Antique Boat

NMNA Pretty neat old boat. Grandpa would have loved this one

Antique 50's Aristocraft "Typhoon" Mahogany boat - $3500 (Waynesville, NC)

Up for sale is a 50's Aristocraft "Typhoon" 12 foot mahogany boat. This belongs to my Dad and has been owned by him since new. He was unable to remember the year model so I emailed Aristocraft and they looked at the images and say it is a 1953 model. We have no title or paperwork, etc. so I can't be sure. The boat has been garaged since 1969 and is in excellent ORIGINAL condition. The original Mercury Mark 55 Thunderbolt 4 outboard motor was running when parked, but obviously may need some TLC to run again. The boat is solid and in wonderful condition for its age. Aristocraft stated they would like to have it for their museum, but they currently don't have the funds to purchase at the true value of $4000. This is an iconic collectible and needs to be restored to her prime and put back on the water. We don't have the time to devote to doing that, so we are offering this classic boat for sale to someone who has the desire to do so. It is not very often that an untouched classic like this comes along. Text 828-32nine-5four41. I will respond faster by text, but can also accept phone calls after 4PM to 10PM daily. Asking price = $3500.

While that old engine is cool, I'd put on a modern 25 horse and I bet it would fly.

I really like that

Oh man, what a great way to get in the antique wooden boat game. Easy to store, great lines, and should be fairly easy to restore. I love wooden boats and when I finally retire in 30 years this would be the exact way I'd start out.

Old wooden boats are so cool, but every time I start to think about it I remember that I don't like sanding nearly enough to deal with one.

I did a security system in a marina in Tampa that specialized in restoring old wood boats. Some there were stunning. A lot of work for any repair, and very expensive. He offered to trade a 55' Chris Craft yacht for the alarm. All I would have to do was to raise it off the river bottom and get it out of his yard. I took cash instead.

I have that engine, but it's a toy from the '50s:

JamesMcD wrote: I have that engine, but it's a toy from the '50s:

That is seriously cool. Way cooler than any (or most anyways) toys these days, and not just because it is old

What a cool boat!

My first real project when I was a kid was an 11' wooden runabout my Dad and I picked up for $50. It had some rot in the rear deck which we replaced and then added a Merc 20 we picked up for $350. Damn was that thing fun.

mtn wrote: While that old engine is cool, I'd put on a modern 25 horse and I bet it would fly.

That's a 40 horse inline 4 2 stroke on it right now, so no, it would not fly with 25 horsepower.

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

mtn wrote: While that old engine is cool, I'd put on a modern 25 horse and I bet it would fly.

That's a 40 horse inline 4 2 stroke on it right now, so no, it would not fly with 25 horsepower.

While I agree that HP is HP, you have to assume that it has lost some over the years (even if Merc understated the actual rating). Aside from this, that thing looks bigger than our 70 horse merc. I have to imagine that the there is a significant weight loss through the years.

Eh, rings are cheap. I've dragged the 2 cylinder versions around and they aren't that heavy. Magnesium everything. Also, that boat would look stupid with anything new enough to have not metal covers on the engine.

That looks like a lot of fun!

It made me think of the original Lotus 7. Small, light, wt, quick, and nimble.

mtn wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

mtn wrote: While that old engine is cool, I'd put on a modern 25 horse and I bet it would fly.

That's a 40 horse inline 4 2 stroke on it right now, so no, it would not fly with 25 horsepower.

While I agree that HP is HP, you have to assume that it has lost some over the years (even if Merc understated the actual rating). Aside from this, that thing looks bigger than our 70 horse merc. I have to imagine that the there is a significant weight loss through the years.

have to look at it in context with the boat.. that is only 12 foot long. It looks about the same size as a 25hp now.. I would consider putting a more modern 2 stroke inside the shell of that engine, but as new ones are all but illegal in the US, not sure where you would get one.

BTW.. the Green bottom paint on the whole transom scares me. There any kind of halfassed repairs under it?

Most modern 4 strokes are heavier than vintage 2 strokes of similar power.

Getting small boats to trim out with a heavier motor than designed for may be a challenge.

T

I do love old wooden sport oats like that. Every year there's a great gathering of them nearby. I go and pant. Someday.

mtn wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

mtn wrote: While that old engine is cool, I'd put on a modern 25 horse and I bet it would fly.

That's a 40 horse inline 4 2 stroke on it right now, so no, it would not fly with 25 horsepower.

While I agree that HP is HP, you have to assume that it has lost some over the years (even if Merc understated the actual rating). Aside from this, that thing looks bigger than our 70 horse merc. I have to imagine that the there is a significant weight loss through the years.

Ooohh... I'll enter this debate.

I would say that HP is not HP. In the mid 80s, SAE hp for outboards became standardized to be at the prop shaft as opposed to at the flywheel. The accepted losses are about 18%. So, what was 40 hp is now more like 33 hp.

I do agree with the weight loss. Significant is a good word. The materials have actually not changed much over the years, but technology has let them do more with less displacement. I remember two guys trying to move a 33-1/3 hp Johnson from the 60s (those old V4s) and cursing and moaning about how heavy it was. They darn near blew an o-ring just moving it. These days a 35hp 2-stroke OMC can be carried like a suitcase.

And it would still look like crap on there.

Leave the period motor on the period boat and just enjoy it.

Sometimes "making it better" is actually making it worse.

So what if it's slower? The slower you go, the more people see your cool wooden boat with the matching engine.

Any idiot can just write a check for a new outboard.

Am I the only one who saw that first picture and thought of the 3 wheel vehicle thread?

I just realized how flat the bottom of that boat is. Can you imagine going out in open water or hitting a wake?

My dad built a boat of similar design back in the early 1960s, we had a 1956 30hp Johnson on it. It was pretty fast for the times. It would come up on plane right now, but that flat bottom wasn't very good for rough water.

it's not a rough water boat.. it's a lake boat. It's meant for skimming along throwing up a minimal wake itself.

What would be fun with it, go to one of those lakes where they limit the size of your engine. You could still skim along like before while all the bigger and heavier boats are forced to chug along without enough power

Its a wife and a picnic basket boat kinda boat.

mtn wrote: While that old engine is cool, I'd put on a modern 25 horse and I bet it would fly.

No pad = no flying

It might chinewalk a lot tho

Datsun1500 wrote: I'd donate it to the museum.