Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

[reelfishin]

I came across a super clean boat today in an old warehouse. It appears to have been there since it was nearly new.
It's a 19' with the sliding hardtop. The top and lower hull are white and the deck and interior are aqua green. It's got a Mercruiser 110 from what I was told, but the motor was seized up solid from sitting all these years. The rest of the boat looks nearly brand new. The current owner, who I believe inherited it with the building and business bought and is including a new motor. The seats were wrapped in plastic, the hull was wrapped in white plastic and covered in a canvas tarp. When we pulled the covers off it looked like new. He's looking for an offer on this but I really have no idea what to say. It's an immaculate boat that needs nothing but the motor swapped out.

I think he bought the motor, bellows and seals, and all other parts needed and realized he was in over his head. The new motor was bought as a new old stock unit from a dealer who had installed it in a boat and never got paid, the story I got was that he bought it as an installed new motor in another boat and scrapped that boat for this motor. The new motor is a 120, but it looks identical to the old motor. Even the original windshield is mint, it's still clear and not all yellowed. The gel coat is still as clean and shiny as a new boat.

He tells me it's a 1963 but still has to get the title out to be sure. The sliding top works perfect, the bilge is clean and dry, and it's on what appears to be the original trailer.

Does anyone here have any idea on the value on something like this?
I like the boat, but unlike all the others I've had up to now, this one isn't a free tow away deal.

Also, I could find no numbers or ID plates anywhere on this boat? Any ideas where they might be if they had any?

The hull measures 19' 8" long bow to stern at the rub rail.

 

[TommyA]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Generally the hull ID can be found on the transom, however I believe that I read that boats built before a certain year were not required to have Hull IDs. Perhaps someone can enlighten us about that. It sounds as though you have lucked up on a true classic in mint condition. The sliding top sounds like a neat feature. IMHO I would think that it would be worth at least it's original retail value considering when the boat was made but I am just guessing on that. One thing you could count on is it would be a head turner if you do decide to buy it.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

prior to 72, a hin wasn't required....
on my 75 the hin is located just above the drive on the outside....

i'm gonna guess that the boat yer looking at is 69 or newer as i believe the aristocraft 19 production run was from 69 to 79, maybe 80....

if the boat is 19' long. it must be an aristocraft nineteen as i think it was the only 19' boat they produced (the only boat the produced for that matter).... all the others were shorter....

price wise. it's whatever the market will bear i suppose.... the boat i got was alledgedly in storage for 15 years in a airplane hanger... so it was pretty intact when i got it too. i gave 4300 for it. i suppose over two years. i'm up to 1500 to 2k over what i paid for it doing regular maint. repairs.....

go to the aristocraft web site and check out their fiberglass brochers... ya should see the model your looking at in that collection. i will admit though that the brochers don't have a pick of my lime green color though. check out my review on the nineteen. check out all of what's said in this particular forum too. some good info... like info from poster "aristocraft". he's still available for some parts and has great info on these boats.

you get this boat. and ya'll wonder why no one makes something like these boats today.... they were way ahead of their time in features. starting with the sliding hardtop. other features i like are the vertical sliding center window. it can be cracked open a inch or three or half way or open... very nice for different weather conditions. the seamless upholstery is very nice. the center floor storage is great. the back to back seats are beds. under seat storage. full storage in gunnels. fairly easy access to the engine compartment. wood less construction. full foam flotation. the list goes on....

One thing you could count on is it would be a head turner if you do decide to buy it.

that's certainly a fact. hardly a time out to the lake (and i go to the lake every week) that i don't get oohs and ahhs from someone.

the only thing bad i'd have to say about this boat is that running into short wave chop, mine beats me to death.... this though, can mostly be overcome by how ya run into the chop. or by reducing throttle.... other than that.... these boats are the cats meow and i highly recommend ya get ontoit before someone else does....

ya didn't say. but the only thing that'd keep me away from it is if it had an omc drive..... hopefully it's a mercuriser.......

i got some pics under a few of the posts here on the aristocraft forum.... go check them out too... check out any of my posts. for the most part, my post have related to this boat in question. so ya'll see some of the issues i've had with mine.... good luck man... sounds like a sweet boat to me.....

