Anyone Have Info on A Trailerboat? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Anyone?
We got a nice email from fellow Woody Boater Griffin requesting some help with a recent acquisition.
I live near Erie Colorado and I picked up the boat from a small engine repair shop in Erie Colorado. The guy who had it said he only wanted the 75hp motor off of it. He wanted to put the motor on a 58 15ft Glastron. I told him I have been restoring boats for many years and the Glastron was not worth restoring due to the condition. I then offered to buy the Trailorboat and he agreed. We left the 75hp outboard Johnson motor on it. Not sure what year it is yet. The Colorado registration says its a 1967 14ft Trailorboat. The ID on the boat says Trailorboat with an address of 923 Francisco Blvd, San Rafael CA. Serial #14138. It is a flatbottom. It has a beam of 78″ and a total length of 14’2″. It is on a TeeNee Trailer (unsure what year, no title yet) and the boat is in great shape for a 1967.
Sans Ben!
It looks as if someone raced this boat because it has two fins on the bottom and two fixed aluminum trim tabs on the rear. It has a short shaft 75hp Johnson and a reinforced aluminium transom. I have done a bunch of research but only came up with very little info. Looks as if Trailorboat may have sold the fiberglass side of the company in the mid 60’s or just had another company build their fiberglass boats. This boat has the look of the early Glastron/Invader race boats of the 60’s but has a 70’s style sparkle/flake paint job. The color is burnt orange. (definitely 70’s) Dorsett may have built this boat for Trailorboats??? Some research suggested they bought the fiberglass side in the mid 60’s.
All in all the boat is just amazing and very intriguing! I absolutely love the look and would like to find out how rare this boat is. The serial number is quite high which makes me think there are a lot more out there.
Please help if you can!
Respectfully,
Griffin
For all you trailerboat geeks out there! oh that’s the serial number starting with 14..ohhhhhh…
Trailerboat made some really neat campers that had a detatchable boat for the roof. But they were more known for the Aluminum boat called the Klamath. I heard that the employees bought the company changed the name to Klammath. Klamath aluminum boats are still being made today.
Hi Griffin, wish I could help you. Sorry.
However, I applaud your purchase. Your Classic Glass is the beans! That burnt orange, restored, will look way cool.
Drive it like you stole it. (Or, like those parking attendants did the Ferrari in Ferris Bueller.). “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Not much info, but some….
http://www.fiberglassics.com/
http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Trailerboat
Only 2 comments so far? Slow day. I agree with Alex , im a fan of the obscure , unpopular, no name boats. There great to bring to boat shows because the judges dont have a clue if that reed and prince screw is correct. So this boats a keeper, only going to be more valuable in the future.
Hello Griffin,
You definitely need to get hooked-up with the FiberGlassics crowd, may even find other boats from the same company. Their website is:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/
… and check out their library site for info on Trailorcraft models:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Trailerboat
Correction — library has Trailorboat mfg models.
Same company address
Thanks for the info and posts! Keep ’em coming!
It looks a lot like the Stevens 16 I ran for a while. The fins and tabs were needed to be able to drive the squirrelly sucker. Flat water is your friend and don’t over trim. The best thing you could do would be to install a hydraulic transom jack and set back plate. Visit the site scream and fly.com. Those guys on there have forgot more on these boats that most guys know. Have fun with this rocket ship!
Awesome news! I was forwarded a copy of the original Trailorboat brochure from 1964 today. My boat is called the “Spider”. It was originally made as a speed/ski boat in 1964. The sparkle/flake paint job was extra to purchase and is original to the boat. You could order these boats with a 40-100hp motor. They originally cost right around $1000 bucks. They were designed to be stable in most water conditions all the way up to 60mph. A HUGE thanks to Dan Morley who sent me the brochure. I can see why folks tried to race these boats. They are sleek and stealth and cruise to 60mph stock. I’ll keep you all updated as to the restoration and first launch in the spring.
Happy Boating!
Hi: please put me on your update re the restoration list. I had a “64 Trailerboat Spider with black and silver metal flake and a matching black “65 Merc.; I am looking for THAT boat if possible, (last seen on its original 2 wheel, full wheel trailer with Baby Moons in the Oakland, CA hills. quite a while back). Many happy memories for my wife (50 years married) and I. If I cannot find THAT boat I will replicate and any info. about redoing the paint to original spec. black metal flake would be appreciated; or the ’64 65hp Merc. engine. Boat trailored very well, was stable (good thing with me driving at the time), had a single fixed skeg, did not come with the inset instruments. Thanks a bunch, Cal
Griffin, I’m really jealous! I also had a few Baja 16 SS’s and they were a real blast to drive. Just get used to it before hammering the throttle. Read up on a condition called chine walk. The woody boat guys here have never experienced this!
Jay, I have heard of the term. Mostly used in a sentence like this. “That boat is a chine walking son of a b**ch”….ha! I have some expensive friends. Last two summers I have had the wonderful pleasure of being part of a poker run in Dubuque, Iowa. I drove 96mph (on GPS) up the Mighty Mississippi in a 29ft Baja with twin Merc Mag HO’s. The boat will do 100ish mph on a good day and 1/4 tank of gas. That phrase was said quite a bit as I tried not to crap my pants. Speed is addictive and I am super excited about this little boat. Gonna be really fun to restore. Very rare too. Keeping the old school look but changing some features for safety reasons. Gonna fix the clearcoat and drop a 115hp on it, change the steering from cable to teleflex and re-glass the interior transom first, then off to the seats, carpet and etc.
Running 60 in this will be more anus-clenching than that 100 MPH run in that Baja. Check on scream and fly for parts for sale. Check for rot in the transom, my old Bajas were good for that. If you are near Dubuque, maybe you could come to our Pewaukee Lake boat show in August. Type in glacbs in your Google machine!
Remember you will need a short shaft, good luck finding one. My opinion OMC or Merc. Scream and fly again best place to look
Thanks Jay! That BiCentennial Boat Show would be very cool. Sounds and looks like a ton of fun with some classic boats. They have not announced the date for the 2013 Poker Run yet. Probably late June or late July. My buddy bought a different Baja just last month. 25ft, single with the new 565 Merc. Should run pretty good with that new motor. Too bad we live in Colorado…ugh!
I will check out Scream and Fly. Thanks again!
Hi Griffin, found your posting from 2012. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to use your boat & are happy with it. I’ve been looking for any TrailerBoat product for years because a very close friend built them. I just recently came across a 1965 TrailerBoat 14′ Spider, white with black stripe down the center, original upholstery with an 88hp Johnson. It’s in total original condition. We will be the 3rd owner, 1st owner sold it to the 2nd owner, who I’m buying from. Original owners were friends of his, he’s owned it 4 years. Both families loved the boat & we will soon be enjoying it. If you’d like to communicate more about it. We live next to San Rafael & are familiar with all of TrailerBoat’s locations & still have people who are alive & familiar with their products. Can send you pics if you’d like, but don’t know how to get your email. I can also send you my phone number. Thanks, Dean
Just scored this gem, wasn’t sure boat manufacturer till I registered it and did a little research led me to this site. Pretty cool thanks for the info. 1965 trailorboat spider with Merc 1000