New / Old Boat Owner

[tonynoriega2]

Hi all.. I just got my first boat and wanted to start with some basics...

I got my hands on a 16ft (from nose to stern) old AlumaCraft Rowboat / MotorBoat... Not much other detail about the boat...previous owner doesnt have title because it was his grandparents... and sat on a farm forever..

Is there anyway to find out the exact year, make model of this boat?

There are no real markings or tags on the boat that give me any real info... one tag says HP limit is 25...

I guess I will start with that...

Thx

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

Welcome to Iboats Tony!

First off before you put an ounce of energy into it get it titled.

As for IDing it post up some pics we love the guess the boat game.

 

[tonynoriega2]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

I could have swore I posted these last night... hopefully I don't dupe these...

Here they are:



The owner of the boat said this was his grandparents...and it just sat around for a long time.

thx everyone.

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

depending on the state your in, you can take that registration number to your local DMV and get the info on the boat they have...for it to have a registration number, typically there has to be a title somewhere

 

[tonynoriega2]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

I am already on the search for the title... contacted the Idaho dept. responsible for boat titling.

So I wanted to share my ideas on this boat and see if you all had any feedback...

I really want to restore this boat and motor for sheer pride in owning something so fun... maybe even pass down to my son as he gets older...

I want to sand the boat down to get it coarse enough to take on a few coats of paint... both inside and outside.

One thing I noticed is that the hull ID tags on the skin of the boat have tiny rivets that penetrate the hull... What should I do with those? Are those tags necessary? Can I remove them and plug the holes with something?

I really want to throw a nice coat of Cardinal red around the outside so I figured I would see what I can or can not do before I go buy the paint!...

thx

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

you can drill out the rivets to remove the tag.....but put the tag back on after you paint

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

you can drill out the rivets to remove the tag.....but put the tag back on after you paint

But not until after you resolve the reg &titling Q's w/ Idaho DNR. The DNR or DMV may want to make a visual inspection & ID, having that # on the boat, or CLEARLY missing, can either monkey it all up or make it easier. Just depends on who you talk to there & what Idaho requires.....

There are options depending on Idaho's reg & title rules. WV is harder then some, significantly easier then other states. Don't forget to ask questions about the trailer too. In WV, the trailer is harder to deal w/ when the paperwork isn't current & available to transfer to you. But can be done. Texas is particularly difficult for both......

In WV, I had to have a law enforcement officer (DNR guy, local cop, sheriff or state trooper) visually ID whether boat/trailer had a VIN/HIN# or not. It was significantly easier if there was a # present on the boat. Much more complex if there was no hull #. Same process, but exactly the opposite for the trailer. If the trailer had a # it was much more complicated, w/out # it was easy.... This was for NO PAPERWORK except bill of sale from the seller.

All my 'current' possession boats/trailers are reg'd & title'd and current on all fees & taxes. It was quite a few DMV trips, not cheap, but not too bad, and worth it to me to make it much easier to sell at some point.

BTW: Boats 16' and over the rules often change completely. In WV, they don't change much, but in Wisconson they do. In WV, trailers over 3000lbs gross towed weight while loaded, the rules also change, a little. But in either case, it is more money to reg & title them in WV.

 

[tonynoriega2]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

thanks... working on all the paperwork as we speak... might be a long process.

Another odd question... as you stated, 16' and above do have certain regulations to follow... and this may be nit picky, but my boat, from farthest point of the bow (nose) to stern, is more like 15' 10"...slightly under 16'...

Should I adhere to 16' to be safe, or press my luck during an inspection and break out the measuring tape to the inspector?

Is it possible the boat was made to be just under 16' to keep under those regulations?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

For what reason SC & many others have something less then the as described length. My FireFlite is listed as 15' by Glastron, isn't, it's 14'6" +/- I think. Been awhile, so I'm not positive. But I know when I listed it's actual length on the WV title application as 14' whatever inches, the title lists it as 14'.

Same for my 15' Jet. It's title says it's 14', they dropped the 9"....... If I'd have been paying attention, I'd have listed the Jet as 15'. That's what SC called it. And as an industry 'standard' I will use the length as described by SC for my next boat.

No idea why it's that way from the OEM's. Honestly, as long as it wasn't ridiculous, I could have listed it's length as whatever I wanted. The officers that did the visual inspections nor either person at the DMV looked anything up for reference for either boat, and definitely didn't measure it....

You may want to think about if/when you want to sell the boat. Will the buyer, their dmv & their home state's title department follow the specifics of your title, a visual inspection &/or the boat's actual length? Would it be easier to show the title matches the SC specifics of a 15' Jet, and although it's actually 14' 9" it's called a 15', or easier to show a title that lists 14' for a Jet that doesn't match that length & SC info that doesn't match 14' either...... That's all relative to my Jet & the way WV does boat titles...

When I noticed the discrepancy on my FireFlite, I thought it might be to allow for the length of the lower unit on the OB. As it was a 6" 'error'. But the prop is quite a bit more then 6" from the transom. So I have no idea why....

Got 2X4's over your way? Or 1.5"X3.5"...... Seems boat builder's are following the lead of other industry standards.....

Current boats are often better, I think. An XYZ Brand 195 is often 19' 6" (19.5'), or at least close, unlike my FireFlite that's 6" short:facepalm:

 

[tonynoriega2]

Re: New / Old Boat Owner

Well back to my continued search... I found today that on the transom support near the splash well floor, on the topside is the stamp of "552" and on the top two supports, I could only find the letter "K"... So my assumption is that it is a Model K Alumacraft 16' boat.. still trying to figure out what year.