Just bought a '58 Skagit 20 Express...

[bruceb]

Kelly, thanks for the detailed pics, this boat was a great find- rare to see a windshield frame unbroken, not to mention no cracks in glass !!! Cleaned up really well. Rubrail end caps, hard to find. So because it's got the head and sink, larger cowl, it's an express rather than offshore. Nice condition on the helm boxes, usually those have more holes than Swiss cheese.
Did some quick research and the 1958 brochure has no year listed, as well as the 1959 ! Geeze, not many Skagit Plastics publications have year mentioned. Pretty much have to find magazine ads or articles to verify year if taking to a licensing agent for change.
I'll send an email on how to convert the head.
Thanks for saving this gem !

[John Nelson]

Fiberglassics library has a lot of that stuff categorized by year You'll have to present that as a whole. Im certain they will accept that at an inspection.

[Kelly]

I'll take some of the old brochure pics from 57-60 to show them the differences.
This one is a good one to start with as it talks about the trim on the windows:

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

That's a nice unmolested Skagit 20, Kelly. Great find! Look forward to seeing that old girl back on the waterways where she belongs.....

I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth on the titling of old fiberglass boats. I bought the Saratogan back in 1988 and decided that I'd better transfer the title now (1999) despite the fact that the boat was still 11 years away from floating. I listed the year as 1957 which at the time was as accurate as I could guess. Transferring the title, done in Friday Harbor was no problem.

Some years later after being given a copy of the 1959 Skagit brochure by Bill Roberts, and the fact that my boat was on the front page of the 59 brochure, I concluded that my boat must be a 1959 model. So I went to the San Juan County auditors office and changed the manufacture date to 1959. That, I realize now was a mistake.

After many years of research, I now know that all three Skagit 31 Saratogan hulls were laid up in one shot in 1957. In wooden boat building, the year model of the boat is the year her keel was laid. So I've surmised that in fiberglass boat building, the mfg. year is the year the hull was laid up. The three Saratogans were finished one at a time. Hull three, mine, was completed in early 1958. It didn't sell in 58, so it wound up on the 1959 brochure. Okay, even in new boat construction, these things take time........

I bought tabs for M/V Sweet Zoanna today at the Pacific County Auditors office. I asked what was necessary to change the manufacture date from 1959, back to 1957? The gal was having a hard time hearing me and I was having a hard time hearing her. So for the first five minutes or so our conversation, it sounded like Abbot and Costello's 'Who's on First' comedy skit. She finally brought in another gal who had more knowledge on the subject. They were both perplexed as to why I would want to do such a thing, but a few key strokes on the computer informed me that all I needed to do was bring in my title and $17 and they would change the manufacture date on my title.....

Okay....that's all I've got for you today...

Good score, Kelly!

Cheers,

McSkagit

[Bflaherty]

Tim you nailed it on the head!! Changing the title information can either be a huge pain in the arse in which you just say screw it and live with an incorrect title... Or you find that awesome office with helpful, decent, human beings and they can make the changes with little fuss.

Determining the actual title year is tough for each manufacturer. Our Chris-Craft is titled as a 1968 despite Chris-Craft marketing the boat as the 1969 line-up... Chris-Craft chose the year based on when the boat was sold, not when it was started... When I worked at ACB they titled their boats based on when the first piece of aluminum hit the jig, so like the Saratogan, a boat might be titled as 2006 when it didn't get delivered until 2008!

[Kelly]

We've had the build date vs. model year date in the classic car circle for years. I for one go by the year it was released to the public for purchase. It makes sense for me to carry that logic into the boating world.
I went to the local DOL and told them I'd like to change the the date on the title. After showing them the one brochure and the significant differences between a 58/59 she made one call to the state office and all I had to do was sign a letter stating I wanted to change the title. Easy as that, no extra fees, no hassle. I was pretty happy.

[Kelly]

I haven't looked for the build date on this boat yet, but I've noticed one thing in particular that indicates this is a very late '58. Almost all of the aluminum trimmed '58s I've seen in the club and online do not have the grab handles on the cabin roof however, all of the '59s have them. Does anyone know this sort of detail? I'm sure they could have been added by the buyer, or dealer accessory, but I imagine it was a conceptual idea that manifested from a few Skagit design employees in a smoke filled room one late night in LaConner...
Ok, maybe a little dramatic!