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

I looked at the brochures at aristocraft.com and it does most closely resemble the Nineteen model, but there are several differences. This boat does not have the floor compartment mentioned, the floor is flat with an 'upholstered' pattern in the glass to match the seat pattern. The one I looked at does have two huge compartments under the seats which is accessed by tilting the seats forward. The engine cover on this one opens forward and is louvered fiberglass. The cover has two twist latches much like those on an old brief case and the cover is rounded and folds forward onto the floor. The motor does not look like it will fit through the cover. The fuel tank is on the port side of the engine and appears to be about a 15 gallon steel tank. The starboard side houses the battery and a small storage box along with a built in transducer housing below the deck inside. There is no place where you can reach the bilge other than below the engine oil pan. I see no sign of a bilge pump. The hull also has not outlet for a pump that I can see.
Motor wise, it's older than the Merc 120 in my other boat which is a 1971, the outdrive still has the manual lever, it uses the short shocks on each side and has the lift eye and safety rod to hold it in the trailering position.
The motor in the boat is clean but appears to have just sat too long, its shiny and new on the outside but seized solid. We did pull the plugs and shoot in some penetrating oil but I doubt it will do much. I did pull off the main cooling hose and the inside was still clean cast iron, not all salt rusted like the boats I normally see here.

The closest boat in style in the brochures is the 8-Teen model, but this boat measures well over 19' long. The 1971 registration we found in the boat calls it 20' and the year on the registration says it's a 1963 Aristocraft, but it in no way looks like any of the older models. The only thing that points me to that age is the outdrive and motor. The guy who owns it said that a local boat mechanic there said it was a very early version of the Merc 110 drive. I'm not sure what year they dropped the lock out lever on the side of the drive?

He said the title was issued in May of 1965, and it has a state issued HIN which was common practice when there was no hull numbers. What surprised me was that there's not even a Coast Guard certification plate or rating. Even my 1962 Glasspar and 1963 Starcraft had a max hp and weight badge. The controls are a very early surface mounted box style, they are the same as a set that came with my 1960 Glasspar.

I agree it's a head turner, the hull style is way ahead of it's time. The bow is a very deep V and remains a V hull all the way back. It actually looks like it would cut the waves very well with very little splash. I like the huge amount of bow flare and the wide beam.

I don't understand why the two rear jump seats are so narrow and why the lower cushions are just loose unless they contain flotation? The left seat does cover the battery but the battery will not fit out of the 4" square hole beneath the cushion. I also see no sign of any flotation, but I can't access any under hull areas. Everything is sealed off, even the bow area is closed off with only a 22" wide opening into a molded box area for storage. There's no way to get up to that area. The boat feels pretty light as two of us were able to maneuver it out in the open with ease with no tongue or jack wheel.
I'll be back there this weekend, so I'll try to remember to get so pics.
Even if I don't take this on as a project, I'll put the info out for someone that may want it here. Its too clean to just let it sit but I have 5 boats under construction now. I wouldn't have considered another if it were so clean.
The biggest part will be the motor swap, the rest is all minor. Maybe a pair for fresh tires and some modern lights for the trailer but I doubt it would take much more than that. The current owner already bought the new motor and has it on a pallet ready to install, and it's complete. He also said he has access to the drive and mid section from the same parts boat if needed. Only the motor was new. The real shame is that the motor in the boat has seized, it's far too clean looking to have to be changed but it's my guess that no one properly stored it all these years and most likely the cylinders just went dry and rusted.

The interior sort of reminds me of a 50's car, especially the teal color with white two tone upholstery.

 

[TommyA]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

If you look at the Aristocraft 8 page toward the bottom of the brochure you will see a few boats with a lime green color scheme. I wonder it that is more toward what you saw?
The story behind the name just keeps getting better by the minute. The boat was built here in Georgia by a fellow named Claude Turner. The company still is producing a smaller wooden version of a boat built in the fifties called the torpedo. Pretty sweet looking! Check the Restoration link on the web site.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

if that turns out to be an 18...... well.......... i've never seen one owned, or being for sale, or anything about anyone having one. they must be really rare.... ya better snap it up......

