Production Date for 13-footer with no visible Stencil Number

[DJS720]

I'm trying to determine the year of [production for a] 13-foot hull which has no readable stencil numbers, all the original interior component are gone, and there is a drain in the bottom of the hull. I believe this hull was probably made in the late 1950s or early 1960s.

The most interesting evidence is the hull has a drain tube through the bottom of the hull, unlike the drain configuration in later models, and that makes me think this hull is an early production hull.

For readers familiar the early 13-foot hulls:

Q1: besides the stencil number, what are the best ways to estimate the model year?

Q2: are there specific hull features that changed from year to year in the late 1950's and early 1960's?

Q3. can the location of the drain tube or the bow eye or the lifting or shape of the spash well or the molded details of the transom and other hull elements help to narrow the year [of production to a small epoch]?

Q4: are there any dimension or measurements that could be take to help identify the production date?

Q5: where on the hull can a hidden or obscured stencil number be found?

Give me suggestion where photographs of 13-foot hulls can be found.

[jimh]

This thread is a variation of the oldest and most common question: How old is my Boston Whaler?

That is answered in the FAQ as Q1:
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q1

Q2: are there specific hull features that changed from year to year in the late 1950's and early 1960's?

Perhaps you have not read the REFERENCE section article on the 13-foot hull. The 13-foot hull reference article describes in detail several changes in the hull over the years. The most obvious are the color of the interior, and the shape of the bow, and the engine splash well design.

See

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/13/

Q4: are there any dimension or measurements that could be taked to help identify the production date?

See above.

Q3: can the location of the drain tube or the spashwell or the bow eye or the lifting or the molded details of the transom md other hull elements help to narrow [the product date to a smaller epoch]?

See above.

Q5: where on the hull can a hidden or obscured stencil number be found?

The stencil number was generally visible on the transom inboard face. If there were a second stencil number it was usually in a locker or compartment. On a 13-footer the only compartment is the anchor locker. It is also common that hulls are repainted. The Stencil Number may be hiding below a layer or two of paint. See the FAQ for advice at

Q1: How old is my Boston Whaler boat?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q1

and at

Q2: Where is the Hull Identification Number?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2

Give me suggestion where photographs of 13-foot hulls can be found.

For photographs of 13-footers see the already cited reference article and visit all the links in that article showing various models.

Also visit CETACEA, a collection of photographs of Boston Whaler boats, with 83-articles.

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/

The individual images are all listed in the index of the CETACEA pages, called the Photo-Log. See

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/photoLog.html

Other Sources of Images of 13-foot older hulls not on this website

Locating photograph images today by a particular topic is very easy with search engines. For example, if you use the GOOGLE search engine and select the IMAGES option and enter the search criteria as 13-foot Boston Whaler c.1960, I am sure the search results will be useful for you.

[jimh]

...the hull has a drain tube through the bottom of the hull, unlike the drain configuration in later models, and that makes me think this hull is an early production hull.

Your description is not particularly clear to me. Please give more details on where this particular drain is located on the hull, and why you think it is an exception to the normally seen drains on newer 13-foot hulls.

[DJS720]

Please give more details on where this particular drain is located on the hull, and why you think it is an exception to the normally seen drains on newer 13-foot hulls.

The Drain is in the [hull] bottom [and cockpit deck] towards the stern. See Figure 1.

Figure 1. View of inverted hull showing drain exit on the hull bottom near the transom.

20260711_195119 v2.jpg (113.84 KiB) Viewed 427 times

[DJS720]

Fig. 2. The drain as seen from the cockpit. [The orientation of this image is very confusing. The drain is supposed to pass through the hull to the bottom. but in this images the drain looks very oddly placed, as if the drain passes through the transom, not the hull bottom.]

20260725_144416[1].jpg (235.52 KiB) Viewed 427 times

Fig. 3. The original image from Figure 2 rotated so that the view now appears to be a cockpit sump area with a drain forward from the transom.

drainReoriented.jpg (121.94 KiB) Viewed 412 times

[Moderator's note: please indicate which illustration (Figure 2 or Figure 3) best shows the drain location.