Sears Aluminum Boat Serial Number

1. Sears Aluminum Boats 12 Foot

1952 Elgin Outboard Brochure – Courtesy Elginoutboard.comYesterday 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.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 – RowanWhat 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. Introducing The New ELGIN Boat KitsAnd before the days of “Cash For Clunkers” – Heck, you could even buy an Allstate car from Sears back in the early 1950’sLet’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,TexxUpdate from Don Danenberg – March 15, 5:00 PMWe 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. Andreas Jordahl RhudeThe big retailers such as Sears (Elgin) and Montgomery Ward (Sea King) and Gambles all sold boats and outboard motors and boat trailers. They, of course, did not manufacture those items. They sourced them from many, many different manufacturers. The retailer would make a deal with such and such boat builder for a certain number of boats. Usually on an annual contract.Penn Yan Boats of Penn Yan, NY actually set up a seperate firm called Angler Boat Co.

To make boats for Sears and Montgomery Ward, for example. Cruisers, Inc. Of Oconto, WI made a bunch of lapstrake boats for Wards. Chetek Boat Corp. Of Chetek, WI made boats for Wards too.Span America Boat Co. And Fort Dodge Boat Co. Both of Fort Dodge, Iowa teamed up to make boats for Wards in the late 1950s.

These were fiberglass runabouts and fishing boats.For the boat manufacturer this type of deal looked like a gold mine. However, it usually ended in disaster. The big retailer could set the price, they demanded lots of product, and they wanted deadlines met. Many of the small boat makers had eyes bigger than their stomach and would jump at these deals. Their entire operation would be devoted to the big retailer.

They would abandon their regular dealer network and customers. Once the retailer moved on to the next boat maker, they would be left with no work, no dealer network, no sales, and would go belly up.

It happened over and over.There has been a bunch of material published about Elgin brand boats which is archved in the Glassic Library atAndreas. BillI see by the picture that youd dad had the good judgement to put a evinrude motor on his elgin boat. Back in the 50s montgomery ward was way ahead of sears with the sea king built by evinrude a great engine far superior to the elgin a lot of the elgins were made by scott atwater a brand that sears also sold for a while after the elgin who made a good motor also until the great bail o matic debockle in 1954 where they mounted the water pump above the water line so it ran dry a few senconds every time you started it till it sucked water up to it so guess what the impellers kept burning out brilliant engineering. Jim MI used to own a wagemaker and live in Grand Rapids.

One option might be US Molded Shapes, Inc. Which was a major supplier of cold-molded mahogany plywood hulls. Many manufacturers such as Delta, Milocraft and Yellow Jacket used these hulls to build completed boats. Hulls were also available in kit form for home assembly. The company was a subsidiary of The Wagemaker Company, also of Grand Rapids, Michigan.I googled US Molded Shapes to get this info. More info there about them but couldn’t make the connection to sears.

Sears Aluminum Boats 12 Foot

It’s a start though. It may be difficult to match the completed boat up with a wagemaker model given each buyer of these hulls finished them different. But the hulls you’ve shown do look alike.

Paul H.I met a guy at the Sunnyhland show last year who’s father had a significant business building kit boats in the ’50’s. He mentioned that his major competitor was CC, but I can’t rememebr the name of his manufacturing business, and whether he did this sort of “private label” thing where the boats were supplied by him but marketed under a different name by the chains. I will try to find out. I think this business was located in Florida. UNtil now I had thought Elgin was only a name used on OB’s, was not aware that it was applied to boats as well.

Silver GhostThe molded plywood boat industry started in Nova Scotia Canada, in the late 40’s. The technology was initially used to build wooden bodied WWII British aircraftlook up the Mosquito. Here’s a linkThe Mahone Bay Co would build plywood hulls on spec and then ship them to Yellow Jacket, Wolverine, Wagemaker etc. Later Yellow Jacket aquired part of the Mahone Bay business and moved some production to Denison Texas, and built their own hulls there. Some of the Canadian boats were called Plycraft.

I have an early 50’s Plycraft B Utility racer that I’m restoring now. Tommy holmElgin boats, trailers, and outboards were sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. But were built by a variety of manufacturers.

The line of outboard motors were built by West Bend and later by Scott-McCulloch; boats were supplied by manufacturers such as Cutter, Whitehouse, Glasspar, and Arkansas Traveler. From 1960 on, Elgin offered only a two HP model built by West Bend, switching to a lineup primarily of outboards made by Scott. West Bend-made motors can be distinguished by a 571- serial number prefix; the Scott-made motors by a 574- prefix. In later years, the Elgin brand was dropped entirely and boats and motors were marked as Sears. — source:fiberclassics.com.

Grant StanfieldCool storylast summer I purchased my very own 1952 Elgin outboard motor at an estate sale in Green Lake, WI. It’s a really retro-cool old motor I’ll enjoy until I can locate a Chris-Craft Challenger outboard, too. The Elgins are interesting motors for us Wisconsin classic boaters because they were manufactured for Sears-Roebuck in Hartford, WI at the former Kissel Motor Company automobile plant by Kissel employees.

There’s a great motor museum in Hartford todaywith a heavy concentration of gorgeous Kissel cars and a whole room-full of Hartford-built outboards!. Bob VandeVusseTexx,With the exception of the 31′ cruiser kit, the model lineup in the Elgin kit boat list lines up almost exactly with the Chris Craft kit boat line from late 1951 to early 1952. The key is the presence of the 10′ racing pram, which was introduced at that time.The 14′ duckboat kit was added in late 1952, and doesn’t appear in the Elgin ad. The photos also lead me to believe that they are CC.

I know that CC sold some boats through the Montgomery Ward catalog, as I have an MW brochure that mentions some models built by CC. I have also heard that some kits were sold to Sears. Ken HarperHelp. I have, what I was told is a 1959 Elgin with a sportsman windshield kit, but I can not find any information on the internet about the boat, or its manufacturer. It was registered in Kingston Ontario.The two chines and the side flare make the boat unique.

The boat is a cedar strip with a plywood top. It has a serial number stamped into the wood but no serial plate. I have googled every boat builder I found in articles on the net. I Would appreciate any additional info to help solve this mystery.

Hello all, I inherited a old sears roebuck aluminum boat. The paper work says its a 1955 sears roeb 15ft. Is anyone familiar with this model? I'm looking to put a new outboard on it but there is no capacity plate and I can't find any info online. The boat does have some leaks, and it looks likes I will have to rebuild the transom. Is this a project worth starting?

Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated thanks JoeI had a similar craft. All older riveted hulls leak from the wracking they take on the water. I once used an epoxy paint on my hull that slowed leaks, but they came back. Nature of the beast. If you keep it, UR are gonna have to figure out a bilge pump arrangement. Not sure of your transom problem?

It should be aluminum with a plywood backing and the only way to fix cracked aluminum is to do some aluminum welding. It can be fixed.

If I recall correctly, OMC ratings for a boat that size was probably 25hp. I managed to put a 33 Johnson Super Sea Horse on mine and had a lot of fun with it. I could pull a skier and at times almost got airborne when I was by myself. Your size boat is perfect for back bay activities. Hold on to it as long as U can and enjoy!!!