TOPIC: New to the Scene, need help...

Hey everybody. Two weeks ago I had no idea what a fiberglass or finboat was. I'm typically just an auto and bike enthusiast. Since then I have procured two of these beauties and I gotta say that I am smitten. These old boats are the coolest things I have ever seen. One of the boats is an early 60's Holiday and I need some help on the other. I have no information on the other and am hoping someone on can give me an education. All that I know is that supposedly it is a 58 model. I have scoured this site and the rest of the web and can't find anything that resembles it. It has no markings on it whatsoever (save that the windscreen was produced by Taylor Made). Any information and/or any steering me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated and may result in me naming my firstborn after you.

Sure is a pretty boat. It has hull #s, so must have been registered. Sometimes that can be a help. I'm no expert on older boats like that, but there sure are a lot of people here who are!

Good luck.

Frank

Gnarly boat. I like the blue and white station wagon too. Is that a Nash?

As you probably surmised, Taylor Made is the windshield maker.

Many boat manufacturers had a model called "Holiday." Chris-Craft and Cruisers, Inc. are two of 'em. It could very well be that there were boat brands/manufacturers called "Holiday" too.

Calling the Tennessee boat registration folks (DMV or DNR) with the registration number might provide some information. But keep in mind that paperwork for boats is notorious for being inaccurate.

Andreas

A: WELCOME , The pic is a sweet style , "Is this the 58 boat you are trying to ID ". See you are in N. E ,TN , we are south of you in Dayton . Oct 30 is a nifty outboard show in east Knoxville. If you may be interested .
. Bigger pictures & search inside for any id Mfg #'s or tags. Rear sort of has line of a Sabre,, can you trace to prior owner, before the place where you bought .?
Again CONGRATS.

Thanks everyone and yeah, it's a 52 Nash. I'll have to check into the Knox show. Like I said, I'm really new to the scene. I've got two boats and one Johnson 15hp. That's about the extent of my knowledge on the subject. The white one is the 58. I've been all through it and can find any badging or manufacturer info anywhere. And actually, I wasn't aware that Holiday was a model. The database on this site lists Holiday as a manufacturer also. But, there's not any further info on them. Thanks again guys. It's really good to hear from you. -Mike

Here's some pics from the Holiday:

Yep, Holiday Plastics of Kansas City, Kansas:

www.fiberglassics.com/library/Holiday_Plastics

Also, I believe your Holiday boat is pictured in the 1959 Holiday boats brochure:
bigfinboats.com/forums/index.php?/topic/940-anybody-have-info-on-holiday-boats

For your mystery boat, best idea might be to contact the state of Tennessee authority who handles boat registration and attempt to find the make from an old registration.

A: You scored TWO nice sleek hulls. . Check into the library for ANTHONY hulls. The top pics, of your small side FINS hull look like the lines of a ANTHONY mfg . 14 or 15 or 16 ft models. Also one for sale in the GLASSIFIEDs section .
. Enjoy , now be on the search for some motors,~! seems like you will need SHORT SHAFT versions. ?

Thanks for all the information guys. The Anthony does seem to have a lot of similarities. That could be it. That rear schematic on the 1960 patent office document is identical to the white one. The seller is supposed to putting me in touch with his "go to" boat guy. I'll definitely be getting in touch with the DMV Monday. I don't know how much to trust their info so I'll continue to appreciate and research any ideas posted here.

This whole thing came about because we stopped to look at a turbo dodge and I spotted this flat bottom fiberglass boat on the road sitting next to the car. I call the car owner to see if the boat was for sale. It wasn't his but he turned me onto the two you've seen in the above thread. We met up this morning to finalize the deal. He puts me in touch with the guy who owns the flat bottom speedster type thing. Long story, short. We now seem to have a collection of boats.

Anyone who knows anything about this little guy please feel free to lay some education on me. The seller is gonna try to find the paperwork for it, but till then, I'm burning with curiosity.

A: CONGRATS , Again . Way to go TENN. You seeem to be in great area. My 1st educated guess would be a STEVENS mid 60's Ski boat. My friend was able to buy his old one back last year , all repainted now , mint Merc 150 in pic below. . Seem to have similar paint trim lines towards rear transom .! . Also if your hull is mostly wood could be a Glen -L kit boat.? .Center SKID FIN out bottom of hull .??
............

Welp, my contact with the DMV and Department of Wildlife yielded little progress. Evidently, Tn registration numbers are 4 numbers and 2 letters. Mine only has 1 letter. I'm guessing at some point the state added a letter to compensate for increased registrations. This probably suggests that the boat hasn't been registered in quite some time. The little speed boat thing was registered as a 75 Open (15 ft. Outboard) Mood CR (whatever that means). I couldn't find any info on such a boat. It looks a lot like the Stevens boats and does have a center skid fin out of the bottom of the hull. However, it doesn't seem to have any wood in it tho. I took some better pics today if it helps any. Thanks again to everyone for their input.

A: My friend saw your hull pic & does not think it matches his Stevens. There were many ski / race start ups & he mentioned a HONDO ? Also the HUSTLER ( ILL.) literature in the library is also close.

. The Scream & Fly forum has many ex- racers & maybe a reader there will recognize.

On your first two boats, my guess on the first one is a Feather Craft LaSirena from 1958. These are somewhat rare. It was Feather Craft's first attempt at a fiberglass boat. Frank Kibler, who owned the company at that time, told me that they had a hard time breaking into the fiberglass market and dropped out shortly after introduction. Their main forte was aluminum. I'm also including a shot of the Holiday 300 from the catalog. I'll have to look into my hot boat stuff and see if I have anything on the other one. There was so much copying going on between these companies that it is almost impossible to get them all sorted out and into the right slot. Hope that this might help.

Lee Wangstad

Wow, great ID Lee! Feathercraft La Sirena. Here's a thread from the old forum with another '58 Feather Craft ad showing the La Sirena as well as a La Sirena that turned up painted up as a bat boat:

archives.fiberglassics.com/forum818/showmessage.asp?fm=Forum&messageID=5672