Sears Aluminum Boat - any Research Resources?

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wb2glp

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My first post after lurking for many months. :)

Has anyone put together any research resources for researching Sears boats? I recently purchased one and I'm in the process of restoring it.

I've read here that Alumacraft manufactured for Sears, but after contacting Alumacraft, found out that wasn't the case. The boat I have does not have a HIN anywhere. It does have a serial number stamped into the aluminum of the transom in 1/2" numbers, no letters. It's definitely Sears. Other than that, I have no clue. Any help is greatly appreciated.
IMG_8013.JPGIMG_8014.JPGIMG_8024.JPGIMG_8025.JPGIMG_8026.JPGIMG_8027.JPG
 
It’s said that Delcraft Boat Mfg Co of Delhi, Louisiana made their canoes, Appelby (sp?) made their jon boats and I’d bet $$ that more than a few boat companies made their tin boats ... as in, whomever they could squeeze the most to get a good profit margin. Delcraft did make V-hulls, so maybe that was them too.

That said, you how the Parts #s at Sears start with a 3-digit number in front of the Model #, e.g., 315.61001, etc.? It is said that the 3rd digit stands for the code for who made it for Sears and it used to be that you could call Sears Service with that number and get them to look it up for you.

I'd CHECK that hull out in the water before you did anything, as I had a Gamefisher 12' V-hull once ... well, V-hull in form, but in reality it was one 'tippy canoe' :shock: ! I couldn't sell it fast enough!
 
Not a traditional Gamefisher aluminum boat. The sears gamefisher has a deeper hull (1-2 inches), has a different bow hook/nose and the transom is flat (not the indented pattern). I own 3 gamefishers and they are very specific and uniform in their design. They came in 10, 12 and 14 foot models and almost identical. They only vary in the length and weight (wow - does 2 ft make a huge weight difference). I'm looking for more history on my three boats as well and good luck on the search.
 
#1 - If you gave us those hull #s, that would help ...

#2 - Go here and look up Elgin, even if they are listed under the Fiberglass boat column: http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=Main_Page

Elgin made a TON of boats for sears!
 
I had what appears to be the exact boat that I purchased from Sears in 1961. The manufacturer was Elgin.
 
I just purchased exactly the same boat. Previous owner registered it as a home built as he could not find HIN . As I was stripping paint to do repaires I found HIN stamped in transome 215368 and doing some research came up with 1971 Elgin Mfg for sears.
 

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Elgin is the Sears private label up to 1964. Elgin was not a manufacturer.
Sears turned to the eponymous badge in 1965.
The absence of the HIN plate makes it pre-1972. The presence of a Sears badge makes it post-1964.
The pinched and stamped transom construction was a feature of both Meyers and Sea Nymph. Sea Nymph carried a Sears load for some time.

All things considered, I would wager 1965-1971 Sea Nymph.
 
Elgin is the Sears private label up to 1964. Elgin was not a manufacturer.
Sears turned to the eponymous badge in 1965.
The absence of the HIN plate makes it pre-1972. The presence of a Sears badge makes it post-1964.
The pinched and stamped transom construction was a feature of both Meyers and Sea Nymph. Sea Nymph carried a Sears load for some time.

All things considered, I would wager 1965-1971 Sea Nymph.
Your reply tells me you know your skiffs. Do you know of a list of serial numbers and years built for Sea Nymph? I picked up one in Florida a year ago. Mine is a 14A with a # 41277. Thanks
 

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Elgin is the Sears private label up to 1964. Elgin was not a manufacturer.
Sears turned to the eponymous badge in 1965.
The absence of the HIN plate makes it pre-1972. The presence of a Sears badge makes it post-1964.
The pinched and stamped transom construction was a feature of both Meyers and Sea Nymph. Sea Nymph carried a Sears load for some time.

All things considered, I would wager 1965-1971 Sea Nymph.
Yes very hard to find actual info. Previous owner used a ton of house paint on it lol.. here are a few pics of my actual boat. Thank you though for info.
Your reply tells me you know your skiffs. Do you know of a list of serial numbers and years built for Sea Nymph? I picked up one in Florida a year ago. Mine is a 14A with a # 41277. Thanks
Your reply tells me you know your skiffs. Do you know of a list of serial numbers and years built for Sea Nymph? I picked up one in Florida a year ago. Mine is a 14A with a # 41277. Thanks
Nice pics any way you can send them to me so i can print them. Like as an email
 

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Your reply tells me you know your skiffs. Do you know of a list of serial numbers and years built for Sea Nymph? I picked up one in Florida a year ago. Mine is a 14A with a # 41277. Thanks
I'm afraid I do not, Jimpa18. I don't think I've ever come across serial info for Sea Nymph, actually.
What I can say with no great authority is that the company began in 1948, and as far as I know, the 14A was there at the beginning all the way through the 70s.
To be honest, with just a numeric serial, it's hard to even make assumptions.
I suppose one could do some basic math and get a ballpark year, but that's a huge leap not knowing any statistics. Given your number, I would assume that the company numbered consecutively across all models off the line rather than unique systems for each model. Then one could make more assumptions about total production per year and do the division. ...but that's just a wild set of guesses on my part.
 

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