Did manufacturers sometimes sell just empty hulls?

[cwcollins06]

I have a tri hull boat that was manufactured in Giddings, TX in 1977. The identifying info for it is an original Lonestar logo decal on the stern quarter on both sides that has fine print underneath that says "by General Fiberglass mfg, Giddings, TX" and it looks JUST LIKE a mid to late 70s Invader Capri (Invader was located in Giddings). I can't find any lonestar boats that look like it at all and it doesn't have any link to Invader except looks and location. Is it possible that Invader was selling empty hulls to a customizer that added the '76 Johnson 85HP outboard and a custom interior (the Invader interiors looked different). It has been in the family since it was brand new so I know this wasn't just some overzealous Texan that wanted his boat to say "Lonestar" on the side and then sold it to me. Was it ever a common practice for manufacturers to sell hulls to customizers? That's the only thing that makes sense to me at this point.



I'm just trying to understand more about exactly what this boat is and where it came from. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Re: Did manufacturers sometimes sell just empty hulls?

Many boat builders of the 60's and 70's sold boats in "stages". Bare hull was one of them.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Did manufacturers sometimes sell just empty hulls?

If it was indeed made in the '70s, then it is not a Lonestar. They were bought out by Chrysler and redesigned in the mid '60s

 

[cwcollins06]

Re: Did manufacturers sometimes sell just empty hulls?

Frank, I figured as much and thought it was pretty unlikely out was an actual lonestar. Now I wonder if the builder was using the name illegally or not. Also, given sharp shooter's answer, now I wonder whether I should get lonestar decals to replace what was there originally, or invader decals since I'm pretty certain it's an invader hull.