Interpretation of Stencil Number on c.1962 13-footer

[SteveC123]

[A 13-footer sold to me as a 1962 boat has a stencil] number 5533 in the bow compartment. It could be a late 1961. I am assuming [the boat referred to as a 1962 SPORT 13] is a 1962 from the data shown in the reference section.

Are there any known serial numbers that would help determine if mine is a 1962 or a 1961?

BACKSTORY:

I am new to the forum. I have been looking for a project Sport 13 since c.2019. I had a 1975 Sport 11 as a teenager and loved it. I found a nice 1978 Sport [13] which had been on Lake Muskoka from the beginning--and never been on a trailer until the day I picked it up. It is a decent restoration candidate and will be the subject of a separate thread.

Fig. 1. A 13-footer with 20-inch transom. This boat is not the topic of this thread and will be discussed in a separate thread.

13-1.jpg (54.79 KiB) Viewed 1258 times

A week after bringing home the 1978 [SPORT 13], a seller I had made an offer to for what I believe is a 1962 [SPORT 13] decided to take my offer, and now I have two boats and a very understanding wife.

Fig. 2. A 13-footer with notched 15-inch transom. This boat is the topic of this thread, but this illustration does not show the stencil number.

13-2.jpg (20.41 KiB) Viewed 1258 times

My plan is whichever boat turns out better we keep, and we sell the other.

The seller had done some initial restoration [on the 1962 SPORT 13 boat]. The [1962 SPORT 13 boat] apparently sat in a barn for [more than 20] years, and was on a trailer. I am the third owner. Unlike the 1978 SPORT 13, the bottom [of the 1962 SPORT 13 boat] has no blisters below the waterline.

The seller was of the opinion that the boat was ready for paint, but I can see many, many more hours of labour before we crack open any paint cans.

The purchase included a brand new Kentfab transom plate which I will not be needing because I will install a 1997 Yamaha 40ESRV with low hours I have had from new.

The original mahogany came with the boat and it has been planed and sanded, ready for stain and varnish. Too bad about the planing because now the thwart seats are just under 7/8-inch thick instead of 1-inch and will probably require stiffeners underneath to avoid warping or sagging.

[jimh]

Congratulations on the two Boston Whaler 13-footers you have bought. The absence of hull blisters on the older boat, and the rather early production date would make it a preferred choice for restoration as a "classic" boat. On the other hand, the newer boat with smirked bow and raised transom might be a better boat for actual use, although that hull looks badly stained as if it been in the water for a long time without a barrier coat to protect the gel coat and laminate. Good luck with the two projects.

[A 13-footer sold to me as a 1962 boat has a stencil] number 5533 in the bow compartment. It could be a late 1961. I am assuming [the boat referred to as a 1962 SPORT 13] is a 1962 from the data shown in the reference section.

The "data shown in the [Reference] section" shows a range of stencil numbers for the period 1961 to 1963, so there really is not basis to conclude a stencil number of 5533 is in a particular year, other than perhaps by making an interpolation.

Are there any known serial numbers that would help determine if mine is a 1962 or a 1961?

It may occurs that a reader has a boat with a stencil number near 5533, but exactly what basis that owner would have for determining the date of production could be similar to your own experience.

All the information I have about associations of stencil number ranges with years of production are shown in the REFERENCE article on the 13-foot hull, which I assume you have already read. As a general rule, if I have any useful information about Boston Whaler boats, I share that information in the content of the website, either in the forum or in the REFERENCE section.

At one time you could call Boston Whaler on the telephone, reach Chuck Bennett in Customer Service, and ask Chuck to look up a stencil number from an old boat. In the REFERENCE section there is an article about a visit to Boston Whaler headquarters that shows Chuck and those old hand-written reference books. Those documents are the only source I know for information about the date of production of a specific older Boston Whaler boat. See

BOSTON WHALER FACTORY TOUR
Where Legends Are Made
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/factory.html

Chuck Bennett retired from Boston Whaler a few years ago, and procedures about reaching Customer Service have changed. I don't know if you can just ring-up Customer Service right now because for quite a while those folks were working from home due to the pandemic. The old reference books are at the factory, and they might not be available to the customer service representatives while working from home.

Regarding long threads about restoration projects: it is best to present photos and narratives of restorations after they are finished. Threads that talk about things yet to be done that will occur in the future often turn out to have been overly optimistic about what is actually accomplished. Threads that start out at the beginning of restoration projects and promise more information in the future as the project progresses have a tendency to never fulfill the promise. Performing the work of a restoration often gets in the way of documenting the work being done, particularly on long projects.

Advice sought on restoration methods or remedies for problems are best in the REPAIRS and MODIFICATIONS forum, but please just start a new thread for each problem. Threads that discuss multiple problems are often very jumbled. There is no incremental cost for starting a new thread, and keeping the thread on one topic improves the value of the information content by making it easier for others to locate by searching for the particular topic.