[bruceb]

Kelly-
The stainless grab handles were not a factory option in 1958, according to the factory brochure, they were most likely added by a previous owner.
Factory production plates on 20 express models of that general era were located in the port splash well facing forward. Some owners would later place them somewhere else, but that's where they were when they left factory. You might look in the cabin side pockets to see if po had taken it off and placed there. If yours can be located, it should read= 8 2X ___. The eight is year -1958, 2 is for 20' and last three digits- hull #. I can verify that 20' hull #109 from 1958 came out of factory in last week of June.
Good luck on the search, oh, and the registration from po should have the accurate hull #s in the right sequence. Nice that things went well at DOL.
Know of a boater that's found a source to have a repro plate made if you want to get that fancy !

[Helmar]

Hi Bruce.
So, you have all the data on the Skagits ?
I don't think I remember us having access to that other then I remember Bill had it.
Boy, if you had a list or something or was wanting to share that, I would sure put it on the site for others to help identify what they had.

I found mine Way up high on the port side and with mine being a I/0, I had to pull a vent out and spotted it painted over.
Here is mine but I forgot what I was told about it other than, yes, its a 1959. It was really hard to get a picture of it.
.

[bruceb]

hey Helmar-
Earlier today wrote a response to your post and the server on my end messed up so when I have a chance will try to write that again ! Your build plate has some differences from others I've seen- it is a 1959 (9) 20'(2) the S is a puzzle, and suspect that because yours is an I/O, and Skagit was an early installer of the units, could mean "special" (S). They certainly never made 8,596, but plausible that by mid 1959, for instance, 596 could be a reasonable #.
More later when I'm on a better server....bb

[Helmar]

hey Helmar-
Earlier today wrote a response to your post and the server on my end messed up so when I have a chance will try to write that again ! Your build plate has some differences from others I've seen- it is a 1959 (9) 20'(2) the S is a puzzle, and suspect that because yours is an I/O, and Skagit was an early installer of the units, could mean "special" (S). They certainly never made 8,596, but plausible that by mid 1959, for instance, 596 could be a reasonable #.
More later when I'm on a better server....bb

Thanks Bruce.
I remember looking all over for that plate but it wasn't until I pulled the vent out of the hole and happened to look in with the light that I found it.

Not sure who told me this but as the story went, Skagit was doing the customizing of the boats to the customers needs or wants.

My first Skagit was the 1958 and I have only seen one other boat that had the seating like it had and then with its B16 and same Volvo outdrive as I remarked that the boat had all those clean lines and the boat seating was all right angles other then the very top of the back of the seats. The remark was, geeze, didn't the Glass guys and Wood guys get along as the seating didn't fit the lines.
I think it was BillR that said those were factory and shared another picture showing them. Most had those jump seats in them that folded down.
So, I have seen lots of different configurations and it does make sense they could have modified the boats to the customers needs and wants.

What really surprised me was how mine ran up. Someone spend a Lot of time on the inside of mine with all that oak roll up cabinet work that was done, all the upholstery with the tuck and roll.
I have never weighed her but she has to be heavy. The surprise to me is even with those dual carbs that were on it, she would run up to 28 mph.
I had to work the trim tabs which are electric to do that but I was WOT for sure.
After putting on dual weber carbs, which I think were 34H's, she would get up on plane even faster.

My thinking is once I start eliminating boats, I will end up with the 20ft Skagit Offshore ( I did spend the night in it at Oak Harbor) as the bucket list is to make it to the San Juans as well as down the Columbia River from Portland to Astoria and back.
Then I will restore and keep the Dorsett Catalina that was Chucks. The ride is exceptional and with my back, I need a smooth ride. The Skagit will stay in the family, I hope.

Maybe the S was for Souped up

[Kelly]

Will an extra long shaft outboard work on this boat?

[bruceb]

Kelly-
By putting a longer shaft motor on a 20" transom, the motor projects lower in the water, causing more drag with the lower unit- that decreases your speed. Generally, the 20 Skagits were 20" or long shaft transoms except for some that were cut down to 17" to fit short shaft (usually) 35 hp Johnson/Erudes of the day, or oddly enough, long shaft OMCs that were about 22 1/2". Depends on your boat, but putting an extra long shaft on this boat raises the center of gravity up and you'd have to do that with a jack unit. Extra cost there, nothing really gained by doing that. Best to look for a 20", if that's your transom size.

[Kelly]

Thanks Bruce. I saw a good deal on one but didn't think it would work but wanted to be sure.

[Kelly]

My new to me trailer...just did the swap yesterday in the pouring rain. Another thanks to Karl for loaning me his trailer!
I'll be bringing the boat home next week (my weekend).
Tim you're welcome to come by and check it out
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