Uniflite Model and Year Question

[MatsuAKboater]

I would like to identify the year and model of this hull. I posted a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JFnv3R_M3Q&feature=youtu.be Measuring the hull I get 16'-3" length overall, 76" beam, 21" transom height, and 54" transom width. This hull does have ski tow hooks though, so those may have been an add-on. I am also interested in knowing the year of the EZ-Loader trailer, which I haven't been able to locate a serial number. Thank you in advance.

If this hull is a 17, I may try my hand at converting it into a 17 Express Cruiser. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I would like to find an Express that I could make templates from for the conversion, but that is probably unlikely here in Alaska.

I also have a 100 hp Johnson Golden Meteor that I will more than likely put back on the hull after she is is redone.

[Helmar]

Hi and welcome to the group.
This started out being a bunch of us with the Skagit boats, but then everyone is welcome. Then I got the Uniflite and well, more and more started showing up so now we at least 4 of them up and running I believe. Most of us have the Express's. I gave away my little 14 runabout as it needed everything.

It seems that the smaller Uniflite's kind of slipped through the cracks for information.
Not much was available for us.
Most of the Northwest boating information ended up over at Fiberglassics and even they don't have much about them.
About the only thing I know was that most of the smaller boats that went up to Alaska were working boats or, utility boats.
One of the boys in the group I think scored some information as his was in the family I believe.

Thats about all I have here....Who else can add to this

[MatsuAKboater]

Thank you for the welcome and some additional info. Here are some pics of the boat, trailer, and the outboard.

[Helmar]

Here is something interesting. On the Skagit boats, the HIN (Hull Identification Number) is normally on the very upper corner on the port side of the transom, inside....
Bell boys are forward in the hull. I mean In too.
Look at picture 03, see were the sun is peeking through a hole in the dash. Its right in that area that we were finding the HIN number.
For the most part, they All got painted over, but you sanding very lightly you could uncover them.
Let me see if I can find some to show.

Hey guys, did we ever figure out were the Uniflite Hin's were ??

Here is the Skagit one.

Now the Bell Boys. You can see it under the windshield and just in front of that chair back table.[ATTACH]15623[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]15622[/ATTACH]

[MatsuAKboater]

The inside of the Bell Boy is cozy. I decided to crawl up inside the bow and look around and found this, looks like 2678, white hull, red deck.[ATTACH]15624[/ATTACH]

[Helmar]

Just about were did you find that up in the hull area ?
That is a good find. Just too bad the fellow that designed these boats are gone now.
I can only hope for someone from a dealership family to find a bunch of information that they can share with everyone.
Knowing how to decipher these numbers would be more than great.

In the past, it would read something like this is number 26 of this hull design and year 1978 but I could be Way wrong here.
It is SO common for these boats to have different years on them its not funny.
We had Skagit boats that were 1959 that were titled 1964..
The Skagit factory burned down in I think 1961. They did have a few hulls that made it and were supposed to be finished in and around 1964 but again, some of the well known body stiles of the 1957's and 1958's also were titled into the late 60's.

Its like it was last years model but still new so they titled it for the year it got sold.

We have several Uniflite members that have not spoken yet.
We have Kelly, Nick, and Jeff. (who did I forget ?)
I also own a Uniflite as well as John Nelson owns one.

[MatsuAKboater]

This number is located in the middle of the starboard bow, fairly close to the bow, just above the "v" part of the sole. I did some research on both the Bell Boy and the Skagit, since it is my first time hearing of those brands. Very interesting history posted on Fiberglassics for those two companies. I would really like to give this Uniflite hull the express look, in addition to the enclosed cuddy cabin feel. Perhaps I can get some input on that from you and the other Uniflite owners you mentioned. A[S] 76[/S] 78 hull, hmmm, I was hoping for an earlier model, like a 67 (perhaps the person who put the number on, transcribed it wrong). I often wonder if the plans to these classic smaller boats are sitting untouched in someones attic, just waiting to found.