 

[aristocraft]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

The 18 was only produced in 1967.5 thru early 1968 before the line was cut and the 19 was introduced. there were not to many made as it was a transition boat from the funliner in 67 to the 19 in 68. The quickest way to tell if it is an 18 or a 19 is the transom. on an 18 the transom will be flat. on a 19 it is a curved transom. post a picture for an instant answer. there are a few 18's that i know of for sale at this time. one VERY nice one in the MI area. its sounds like an 18 to me. its definatly not a 63 from what you have said. but pictures would tell all...

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

I got a chance this evening to stop by and take a few pics, they were putting it on a newer trailer when I got there. For the time being the current owner is taking it home to store in his garage. The original trailer was a bit light, (8" wheels). He found a really nice older galvanized trailer for it that fit like a glove. I'm glad I got there when I did, they were going to fork lift the boat over to the new trailer without any padding. I jacked the stern up and removed the old trailer out the side and winched the new trailer right under the boat.
Here's the closest brochure I found, the main difference is the shade of blue, this one is more green than blue.
http://www.aristocraftboats.com/fiberglassbrochures/Funliner8-Teen.pdf

It was getting dark when I got there, but I got a few usable pics.
The title definitely says 1963, and was issued in 1965 with state a issued HIN number.

It measures over 19' long, measured at the rub rail bow to stern straight line, front to back. The title calls it a 20' boat.

I'm not sure at this point yet what to offer and he won't give a price. He's somewhat knowledgeable about boats, he's got several newer boats in the yard there that look like they were being used currently. The boat is bottom coated in a reddish brown paint, it rubs off pretty easily as if it were put on over wax. It rubs off much like a scratch off lottery ticket. Below the paint is shiny white gel coat.

I still haven't convinced myself I want another project, especially a larger boat. I've tried to stick to smaller boats, in the 16' range. This may be a bit much for my small truck to tow. I'm guessing it's in the 2500 lb range or better with the trailer and accessories? The beam width measures 7' 8 1/4" rub rail to rub rail outside at the widest point. Overall length looks to be over 19" though, measuring from the rub rail on the stern to the tip of the bow. One of my biggest concerns is that this won't fit in my garage, therefore I'd have to leave it outside under a tarp. I hate to take a boat this clean that's been this well preserved and put it outdoors. I also run nearly 100% in salt water, and this boat probably never saw saltwater before. Even the trim and is perfect on this. Most of my boats get pretty pitted up even after only one season in saltwater no matter how well I wash, clean and polish after every use.

I'm really not sure which drive and motor this has, it's either a Merc 110 or an earlier 120 than I'm used to seeing. The only differences I can see between the motor in the boat and the 1971 Mercury 120 on the pallet is the shape of the water neck and the height of the exhaust riser. The Aristocraft appears to have a special low profile exhaust riser, but the manifold bolt pattern looks the same. The outdrive however looks quite a bit different with the main differences being the manual lockout lever and presence of two shock absorbers.

 

[aristocraft]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

yep, thats an 18.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

How did they figure their length measurement? This measures over 19', I'd have figured it to be more or less considered a 20' boat.

It looks far better on a proper trailer, the one it was on was a bit light in my opinion and a real oddity. He picked up a nice older single axle that fits it really well. He gave it a quick wipe down and a good cleaning and it looks even better. A good buffing and some wax and it would shine like a brand new boat. It's rare to find a boat this clean and this old in NJ. Most likely it just never got used, or maybe the engine failed way back when it was nearly new and it's just sat all this time. Most boats get well pitted and salt corroded here, all the trim and the outdrive on this are clean. My only problem now is that I don't have a place to put it. They sold the building it was in, so he's keeping it under a heavy tarp in a car port nearby. It needs a better home but if I add one right now, I'm bound to have zoning troubles. I have three in the yard now and several others in the process of being restored. He's talking about putting it on eBay or Craigslist if I don't take it. I finally got a number out of him, he's asking $4850 for it.

