Good deal......I THINK

[99dynarider]

Yesterday I purchased a 14 foot v-hull manatee with trailer and 40 hp mercury for 300 bucks. I just wanted the trailer for my fishing boat but my wife thinks this one would be fun to cruise the lake in. I cannot find a model # for this thing and have yet to find an image to see how they were configured. The fiberglass seems solid, no soft spots and other than the sun shade and the interior the boat seems to all be there. Looking for advice on a possible restoration and the original configuration of this boat.

Any help is appreciated...I'll add photos tonite

 

[kjdunne]

Re: Good deal......I THINK

Welcome, fellow Manatee owner! I hope we can get some info going here. I picked up a '85 18 ft. cuddy outboard model I want to restore. I can tell it was a well made boat, but am having trouble getting any info about it or the company. I think they were made until the late 80s. Look on the outside starboard side of the transom for a hull ID #, usually the last 2 digits are the year it was made. Mine has a plate at the helm area that says it is a model 182, 150 hp max power.

Anyway, post some pics and let's see if any other Manatee owners chime in.

 

[99dynarider]

Re: Good deal......I THINK

Yeah...I haven't found much on the manatee brand. I do know that its a 70-71 year model. I've been able to get her cleaned up and I checked the deck and it's solid. I'm 300 lbs so I let my 10 year old do the preliminary check. I'm thinking a little tlc and a new interior and we can be on the lake by the end of march.