Sears Aluminum Boat Serial Number
How can I determine the year in which my canoe was made? Posted by blueboy on 8/10/13 at. Although I know it was produced some time in the early to mid sixties, I don't know the exact year. It's a 17' aluminum Grumman. I know it's a 17' Grumman Sport Boat, but the serial number will probably give me a good ball park estimate as to the. BOAT PRICE CHECKER FIND THE PRICE RANGE FOR A BOAT. Use the Price Checker tool to learn the range of listed prices for your boat search. The tool shows you the average, lowest and highest prices found in the Boat Trader search results.
What is a Hull Identification Number?
All pleasure craft made or imported into Canada must have a Hull Serial Number (HIN) affixed to it. No character of the HIN is to be less than 6 mm (¼”) in height and width. The HIN helps to find lost or stolen boats and boats that are subject to a recall. It's 12 digits long, beginning with the Manufacturer’s Identification Code (MIC). Example: ABC2AB41G203
Hull identification number location?
The HIN shall be located where it is clearly visible when the vessel is in the water, namely, on the upper starboard quarter of the outside surface of the transom or if the vessel has no transom, on the uppermost starboard side at the aft end of the hull.
No person shall alter, deface or remove a hull serial number. If a boat is not marked with a hull serial number, the owner of the boat must make a request for such a number to the builder, manufacturer, rebuilder or importer of the boat. If, despite reasonable efforts that can be proved in writing, the owner of the boat is unable to obtain a hull serial number from the builder, manufacturer, rebuilder or importer of the boat, the boat is not required to be marked with a hull serial number.
The HIN must also be marked in a second location on the hull, that is either beneath a fitting or an item of hardware or that is on the interior of the vessel and unexposed.
What is an other name for boat's serial number?
Hull identification number is an other name for hull serail number
1952 Elgin Outboard Brochure – Courtesy Elginoutboard.com
Yesterday we had a fun day learning about Captain Grumpy and his latest wooden boat he found up in New Hampshire. We learned it was originally purchased from Sears, Roebuck & Company in 1956 as a Kit Boat – manufactured by Chris-Craft.
Now we have another interesting story of a boat from up in the Northeast – This time it’s in Maine.
Back in January we received a comment from fellow Woody Boater Rowan who was trying to learn more about a 1952 ELGIN outboard boat that his grandfather purchased in 1952 from Sears in Trenton, New Jersey. As we often do here at Woody Boater, I decided to do some research on the Elgin marque before we published the story, but I had a difficult time determining exactly who built these boats for Sears back in the day. So I guess you could say Rowan & I are in the same boat… Get it? Here’s what Rowan sent us, which is very cool.
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Texx – I have a 1952 ELGIN that looks just like a Wagemaker. I am trying to verify for sure that Sears bought from Wagemaker in the early 50s. And, if I have a Wagemaker, what model? If I can figure this out, I have a great story for you – one that is 61 years old spanning 4 generations. Thanks, Rowan.
The following 4 photos are all of the same boat.
This photo is from 1953 with my dad piloting the boat. See ELGIN on stern. Back then it had a rear helm.
The next 2 photos were taken after we found the boat in 2006 at a church auction in Maine. It had been out of our family for 30+ years.
The last photo is of the boat after a complete renovation. The ELGIN was purchased new by my Grandfather in 1952 at Sears, Trenton NJ. Brand was ELGIN. Boat has no ribbing.
My question is – “Who did Sears buy this boat from? I have heard Yellow Jacket or Theakston or Industrial Shipping (Halifax) or Angler or Wagemaker or Wolverine or Fageol and one more I can’t remember the name but it sounds like marine casts and was in the midwest.”
Thanks for your help – Rowan
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What a great story Rowan, it’s so cool to have the opportunity to see a boat that’s been close to your family for almost 57 years, and now see the same boat saved from the burn pile. So we are reaching out to the Woody Boater community today in an attempt to learn more about who exactly designed, built and supplied these ELGIN wooden outboards for the Sears and Roebuck Company back in the early 1950’s?
Sears 10 Ft Aluminum Boat
To us, the idea of simply walking in to your local Sears Roebuck store on Satuday morning back in the early 50’s and buying a reasonably priced wooden outboard (easy for us to say now) with an outboard motor, maybe with a Tee Nee trailer with teardrop fenders and all the recreational boating accessories, maybe some fishing gear, etc is so cool… I wonder if you could even buy it on the easy payment plan which Sears was famous for back then – even better! And tow it to the lake with your 51 Ford sedan the following weekend for some water skiing, fishing or just some good old recreational boating with the family.
Here are a few nice period brochures we found at elginoutboards.com – this is a good webiste for all things ELGIN.
1954 Elgin Outboard Brochure – Courtesy Elginoutboard.com
1953 Elgin Outboard Brochure – Courtesy Elginoutboard.com
1952 Elgin Outboard Brochure – Courtesy Elginoutboard.com
And you could also buy a wide range of ELGIN Kit Boats from Sears back in the day. Note in the following brochure what looks like a small outboard cabin cruiser and also a lapstrake sportsman boat…
And before the days of “Cash For Clunkers” – Heck, you could even buy an Allstate car from Sears back in the early 1950’s
Let’s see if we can help out a fellow Woody Boater and as a group, learn more about the ELGIN line of outboards from the early 1950’s.
Thanks in advance,
Texx
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Sears Aluminum Boats 12 Foot
Update from Don Danenberg – March 15, 5:00 PM
We received the following comments from our friend, restorer and noted author Don Danenberg this afternoon.
Texx,
Here’s some more info for your Elgin research.
Check Vol-4 of Bob Speltz’s Real Runabouts series, Chapter 2. Lots of photos that he might use to match up a hull style?
Very good descriptions and photos of hot-molded hull construction.
I have a couple of Elgin engines, the 2-cyl (certified 8-hp, yikes!) has a Sears Roebucks tag.
The 1-cyl doesn’t have a tag but cast into the flywheel is “Wico Electric Co. – West Springfield, Mass.”
I spoke to my uncle Fred, who worked at Wagemaker in the 40’s, to ask about any Sears connection.
He vaguely recalled hearing of sales to Sears…, BUT, he worked in the furniture division (rip-saw), not the boat division, so no joy there.
Ollie Wagemaker III might still live in Grand Rapids, MI, but he’s no longer in the directory and I haven’t found his number or spoken to him in a decade, the guy might follow up on that?
I think Tommy Holmes had the best answer, MANY different suppliers?
Don Danenberg
Thanks Don – We always appreciate your insight and comments here at Woody Boater.
Texx
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