'59 MFG 15' Model ?

[autogun]

Hello, I did it again, well the bills can wait another month. I bought a '59 MFG 15' Fiberglass & wood. It has no model decal or weight & HP tag. From what I can gather so, far I think it might be a 'Celeron'. It's a fiberglass hull with all wood seat, deck, Transom & trim. It has front deck with steering wheel & shift controls, no rear deck. The motor is a '59 Evinrude 'Golden Jubilee' 18hp. Boat has an Evinruude dash plate with 'Golden Jubilee' insert. I was told that it was the original engine...??? I was looking for a boat to try out this '55 Bigtwin Elec. 25hp, that I picked up last year and replaced the coils, points, condenser, plugs, fuel lines and rebuilt the carb. (Pumps water fine.) So after trying out the 18, which runs perfectly, I swapped engines. The Bigtwin ran fairly well, for an old warhorse that shows a lot of wear. Quite a step above the 18...my main question today is to help identify the model of the MFG, and do I need to have the weight & HP tag? I will try to post a pic-Thanks...

 

[JimS123]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Interesting story here....

Yours might be an MFG, but you might call it a Lyman as well.

The MFG company made fiberglas truck fenders. Mr. Morrison, the owner, decided he wanted to expand his client base by making boat hulls. He didn't want to get in the boat business though.

They bought a 15' Lyman lapstake boat in Sandusky, OH and made a mold out of it. They cast a few hulls, then finished one with a wood deck (to look like an original Lyman) just as a demo, and then approached the Lyman Boat Co. Well, they didn't want anything to do with that newfangled new plastic junk, so they turned him down.

Since he had a few hulls and didn't want to just junk them, he finished them and sold them. Since they were well received, he decided to make more, stopped making fenders, and well.....the rest is history.

Can't remember what the model number was, but I see one every once and awhile in the antique boat shows.

Here's a pic of a "real" one (a wood Lyman that is). A 25 Big Twin is the ideal motor for that hull!

.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

great boat. What is the little red and white kicker?

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

The little kicker is a Ward's SeaKing (Gale) 3hp, single cyl. I just picked it up last week, the previous owner just replaced the impeller, and I replaced the cracked OMC coil and new pull rope. Great little engine, I wish I knew what year it is...probably late 50's early 60's

 

[JimS123]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

The little kicker is a Ward's SeaKing (Gale) 3hp, single cyl. I just picked it up last week, the previous owner just replaced the impeller, and I replaced the cracked OMC coil and new pull rope. Great little engine, I wish I knew what year it is...probably late 50's early 60'sView attachment 152324

Find the plate with the model and serial numbers and i'll look it up.

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Thanks, Gale-SeaKing 3hp Model #GG18735B, Serial #26X862030

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Wow! that is one sweet Lyman...I will need to refinish the wood on my MFG this winter, any pointers? Thanks again!

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

I own one of these boats - i think - mine is an MFG Cambridge (spelling may not be correct). I have the original book with it. Cool little boat, moves fine with a 20hp.

 

[JimS123]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Thanks, Gale-SeaKing 3hp Model #GG18735B, Serial #26X862030

3HP "Deluxe" made in 1962.

I swear I saw that boat on Craigslist in Olean, NY. Was it you?

 

[JimS123]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Wow! that is one sweet Lyman...I will need to refinish the wood on my MFG this winter, any pointers? Thanks again!

Paint remover and sand to bare wood. Then Lyman Filler stain and 8 coats of Pettit Captains Varnish. Red mahogany stain is an alternate, but doesn't have the filler quality of the original - google Sandusky Paint Company or Doc Lyman in Ohio - both carry the stain. Buy the varnish from IBoats or West Marine.

Apply the varnish 8 days in a row - that way the brush will stay good. Buy a $30 brush from a paint store, not a $5 one from Wallyworld.

 

[gozierdt]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Boy, does that picture bring back memories. In the late '50's, my family owned the
equivalent Lyman, with an Evinrude 35hp. We were near Bedford, NY, and kept the
boat in Greenwich harbor. Took many trips across the sound to visit the beautiful
beaches on the N shore of Long Island. I used to waterski across the sound during
the trips. Life was a lot simpler then...

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Thanks for the Gale ID, and yep that's mine in Olean, good eye, (I had to tell the wife I was gonna try to re-sell it). Where bouts are you?

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

I've been eyeballing an old one setting not far from my place, I'm not even sure if it's a Lyman or MFG, but it's got a Bigtwin. It's been setting there for 20+ years, moved around a few times with a new tarp fom time to time...

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Thanks again for the advice, I notice that my MFG doesn't have any deck hardware, do you suppose that the hardware was 'optional'? I don't notice any extra holes where it may have been removed...

 

[JimS123]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Thanks for the Gale ID, and yep that's mine in Olean, good eye, (I had to tell the wife I was gonna try to re-sell it). Where bouts are you?

We're in Wheatfield, NY, but have a Cabin just east of Olean. Eat dinner there all the time.

Better get the wife on board. Yours is a classic and should not be fixed up to sell. Rather keep it as a herloom to pass on to your kids.

Don't know about MFGs, but the Lyman original came with a bow eye and a bow handle. Chocks and cleats were factory options, as were the aft seat folding seat back. Running lights and steering wheels were dealer installed options.

 

[mr 88]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Go to fiberglassics.com and there Library section has history along with info on yours. If still in doubt of model,ask about it on the main forum.They are changing web servers so you might have to wait a day or so before it's back up.

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Not trying too hard to sell it... Do you ever stop at "Mickey's" in Olean? We stop in a couple times a week for dinner, the owner is an old boat guy and has got a place on Cuba Lake. I grew up spending summers on Cuba too. After getting the lawn mowed, I would take my Dad's 14' Alumacraft and 3hp Evinrude, (both '56 and still have both), around the lake and was in awe at all the old wooden boats in the boat houses. They mostly rotted away over the years, just a very few left.

 

[autogun]

Re: '59 MFG 15' Model ?

Thanks, I've been there a few times, but haven't been able to log in lately...