I probably should have introduced myself earlier, my name is Andrew Murchie, Wasilla, Alaska (also known as "The Matanuska Valley" or "Mat-Su Valley").

[61_express]

Here is a little brochure info from 1958. The general hull design remained the same with minor changes in cabins, etc.

[MatsuAKboater]

Thanks, those will help out. I looked all over the outboard for a model and serial and I couldn't find one. I came across this website: http://www.old-omc.de/index2.html and it narrowed it down to 1967 Johnson Golden Meteor V100. Searching for the model, I stumbled onto this website: http://www.marineengine.com/manuals/johnson/#j100hp and clipped this:
[ATTACH]15629[/ATTACH]
My guess is that the stenciled numbers and letters located inside the engine cover must be the model and serial for the cover and has nothing to do with the model of the outboard, see Snapshot 002.png (located above in this thread).

[TheBronze]

Andrew,

Welcome! You have set yourself a lofty goal of re-creating the cabin of an express! I've been working on my Bell Boy 404 Express for 4 years now. It included the express bits but was still a huge project to do over pretty much from scratch. I've seen the Uniflites on craigslist a few times in the last year or so and other brands as well. If you aren't picky about brand, I'd keep an eye out for express hulls from Skagit, Bell Boy and Uniflite, maybe even Dorsett and Faralon. With all the glass in place, it is a much better starting point.

[MatsuAKboater]

This is a great site, and I'm thankful for the responses.
I agree with you John, it will be a very large task to transform this hull, which I now think is the Runabout 17, from the available literature found on Uniflite World and other data provided by others, Without any templates to go by, it will be like building it from scratch, having to guess at measurements.
I was just looking at Kelly's thread for his Uniflite Express 17, and I can see there are more differences between the Runabout hull and the Express. I have noticed also that the Runabout stringer layout is fairly close to the layout of your Bell Boy 404 (took a quick peek at your restoration pics from your thread). I might have to thicken up the hull also. I realize this project will take quite awhile, but for right now, it's an ambitious idea, testing the waters to see if it's possible and be able to get the intended look and feel.
The toughest thing is going to be cutting the dash and a portion of the top sides out, sealing the deal to convert it.

[Helmar]

If you are going to look for some other possible project (as that one is sure going to be a Big one) I have a 61 Dorsett Catalina that needs it all but best riding hull you can ask for in any chop. I would tease others about my Skagits and just say, Yes, over 60hp it like riding on a barn door with a motor behind you. Can't get much flatter than that..
I also have a 58 Skagit Express that needs it all too. Just wood that is.
Skagits have one Very thick hull to start with and the other sweet part is the stringers are all Heavy Roving Fiberglass.
The one I have is a 17 express that someone had taken a donor boat with a OMC I/O and installed in to it. They also added some Trim Plains on the side of the Hull that is a George Calkins design (George Calkings famous for the Bartender boats).
What this means is that little thing would flat Fly. Those Trim Plains on the sides will help her from porpoising at high speeds like they like to do.

Both are Free boats. Both need trailers under them as the ones under them now are just holding them up off the ground.
I also have what I believe is a 1959 Bell Boy Cuddy cabin boat that also needs all the wood and some stringers, but its setting on a $300 dollar dual axle Calkins trailer.
All these are located just south of Port Townsend Washington.

Now, for your motor.....I am glad your really going to do something with it as me, I would pass on that. If you want to see how much fuel she will use at WOP, just punch a half inch hole in the bottom side of a 55 gallon drum and watch the gas run out.
Your not going to be able to get much distance or range out of that ol girl as you will have to become a floating gas can to fee her. I mean 6 gallons goes so fast its flat crazy.
I had a fat block Evenrude that I can't remember but was thinking 85hp that did the same thing.
A thicker transom is always advisable for them fat blocks too.

They Are Scary Fast out of the hole !!!

