TOPIC: Does anyone recognize this model?

I rescued this boat from a bonfire about a year ago and stuck it in the back of a barn.

The last registration paperwork said it was a 1961 Speed liner Cadillac. The only thing I know for sure is from an ID plate that says General Marine, St Joseph, Missouri.

It probably is an early 60's with the wood decking over fiberglass hull. I haven't found anywhere that General Marine or Speed liner made a model called Cadillac. I don't know if it runs but that Merc 500 sure looks decent enough. It has some wood molding in the center of the front deck that I thought would help me identify it, but so far I've not seen any matches.

Maybe it was built by this company : www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=Cadillac

Nice little boat though...

Cadillac Marine & Boat Company of Cadillac, Michigan was started in1955 to make aluminum boats. I do not think they ever made fiberglass hulls. They were a part of Wagemaker which also had a subsidiary company making fiberglass boats (Empire I think).

I do not know much about General Marine but their brand name was "Speedliner". It is possible they had a model called "Cadillac" but it seams unlikely that they'd have a metal name plate on the side of the hull. Did someone stick a Cadillac automobile badge on the side of the boat?
Andreas

Correct as usual Andreas! The Empire line was indeed the fiberglass boats for Wagemaker, just like my Clipper. I only remember Aluminum Cadillac's.

Bob

that DOES look like a 70's era Cadillac car badge. If it was original to the boat I bet they didn't use it long before they got a cease & desist letter from the GM lawyers...

ultraclyde wrote: that DOES look like a 70's era Cadillac car badge. If it was original to the boat I bet they didn't use it long before they got a cease & desist letter from the GM lawyers...

Interesting. General Motors (Cadillac automobiles) filed suit against Cadillac Marine and Boat Company claiming the boat firm could not use the word "cadillac" saying it infringed on their name and tradmark. The auto maker LOST the suit and the boat company could continue to utilize the word!

Andreas

I can see that. Trademarks typically apply to a specific area of use, so ruling that a boat maker could use it makes sense. I suspect that if that suit was filed these days it might go the other way though. Modern enforcement tends to take a broader range on that type of thing, particularly when the plaintiff has the financial might of GM, LOL.

Call Steve Schomburg of Seajay Boats, Inc. (formerly General Marine) if you have questions. His Pop was the guy behind Speedliner. I talked with Steve about a week ago regarding my little Speedliner. He's super nice. His # is (816) 232-8888.

thanks Hotdogger, I will give him a call. Speedliner by General Marine didn't have that many models but there isn't much information on what they did have.