TOPIC: Please Help Identify This Boat!

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and would like some help identifying a boat. I'm going to look at it tomorrow (4/11) and would like to get some more information on it.

It's about 14' and I'm guessing it's 1950's because of the double cockpit and hull shape, but I haven't had any luck with my Google skills. The key starter has Scott McCulloch's logo on it but that's about all I have to go off of. Any help would be much appreciate.

1959 montgomery wards sea king i think

neat looking boat.

www.fiberglassics.com/library/File:Seakingb58003.jpg


www.fiberglassics.com/library/Sea_King

I think you're right. I couldn't find the same model but the bow and hull shape look very similar.

Just found this: http://chicago.ebayclassifieds.com/boats/homer-glen/1950-kainer-4-person-12ft-speed-boat/?ad=3810462

Looks like the same boat. I've never heard of a Krainer before. Can't find anything in the Glassics library either. Below are the pictures if you don't want to click on the link.

Nice looking boat!

It's a Speed Queen, see my profile photo and of course the FiberGlassics Library.

It's a Speed Queen, see my profile photo and of course the FiberGlassics Library.

Thanks HandyAndy! That's definitely it.

From the Glassic Library:

Boats were constructed by hand-laid fiberglass sheets in prepared molds and reinforced with aluminum stringers.

It has a 15" deep, 1-1/4" transom and 1" half-moon support between hull and seat

Does this mean the only wood is in the transom? Or is there no wood in the transom either?

Welcome aboard!

"Kainer" was not a brand of boats. It was a brand of hardware for boats such as bow and stern lights and cleats.

Andreas

Nice looking boat.

I see you and Andy are both from Grand Rapids, that's cool!!!

Gene

amreame,

WELCOME ABOARD.

yours, satx

Small world Andy!

So I picked it up this afternoon, and it's definitely a cool boat. I did this all on a whim and now that I have it home, I'm pretty excited to get it cleaned up to see what I'm dealing with. I'm building a Glen-L Squirt and am in the fairing/leveling process getting ready to paint, so it would be nice to paint both of these together.

The boat's transom is rotten but I'm surprised at how strong it still is. It also looks like someone started to sand and fill the holes from the hardware but didn't get very far. The seats are also cracked, the front bench more than the rear.

I've followed a lot of larger restorations over at The Hull Truth so I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do, but will need some advice on getting started. Once I clean it up I'll start a new thread get the process started.



Here it is next to my 1964 Cherokee and my Squirt.

it is a really cool little boat. to bad about the transom being rotten. the best way to do the transom is to pull the whole lid off, which sounds scary, but in actuality isn't bad at all. here's a link to one I have split open now, that I have gotten side tracked on finishing some day....

how I split it is half way down the page, observe my stand I made/used, USE SCREWS not nails lol...
good luck.

www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/home/member-projects/and-so-it-begins-1959-dorsett-catalina/page-2#99164

but then again, looking at your boat, you might get away without splitting the boat and putting the core in from the inside....

Thanks for the link Shake. I like your stand, that will save a lot of much needed space.

If I don't have to take the cap off that would be the best but I'd really like to paint the bottom. I'm also wondering about the integrity of the half-moon supports in the picture below. I won't be able to dig into the boat until this week so I guess I'll find out then.

Yes, the only wood in the boat should be in the transom and behind the dash. I have the 17'6" Cruisette model which has wood frames and floor, but fiberglass-covered aluminum stringers. Since 2005 or so, I collected and submitted most of the Speed Queen literature in the Library. I don't live in Michigan anymore, but I did know a fellow on the NE side of Grand Rapids also with a Speed Queen 14'. Lots of these little 14-footers have survived- fiberglass is about indestructible and there is little wood in these boats to rot.

The only issue with the 14-footers is their proportions. They may be a tight fit for a 6' person + beer gut.

Incidentally, some Speed Queens were sold through Montgomery Wards as "Sea King" boats. I have photos of one or two if interested.

Attached is a photo of the original manufacturers tag your boat would have had. This was located on the splashwell opposite the transom.

The stringers may have wood end plugs, covered with fiberglass to seal off the stringer. They should be good unless you see cracking/separation from the hull of the boat. Pay particular attention to the ends of the stringers where this is likely to occur-I have this problem near the bow of my 17-footer. With the 14' hull being shorter and narrower, there would be less flex and less chance of separation from the floor.

The original interior fiberglass floor and sides were finished with a gray/black/white splatter paint. Rustoleum makes a garage-floor epoxy paint that is similar (gray base with black/white flakes to scatter).

Windshields can be made or found used. I have seen original blue tinted windshields on the 1959 and later boats. Some of the later 16' and 18' models had safety-glass windshields.

For a motor, I would suggest nothing bigger than 150-170 lbs: a 6-cylinder Mercury or V-4 Evinrude/Johnson/Gale would be too big. I seen one 14' Speed Queen with a 1970's three-cylinder Evinrude/Johnson which looked okay though.

It is hard to pin down a year for your boat because it is stripped of hardware and fittings; the basic 14' center deck model was made, just about unchanged, from 1954 to 1960.

Thanks for the detailed response! I'd love to see some more pictures.

I have a 1961 Merc 500 50 hp 4 cylinder. Do you think that would be alright weight wise? I'd really like to put a mid 50's Mark 55 on it but those seem hard to come by.

I haven't sit in yet as the benches are slightly cracked and I don't want to damage it, but I can see 6 people being a tight fit! It only took two of us to pick the boat up and walk it to my trailer so it must be strong for how light it is.

The front battens are exposed but the wood cap isn't rotten. Also, are there no drain plugs? I see in the picture you posted there wasn't one and mine doesn't have one either. The previous owner drilled a small hole for one but it doesn't do much good as the battens keep the water from reaching the middle of the transom to drain out.