Hey now, this is just MY and I run a Bearcat on two of my boats and my 20ft offshore Skagit has a 105hp Volvo I/O in it.
John Nelson has that big Rude on his Uniflite too.

Let me know if you want to see pictures of the free boats too.

[MatsuAKboater]

Sure Helmar, I'd like to see photos of the free boats you have listed. Port Townsend is quite some distance from Alaska, so I don’t think I will be heading down that way anytime soon. I’m surprised that no one has taken those boats off your hands.

I’m still debating whether or not to do this conversion. Here is another photo, looking down on it from above.[ATTACH]15635[/ATTACH]

[61_express]

I used to run the same 100HP golden meteor. Good running motor but thirsty is an understatement. It would push my 19' to about 30-35mph but you can tell the hull really wasn't designed for that speed. Since installing my bearcat I have never looked back.

[MatsuAKboater]

Here is a little bit of history, at least since I have owned it anyway. I bought the boat, motor, and trailer in August 2001 from a guy who said that it had been kept mostly in an enclosed space. The boat was red and white at that time, and not the UV salmon color it is now. Took the boat out a few times, twice on a lake, and the other time into Cook Inlet. Out on the lake, after getting on step, the bow would hammer pretty good, to the point it was almost scary, thinking that the hull was going to crack. During the Cook Inlet trial run for silver salmon in the mouth of Ship Creek, about mid way through the outgoing tide, the water was fairly decent and I motored through the light tidal chop with no problem. After a long night of not catching any fish and waiting for the tide, I was tired and it was dark, the wind picked up and as I headed out of the mouth of Fish Creek, the water was angry. The incoming tidal current was very strong, along with the wind it made for a rough 20 minute ride back to the launch. The boat did great, though it was slow going, and I did my job of keeping her off the rocks.
This is how rough it was and a very dark night.
[ATTACH]15638[/ATTACH]

This is the Launch and low tide
[ATTACH]15640[/ATTACH]
Okay, so now the rest of the story. While cleaning out the boat, I noticed that it was soft in one spot near the port side double-backed seats, so I removed the seats (probably original and they were rotten), and I pulled up the carpet and Holy Smokes, there was a hole in the sole. So, I grabbed the Dremel, with a cutting disk and started to cut the glass between the hull and the plywood. I pulled out the plywood halves and started to inspect the stringers. Some portions of the stringers were rotten and so I drilled some holes into all of the stringers and injected epoxy resin into them. I used the old plywood as a template and cut new 3/8" marine ply and sealed them. I grinded and sanded down the hull and then fastened down the new sole and started glassing the seams, and the sides. I was a happy camper, the progress was moving along rapidly. Next it was time to lay the glass for the sole and I was excited.

I had a friend helping me, using the West System resin and hardener with the regulated pumps, she mixed and I laid as fast as I could smoothing everything out, with no air bubbles. It was a sunny [S]fall[/S] spring day, in the 60's and I was leaping for joy that soon I was going to have the boat back in the water a few more times before winter set in. After a couple of beers and high fives, I checked on the glass, still sticky and wet, I scratched my head and turned to my mixer. It turned out that she had pumped way more hardener into the mix and I just said "I guess we'll wait and see". Two days later the layup still wasn't dry, and I was frustrated. I ripped out all of the glass and sanded down the remaining gooey remnants.

Well the weather turned cooler and since I was doing this outside, I wanted to get it under a shelter, so I went and bought one of those white poly tarp enclosure tents to store the boat in during the winter. Well, I had to go to Seattle for a few months, and when I returned, I found the tent had collapsed from the snow (another friend was supposed to be sweeping it off) and I started shoveling away the piled up snow and the snow still froze on top. Once I got to the boat, I found the windshield completely shattered and the aluminum trim bent in every direction. I was so angry, I quickly lost interest in fixing her up.

The years came and went and two weeks ago I started to think about redoing the whole boat and stumbled onto this site and here I am.