reelfishin
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 3,050
I looked at an odd MFG today.
I thought I had seen or at least seen pics of all the various 1960's models but this one is new. It's no doubt an MFG, it looks like a Niagara on steroids.
The hull measures 23' 1" long, is 88" wide, has a short forward bow deck and a very low plastic windshield. The model year on the title, which appears to be the original title says 1960. It's bigger than the Seaway, but sort of resembles it. It's super light, has no flotation, no floor or deck and no provisions for one. The inner hull is just ribbed glass with a rib about 1/2" tall the whole way up to about the 1/4 way point on the sides. Nothing is painted and its all in white gelcoat. The dash area has no cutouts where it ever had a steering wheel, there is no foward hatch although there's the outline of where one could be cut into it. The transom is some sort of solid composite, which looks like hardened pink resin. Its got a pair of rigged together Merc 50 tiller motors and a diagonal bench at the port rear corner. No other seats and no other place where they could have been or could have been attached to. You walk right on the inner hull, and it's rock solid. The last owner has several rows of long planks just laying in across the floor so you don't trip on the ribs. It reminds me of an aluminum hull with no interior. The windshield is super low, only about 12" tall, it does nothing for the boat at all. The interior is huge, it's nearly all wide open. The bow deck is only about 4' back from the tip of the bow, the splashwell is only about 8" wide. There are no holes drilled in the transom, the two motors are clamped on, and connected together by to jumper cables which sync the motors. The operate from the left motors tiller handle. Its in the water and I'll have to drive it to the it's trailer, so I'll find out how such a beast works with that set up.
Any idea what model this cold be? The biggest thing I see in the 1960 brochure is a Seaway at 19'. This measures 4 more feet and an inch.
The beam width is also wider. The boat is pretty clean, the hull looks great but that open rib and no real deck bothers me although it appears to have lived that way all it's life. It feels surprisingly light. I could lift the stern on the boat lift with only moderate force. The hull isn't super deep, I don't see anyway it had a deck that was removed, the ribs end too far up the sides to have been hidden by a deck, it would have left it with very little remaining side depth. If anything was cut out or ground off, there would be some tell tale signs somewhere. Externally, it it looks just like my 1966 Niagara only much larger and stretched in length. The sides are no taller at the stern than that of the Niagara.
I'll hopefully have some pics this after this coming weekend.
The trailer is some sort of single rail single axle trailer with mono hub 8" rims. It looks like maybe an old Tee Nee or old Gator trailer. It's long enough but only supports the transom in the center, the two wood bunks are only about 20" long and mounted midway at the axle location. There are two front side bunks which contact the hull along the diagonal axle brace. The fenders are huge, and made of rounded aluminum, as is the main frame. The axle, springs, and coupler are the only steel parts on the frame. Event the keel rollers are wood.
There is no bow stop, only a forward roller that sits about 12" off the center rail in the middle.
I thought I had seen or at least seen pics of all the various 1960's models but this one is new. It's no doubt an MFG, it looks like a Niagara on steroids.
The hull measures 23' 1" long, is 88" wide, has a short forward bow deck and a very low plastic windshield. The model year on the title, which appears to be the original title says 1960. It's bigger than the Seaway, but sort of resembles it. It's super light, has no flotation, no floor or deck and no provisions for one. The inner hull is just ribbed glass with a rib about 1/2" tall the whole way up to about the 1/4 way point on the sides. Nothing is painted and its all in white gelcoat. The dash area has no cutouts where it ever had a steering wheel, there is no foward hatch although there's the outline of where one could be cut into it. The transom is some sort of solid composite, which looks like hardened pink resin. Its got a pair of rigged together Merc 50 tiller motors and a diagonal bench at the port rear corner. No other seats and no other place where they could have been or could have been attached to. You walk right on the inner hull, and it's rock solid. The last owner has several rows of long planks just laying in across the floor so you don't trip on the ribs. It reminds me of an aluminum hull with no interior. The windshield is super low, only about 12" tall, it does nothing for the boat at all. The interior is huge, it's nearly all wide open. The bow deck is only about 4' back from the tip of the bow, the splashwell is only about 8" wide. There are no holes drilled in the transom, the two motors are clamped on, and connected together by to jumper cables which sync the motors. The operate from the left motors tiller handle. Its in the water and I'll have to drive it to the it's trailer, so I'll find out how such a beast works with that set up.
Any idea what model this cold be? The biggest thing I see in the 1960 brochure is a Seaway at 19'. This measures 4 more feet and an inch.
The beam width is also wider. The boat is pretty clean, the hull looks great but that open rib and no real deck bothers me although it appears to have lived that way all it's life. It feels surprisingly light. I could lift the stern on the boat lift with only moderate force. The hull isn't super deep, I don't see anyway it had a deck that was removed, the ribs end too far up the sides to have been hidden by a deck, it would have left it with very little remaining side depth. If anything was cut out or ground off, there would be some tell tale signs somewhere. Externally, it it looks just like my 1966 Niagara only much larger and stretched in length. The sides are no taller at the stern than that of the Niagara.
I'll hopefully have some pics this after this coming weekend.
The trailer is some sort of single rail single axle trailer with mono hub 8" rims. It looks like maybe an old Tee Nee or old Gator trailer. It's long enough but only supports the transom in the center, the two wood bunks are only about 20" long and mounted midway at the axle location. There are two front side bunks which contact the hull along the diagonal axle brace. The fenders are huge, and made of rounded aluminum, as is the main frame. The axle, springs, and coupler are the only steel parts on the frame. Event the keel rollers are wood.
There is no bow stop, only a forward roller that sits about 12" off the center rail in the middle.
