Mystery to me!!

[wil]

Trying to get some info.
Simple question to the people who know I hope!
Can anybody tell me what my boat is.
I know that it is at least fourty yrs old and it is made of marine plywood. Its 13ft long and when I bought it the previous owner had fitted a cab on it.
The closest I can get while searching the net is that it resembles a old type of speed boat.
I was planning to use it for fishing but time and the lack of storage is forcing me to maybe try to swap for a sit on top sea kayak. who knows it may be only good for firewood!
Please guys any ideas, (this is the third forum I have joined with no luck)
Thanks
Wil.

 

[penfold]

Trying to get some info.
Simple question to the people who know I hope!
Can anybody tell me what my boat is.
I know that it is at least fourty yrs old and it is made of marine plywood. Its 13ft long and when I bought it the previous owner had fitted a cab on it.
The closest I can get while searching the net is that it resembles a old type of speed boat.
I was planning to use it for fishing but time and the lack of storage is forcing me to maybe try to swap for a sit on top sea kayak. who knows it may be only good for firewood!
Please guys any ideas, (this is the third forum I have joined with no luck)
Thanks
Wil.

A speedboat is exactly what it is. Whether it's firewood or not is down to its condition(is it rotten/delaminating?) and how much animosity you have toward old wooden boats costing you money...

 

[oldharry]

Trouble is these things were turned out by the score during the plywood boating boom of the 50s/60s, often not to any particular design, and often poorly knocked togther.

Boatbuilding materials of the era meant plywood hulls lasted on average 25 years. After that the glues used become brittle and failed allowing water into the seams. This reduces the ply to wet cardboard incredibly fast. Sorry to say but from the pics, yours is well on the way. All that discoloration round the edges of the sheeting round the engine well for example, mean water damage in the ply is well advanced, and you have a major rebuild job if you really want to persevere. The ply can LOOK sound outside, but strength may be down as much as 60%. I remember stripping an old plywood yacht for dismantling. I dropped a crowbar into the bilge, it went straight through perfectly sound looking 3/8 plywood!

This is why there are so few of the old plywood boats now. Nothing wrong with most of the designs, but they have all long since fallen apart.

 

[wil]

boat is sound but the top needs revarnishing again. like I said it sat well on the water and actually planed with my 25hp johnson!!. So whats it worth
Boat Trailor and johnson seahorse 25hp. Any syggestions. Like I said I am after a decent seafishing sit on top kayak so if you got one sitting about make me an offer.

 

[paulm299]

Boat Value

If it's any worth ,I paid £180 for a 1960 , 15 ft. , Plywood sailing dinghy with trailer , Which I'm renovating . It's only worth something to someone who has the time and money to renovate / restore . Put it on Ebay , Everything has value to someone .

 

[wil]

Thanks for the sound advice paul, it looks like it will be going down the ebay route.