than curtain pulleys or sliding door wheels, no stronger, no different material, etc. In fact, I think I'm going to try making a couple and test them to see if it's as simple as it looks. It's the difference between spending a couple dollars making pulleys or a couple hundred buying pre-made ones that don't look any stronger or smoother than what I could make.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Sounds like a real cool boat, after viewing the link, I think we're all going to want to see pics of yours! Check out this thread for your motor http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

 

[Thumperdude]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Sounds like a real cool boat, after viewing the link, I think we're all going to want to see pics of yours! Check out this thread for your motor http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

Okay, it didn't rain like the weatherman said (of course it's pouring now), so I took the tarp off and gave it a quick cleaning and sorted through the junk under the seats and the bow. Even though it's been garaged for over 25 years, it's definitely had a busy life. I intend to go over it carefully before I ever take it on the water. The upholstery is intact but discolored, either by dirt, sun or both. I'll need to clean it thoroughly with a good upholstery cleaner before I can be sure which it is.



Here are a few pics of it.

 

[Thumperdude]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Okay, it didn't rain like the weatherman said (of course it's pouring now), so I took the tarp off and gave it a quick cleaning and sorted through the junk under the seats and the bow. Even though it's been garaged for over 25 years, it's definitely had a busy life. I intend to go over it carefully before I ever take it on the water. The upholstery is intact but discolored, either by dirt, sun or both. I'll need to clean it thoroughly with a good upholstery cleaner before I can be sure which it is.

View attachment 140543 View attachment 140544 View attachment 140545

Here are a few pics of it.

That thumbnails thing messed me up a bit. I had one more to show, if I can: View attachment 140548

I'm not overly hot on the color scheme, but the fact that it's a bit of a snapshot in time re: the fashions then, I don't want to change the colors. Can't find a HIN on it anywhere (just the serial number), and I'm not sure where to look.

 

[floatfan]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Your serial # would be the HIN. Boats before a certain point didn't have the long # HINs.

 

[Thumperdude]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

Your serial # would be the HIN. Boats before a certain point didn't have the long # HINs.

I see what you're saying. I guess I was hoping to find something that would tell me a definite year of manufacture. I had assumed around 1958, but the only other Fibercraft that I've seen that looks mostly like mine is claimed to be 1962, so perhaps that's it's year. The color scheme just resembles an earlier era than the 60's to me, I guess, as well as the old style hood ornament and the aerial antennae on the nose.

Speaking of which, while wiping it down, I noticed most of the chrome has suffered some water damage from 50+ years of boating and nearly all of it should be re-chromed. My only concern is cost vs. return. If it costs me $400 to re-chrome the boat (I'm only guessing; could be more could be less, I have no idea), and the boat is only worth $600 total if I'm lucky (no idea, but from what I've heard so far this boat doesn't sound like it's one of the more sought after models of early fiber boats so it's monetary worth is probably marginal), there's not a lot of point in rechroming the furniture at all. The boat is valuable to me, but only because it belonged to my uncle. So my other option is to take the chrome furniture, clean it, remove any rust, and paint the fittings a nice neutral color, I think a flat or gloss black might look sharp.

 

[floatfan]

Re: Looking for a way to identify this boat

They actually sell a decent chrome spray paint. It isn't chrome like we're used to, but if you get the surface well prepped, it looks pretty good when applied.

I think HINs that follow the current guidelines (identifying maker & year) came into play in the 70s. I'm no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last year.

 

[Jeffmac]

The boat is probably a 1959 or so. We purchased that model Fibercraft Corvette serial number E520 in 1960 in Tacoma, Washington, sold in in Utah in 1972. I have the original purchase invoice and a number of pictures of it, in and out of the water, and the top part of the hull is PINK but I can't figure out how to post a picture to this.

 

[GA_Boater]

The boat is probably a 1959 or so. We purchased that model Fibercraft Corvette serial number E520 in 1960 in Tacoma, Washington, sold in in Utah in 1972. I have the original purchase invoice and a number of pictures of it, in and out of the water, and the top part of the hull is PINK but I can't figure out how to post a picture to this.

Sorry, but Thumperdude hasn't been here since 2012 when this thread was active.

Closed.