Here's a few more pics I took:

http://i36.tinypic.com/fbw1a1.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/iwn1pg.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/fy0r9v.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/k35fkx.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/35alw1w.jpg

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Very cool old boat. $4850 is way more than I would give for it, though.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Very cool old boat. $4850 is way more than I would give for it, though.

i don't know... pretty darn nice boat.... pretty rare too from aristocraft since the eighteen was only made for that half year transition from the funliner to the nineteen.... seems like that'd make it worth more. specially for folks that know aristocraft or want an aristocraft.
when i was lookin to buy. i found a lot a non serviceable boats for 5k. rot juice dripping out the plug hole, uphulstry all spent, soft floors, latedah. many aftermarket add ons. many holes in the transoms from various things being attached to them. heck, i even saw a nice cobalt for 8K. it only had a crack in the bottom of the boat that was 2 ft. long. and the seller wanted to know if i wanted to go for a test drive... yikes, blurb, blurb..... that baby looks like it just came from the oem. i love seeing nothing screwed to the transom. looks like the only mods to that boat may be the rod holders.... sweet...

i gave 4300 for my nineteen a couple years ago. it may have been to much. but from what i saw at the time. it was better than many newer boats i looked at. so the price may not be out of line... on the other hand. times are hard right now, so that should bring the price down a shade i'd think. just depends how easy the seller can find a buyer and how long the seller is willing to wait to get what they want out of it....

i still think she's a rare find. specially in great condition..... i think she's a beauty and probably worth the dollars he wants..... oh, and don't forget. she's a sliding hardtop. and once ya have a sliding hardtop. i don't know what the next boat would be....

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Its a clean boat even if it were only a few years old. It's like time forgot this one. Those rod holders are stainless too, I thought maybe they were original? They match the other hardware and are mounted with the same style hardware.
If they were custom made, someone did a really a good job.
All of the fittings and bolt ons are stainless, the only aluminum is the windshield frame.
The underside of this one is clean, it's got some sort of brown bottom coat but it's not well adhered, most likely it was just put on over smooth gel coat. I can scrape it off with my finger nail. What amazed me the most was the condition of the windshield, it's shiny clear and not all scratched up.
My only concern with the boat is that fact that it is a hardtop, my main purpose for any boat is for fishing, I'd most likely leave the top off most of the time and mount a tall bimini top instead. At 6'3" tall, ducking in and out of the hardtop is a bit tight.
I like the fact that its an I/O drive, they tend to be much better on fuel than an outboard, but I'd also have to install the new motor and buy the alignment tool. I'm probably going to pass on it mostly since I just don't have the room to keep it without selling one that I already have, and I really don't want to part with any that I already have.
It will make someone a great boat, and I hope who ever gets it restores it and doesn't cut it up into a fishing boat.

 

[TommyA]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Well reelfishin even if you don't purchase the boat it was a real treat for you to share it with us. I learned about the boat manufacture who I had never heard of and maybe one day I might get a chance to ride up and visit them at Aristocraft. I would really like to see the Torpedo that they are making there now.

 

[aristocraft]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Anybody who is coming through atlanta should definatly stop by. just give us a call before you come to make sure we are here. but our normal hours are mon-fri 9-4.

 

[justphillips]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Wow, I just bought the same exact style boat for $800. I bought it for fishing because the interior is pretty rough, but the original mercruiser engine runs great. It's my first boat and thought it would be a good starter boat. It's pretty cool seeing what it used to look like.

 

[Ricks Project]

Re: Warehouse find, 19' Aristo Craft

Hey JP,
Congrats on the boat purchase. Is yours the 8-teen like the pics or the 9-teen like the title of the thread? I have an 8-teen that I hope one day will look like the pics on here. It will take a while but with all the help I've received here on the Aristocraft forum it's made it alot easier.

Put up some pics so we can see her!!!

 

[machfive]

I just found what I think is an 8-teen. Flat transom like this one. It is complete been sitting fo awhile. I called Aristocraft for ID locations. They said the ID numbets are stamped into the transom or on an aluminum plate near the steering wheel or ID by the engine serial number. I am trying to upload pics. I would be interested in opinions as to approximate value in its current condition.