TOPIC: MFG Niagara project...

This is my second try at uploading photos, so now I can ask again. My son and I recently bought a MFG Niagara boat as a fixer-upper project. It only came with a bill of sale (no title) and I'm interested in finding out the year of manufacture. The HIN is INZ051187025. Indiana (where it was originally registered) only keeps records for the past 10 years, so no help there. I'm hoping that some of you folks may be able to provide some details about this little boat. The motor that came with it is too big for the boat (50hp max according to the ID plate on the rear of the boat) and the motor appears to be junk anyway. We can't wait to get it in the garage in the next month or so, and then by Spring we'll have our brand new old boat ready for the water.

The HIN won't help. That is an HIN issued by Indiana. Maybe someone else can ID it from the pics

Pictures only tell a partial story, but I'm pretty sure it's a 1965, base model Niagara.

Red decks were only available on 1962-1965 Niagara models. It has a black rub rail insert, rather than white, so 1964-1965. 1964 base model only had two front seats, while 1965 base had back-to-back non-folding seats, with rectangualar seat boxes. Your picture shows one starboard seat box, but it's gray, not red, but then so is the floor, which looks to be painted. So likely the box was painted.

Also, many, but not all, 1964 had a sticker for the MFG logo on the hull or deck near the stern. You have what is likely a plastic MFG logo. 1961-1963 used a chromed pot metal logo, rather than plastic.

So, all in all with the three pictures shown, my best guess is 1965.

You could also check with the State of Indiana with that assigned hull number. Ohio requires a modern HIN also (been through that process three times now), and the original paperwork for the assigned Indiana HIN would have likely had to shown the year.

Also with what looks like Arkansas registration numbers, check with that state for the year of that boat registration. Normally, no matter who the owner, the numbers stay with the boat, unless the boat needs to be registered by the new owner in a different state. Then that new state assignes new numbers upon registration.

Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for your input. What you said all makes sense. We can't wait for next Spring when she'll be all cleaned up and ready for a summer of fishing fun. I'll post photos of the progress over the winter.

My 65 has twin bow lights.

Yeah, I know. Thre is some stuff that is different about the boat in question. The hardware should be white plastic coated, and it's mounted all wrong. In fact, none of the hardware is factory MFG. Also, st the stern portion of the red deck, the shape is a littel different than what I have ever seen on any MFG of that era. Not bad, just different.

There should be an MFG tag mounted on the port side, inside the boat, on the transom. Does it show anything, or is it missing? It may be under the motor well.