Trying to ID old boat - Pics added

[reelmess]

I was on my way home from a long trip the other day when I passed a boat for sale on someone's lawn. It looked decent but the guy had no idea who made it. The title read homemade, and it had state issued HIN numbers. I nor the owner could find any numbers or CG plates on the boat. It didn't appear to have been repainted or modified at all. It was just old and dusty. It looked like it came out of a barn or something.

The closest boat I can find to it is a 1967 Aerocraft York at Fiberglassics.com
The bow is squared off only on top, the hull is a shallow deadrise V hull that measures exactly 17' even. The transom width is about 79" and the beam width is 82". The bow has two 4" wide and 2" deep channels which run over and to the rub rail. The boat is white with black accents on top, the bottom is mostly black. Another odd feature is the dash, the dash shape looks like the steering wheel was meant to be in the center, the raised area is dead center but the steering wheel is mounted off to the right side.
The seats have aluminum legs, which fold into two wood formed seat boxes. Both seats are back to back reclining types. The lower hull reminds me of an old Glasspar Avalon just by it's lines. It has a rounded plexiglass windshield, so that to me means early 1970's or older. The more complex dash shape seems newer to me for some reason too. I get the impression it's maybe from the late 60's to early 70's just judging by it's design and the cables. I don't see any sign of it ever having rope and pulley steering, no hangers or old pulleys, and it's got a very old teleflex style cable steering and helm in it now. There are no gauges at all, the dash has only a light switch mounted in it. The steering wheel is car like but says Attwood on it, it's a foam grip, all chrome spoke wheel with a fancy center cap which reminded me of a Corvette center cap from the 1970's.

I didn't have a camera, and it was getting dark anyway. Its just been bugging me as to what it could have been. I spent a good half hour going over the boat, and am considering making the drive to go get it. The transom and deck were solid, but there's no trailer and no motor. Both of which I have here if it will handle a 90hp V4. The owner said he inherited the boat and just wanted it gone, he wanted to keep the trailer for farm use. I'll probably go back for it but I was just really curious what it might be? I went through every pic at Fiberglassics and the old Boat house site and nothing else comes close. I'm sort of thinking that this is just a newer or older version of the same model? It's the odd dash and extreme bow lines that make me think otherwise though. The transom also looks much wider and the engine cut out area is much more rounded on the one I looked at vs. the one's in the 63 and '67 brochures online.

Can anyone think of any other makes that look similar to the Aerocraft York?
I know it's a shot in the dark but I just figured maybe someone out there has a newer or older Aerocraft pic that may match?

http://www.fiberglassics.com/wiki/images/thumb/9/94/Aerocraftb67006.jpg/800px-Aerocraftb67006.jpg

 

[Bondo]

Re: Trying to ID old boat

Re: Trying to ID old boat

I didn't have a camera,

Ayuh,... Kinda tough to Id a hull without seein' it...

 

[reelmess]

Re: Trying to ID old boat

Re: Trying to ID old boat

Well, I went and got it. Here's some pics.
Its most distinguishing features are the squared off bow, the raised center of the dash, and the keel stops about 2/3rds of the way back under the boat. The deck is all glass, no wood, the transom is wood cored but super thick, it measures 2 1/4" thick and still has an aluminum cap which makes me think it's factory. The transom looks use cedar or redwood plywood. Drill tests show it's bone dry too.
The seats attach via well nuts much like on an older MFG. The hull is made with blown glass, not mat, but the boat is light, four guys lifted it onto my trailer. It measures 17' 1" long with an 82" beam width.
The deck is also high in the boat, leaving a lot of dead space below deck. The deck is above the waterline when in the water. I leak tested it on the way home at a local lake figuring that I won't get too many more chances to do so this year. The last owner said he thinks it had an older electric shift Johnson V4, 120hp or so, but he wasn't sure and seemed to know little about boats.
I looked all over online the pic posted above from Fiberglassics was the closest I could find to this. But it's not exact.

The title is a state assigned HIN number, they deemed it to be a 1955, but I doubt if it's that old. The general style and construction just don't match that year. They also call the hull manufacturer ARR. If that refers to a manufacturer, as in a MIC code, that corresponds to Airsports Boats, for which I can find no info.
I sort of figured the confused that with Airocraft boats? Maybe this is a later model?
The lines in the bow deck are recessed nearly 3/4", and are 4" wide, and they run all the way from under the windshield to over the front edge.
The bow rail extends to a pointed V, beyond the front edge of the fiberglass, about 4". The fiberglass has a raised section under the bow light that tells me that too is original.

The current steering is a Mercury built rack and pinion cable set up.

 

[mfgniagara]

Re: Trying to ID old boat - Pics added

I can't tell you who made that hull but it certainly doesn't look to be from the 1950's.
I looked that the Aerocraft pics and the only part that really resembles that brand is the squared off bow. The rest of the boat is quite different.
The rub rail, transom cut out shape, gunwale tops, etc are all different. While I'd say it's possible they made changes over the years but it's not likely.
I agree, the bow shape, that dash, and the splashwell area will all be clues to who made that boat. Since there's no factory numbers, Its probably safe to say it's older than 1972.

It looks like a neat boat, from the way the dash is laid out, and seeing that mirror mounted, I take it it was intended and used as a ski boat. The only center mounted helm runabout I've seen was down in FL, it had a single seat dead center, and two side mounted seats just aft of the driver's seat facing sideways for a spotter to sit.

It looks like a neat boat, and with the right motor should move along nicely. If its like most boats intended to pull skiers, it probably takes a fairly large motor too. I'd say something at least 85hp, or as high as a 120hp. Going by the measurements you gave, I get a max hp of 150 according the USCG recommendations.

 

[reelmess]

Re: Trying to ID old boat - Pics added

It's definitely not from the 50's. I'm more interested in what kind of boat it is though. Other than the squared off bow, it don't resemble anything else I've seen. I'd love to see what it looked like when it was new.
That center dash set up is the strangest part about the boat. It was titled in NJ i 1974, but they just assigned it a new HIN at that time so I have no clue other than it's similar to an Aerocraft York.