Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

[58sealine]

Can anyone identify the boat in the pictures bellow. It has vertical flat sides, a flat bottom, corragated floring and all aluminum. Dont know how old or where it originated from. Nothing like a good challenge hey?
Thanks,
Tom

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

I would probably start here:
[h=2]Ohio Division of Watercraft
Headquarters[/h] Rodger M. Norcross, Chief
2045 Morse Road, Building A
Columbus, OH 43229-6693
Toll-free from within Ohio only: 1-877-4BOATER
614-265-6480
Fax: 614-267-8883

Since you have the Ohio HIN/Ser#:

 

[58sealine]

Re: Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

Thanks,
I checked with them. All they had as a desciption on file was a "1957 aluminum row boat".
This boat looks very utility like. I tdoes not look like it was built for comfort, more for working out off like marine construction work? I have no idea.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

... but now that it's yours, you can keep it as plain or make it as nice as you want.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

Then it sounds/looks like it's a rare 1957 ARB, flat bottom row boat.....
Aluminum
Row
Boat

Sorry, it's been a long day.

There were LOTS of aluminum boat manufacturers in the 50's & 60's, particularly close to heavily used waterways. I agree, that like you suspect, it was probably intended as an aluminum tender to work in & around a marina (Great Lake or otherwise). As it looks to be fairly heavily constructed, because it looks very well used, but doesn't seem to have any of the typical hull & interior damage of a 50+ yrs old aluminum V bow, almost flat bottom jon boat...

If you have some time you can page thru all the aluminum boats here, ya might get lucky. I've been thru a bunch of those aluminum boats, and don't recall seeing a single 1 that had such flat sides & such a shallow V....... But it may be in there, it was not what I was looking for, so I could very easily have missed it.

Might not be a 1957, could be older, or MUCH older, possibly more recent too.....

You will want to have this info available as you go thru that list of aluminum boats:
Hull length
Maximum beam(width)
Transom beam(may or may not match Max beam)
Gunwale height(sides)
Transom height

Posting those specs may help someone ID it too. Those specs usually help narrow the year after you ID the maker & model. Many looked very similar, and the same boat model would change details year to year occasionally.

What are your plans for it? If it is built as rugged as it appears, and is long & wide enough, it might accommodate a smaller 5-9.9hp outboard. Vintage of course:

1957 Johnson 7.5 hp

It looks like it needs a nice set of saw horses to hold it up off the ground, hull side up & tucked in under the eave at a lake cabin

 

[58sealine]

Re: Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

I like "ARB" - could be it's new name. BTW, good looking 1957. I have a 1957 18 hp that is in the Que for restoration next year.
Unfortunately the ARB is my brother in-law's and he does not appreciate old aluminum boats as much as the rest of us do. Next time I am over at his home, I will spec the boat out and try to get it up off the ground.
Once I get the specs on it I will post the info and dig a little deeper. The welded seams between the bottom and the sides have cracked in many places and with closer observation, it will take a talented TIG welder to correct these issues. But all in all she would make a great ornamental piece. A nice display boat with the right vintage motor to take to the shows and meets.
I think it would especially be cool to put a old Elgin motor on the back and use it at parties - put it up on blocks and fill it with ice and beer (kinda beer bar) with a nice pretty young girl serving drinks out of it. If I were an old retired working class boat, I think that's how I would want to spend my retirement! Can I get a "second" on that one?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Can Anyone Help ID this boat Old Aluminum Boat?

I like "ARB" - could be it's new name. BTW, good looking 1957. I have a 1957 18 hp that is in the Que for restoration next year.
Unfortunately the ARB is my brother in-law's and he does not appreciate old aluminum boats as much as the rest of us do. Next time I am over at his home, I will spec the boat out and try to get it up off the ground.
Once I get the specs on it I will post the info and dig a little deeper. The welded seams between the bottom and the sides have cracked in many places and with closer observation, it will take a talented TIG welder to correct these issues. But all in all she would make a great ornamental piece. A nice display boat with the right vintage motor to take to the shows and meets.
I think it would especially be cool to put a old Elgin motor on the back and use it at parties - put it up on blocks and fill it with ice and beer (kinda beer bar) with a nice pretty young girl serving drinks out of it. If I were an old retired working class boat, I think that's how I would want to spend my retirement! Can I get a "second" on that one?

The limited pix made it impossible to know the welded seams had opened, bummer. But that makes it more like most 50+ yr old aluminum boats: used/abused/worked 1/2 or completely to death....

Thanks, but not my 7.5hp, just the 1st 5-9.9hp redone vintage motor I found online...

If you decide to lift the boat, and fill it with water/ice, you will need to make sure it's very well supported, along both it's width & length. Else some of the rivets & ribs may be overly stressed. W/ weak or open seams, it makes damaging other parts of it all the more likely...