TOPIC: Need help identifying

Hi was wondering if anyone could help me identify what make of boat this is? I just purchased it from a guy that has had it since the original owner passed away 20 years ago, and there is no paperwork, hull identification number or marking of any kind. The oldest registration sticker is dated 1962. Very nice and well built. Thanks

The picture did not come through. Perhaps it needs to be re-sized to fit the limits of the web-site requirements. Good luck editing a re-post. You can hit "edit" at the bottom of your post and then hit "browse" to find your re-sized picture and then hit "submit" again.
Dr.Go!

Yeah, I ended up posting the same thread 3 times because I kept getting an error message about picture size but didn't realize the text had been submitted. (Can you tell I'm a first timer??) How in the world do I resize the picture? I have cropped the heck out of it and if I make it any smaller, you won't even know it's a boat!

Hi Chris_Nat,

I believe your boat to be a Shell Lake about 1955-56.
It is a G45 model Because it has only 3 seats.
More info can be found here in the library, showing dimensions.

I have the exact same model. My grandfather bought it new in 56
but it was left over from 55. It has been in my family since.

Did you by chance buy this boat recently from Rawhide?

I hope you will keep this thread alive, Gene

Hi Gene,

Thank you for the lead! I checked the specs of the G45 and the measurements don't match up. It doesn't look like any of the 1954-61 models do. Here's what we recorded:

Length 13'7"
Beam 61"
Transom Height 15"
Transom Width 52"

I attached a couple pictures of the interior as the supports under the benches and the H brackets on the sides are quite distinctive and may help in identifying the manufacturer. I should also note that it appears as though the bow cap (not sure if that is the correct term) may not be original as the wood doesn't look like all the rest.

I'm not familiar with Rawhide?? We got it from a fella in KY. The previous, and presumably original, owner was from IL.

Rawhide (Ranch, maybe?) is a charity group that offers quite a variety of vehicles on ebay, and probably other places. Out of Wisconsin I think.

Are those H brackets cast aluminum?

I dont think the wood at the bow is original, probably added at some point for the bow light and anchor mount. Did it come w the anchor for that mount.

Interesting design, I wonder what the anchor looks like.

Nice little fishing boat, whatever it is

Chris_Nat,

WELCOME ABOARD.

yours, satx

Welcome aboard and nice find!

Bob

jbcurt00,

Not 100% but they do appear to be cast aluminum. As for the anchor, it's just a standard red mushroom anchor. Nothing too exciting... Yet!

Chris_Nat,
Can I assume your length of 137" is really 13'-7"? For that is exactly the same as mine. The dimensions given in many of the older brochures do not match the boats perfectly, and mine reflect this as well. But the G45's are the only ones listed with the 15 1/8" transom height and that is why I believe mine to be a G45.

Your transom appears to dip down in the middle more than mine does. Perhaps they raised the height in the next couple years, mine will take water over the back if I slow down to fast. I don't think your boat is much newer because I think all their boats had aluminium gunnel rails in 58.

I have never seen the distinctive cast aluminium H seat braces or the corner transom braces on any boats except the Shell Lakes, and one of my H's is broken so I have been looking.

Nice little fishing boat for sure!! I wish she could tell stories of my grandpa and dad.

Gene

P.S. We have the same navigation light, and I have a similar bow anchor mate.

Gene,

Now we're getting somewhere! Yes it's 13' - 7". Does yours have the shell lake emblem (or any other decals, plates, identifiers) intact? If so, is it a sticker or a plate? If the latter, I don't see anywhere it would have been mounted on mine. Do you happen to have any pictures of yours that you could post so I can compare? Until I find undeniable proof otherwise, I suppose I'm just going to go with this being a '54-ish Shell Lake G45 Side note - the trailer is a 1955 Sterling so it would make sense that the boat would fall around the same year.

Too bad, some of those anchor mounts and anchors were very art deco in style..


Red mushroom will work, but I'd bet it came w a different one.

I do not know that it ever had a sticker or plate, but it may have been removed years ago because my boat spent most of it's life with a 18hp electric start motor on it. I and my brothers and sisters all learned to ski behind it. My grandfather was a WWI vet and had back surgery in the late fifties and could not pull start, so grandma said go buy one of those new electric start outfits "OK" gramps.

I will try to take some pics for you, but have a hard time with posting them.

I do know the boat was always registered as a Shell Lake.

More later, Gene

Gene,

You were right!!! When we first started researching, the obvious choice was to call Illinois Dept of Natural Resources to see what it was registered as in the past. However, upon looking up the number, we saw on the website that they only keep boat registration records for 10 years. Since the last sticker on the boat was from '92, there didn't seem to be much point in calling. Well, after your tentative ID and hitting dead ends everywhere else, we figured it couldn't hurt to at least try to call. And what do you know.... she was last registered in '97 as a 1955 Shell Lake!! The model was left blank on the title but, based on your info, we're pretty darn certain she's a G45. Mystery solved! Now on to the hunt to find decals or plates and a more fitting anchor!!
One more question - does yours have the same or similar bow cap? Or was that something the original owner added?

John was right Rawhide Ranch is what I was referring to, a G45 sold there about 6 or 8 months ago. It was a pretty nice boat and I contacted them to see if they might cut me a deal on it. I hoped to buy it to donate to the Shell Lake historical museum, but I let it get away.

John was also right about the front deck. Yours has been replaced. If you go to the library here and look at 1955 info brochure p3 you will see pics of a Rambler 65 that is the same as our Rambler G45's just longer and one more seat. In the side view you will see that the front deck is nearly flush with the gunnel rails. In the top elevation pic notice the concave shape at the rear of the deck and also the slightly raised center running front to back. I have somewhere a sketch of this with dimensions but cant't seem to find it. Mine was just quickly replaced for a musky hunt years ago and needs replaced again. As I remember from 20 or so years ago, The raised area was about 4" wide and about 3/8" thick giving more strength for the anchor mate and bow navigation light. The rest of the deck was 3/4" wood running fore to aft.

Congratulations on finding the 1955 info.

Where are you located? I would like to see your boat sometime and if after I leave you find one of your seat handles missing, It wasn't me. LOL Gene

Well the original deck has definitely seen better days... Probably why the new one was added. Was hoping to keep it as original as possible but there don't seem to be many of these boats around so I think we can pull it off with the add-on. Don't think we're going to have much luck with the decals/plates - can't find a thing on eBay except some old photos and web searches don't produce much more than links to this site! She's an old weathered beauty just as she is, though, so this may be one that we will just let show her age.

Gene, we're in TN. Going by your profile info I'd say that's a heck of a drive for a handle!! We've been talking about possibly heading up to MN this summer for an AOMCI meet and to do a little camping with some friends up that way. If we decide to pull the G45 with us, we'll let you know!!

Thank you (and you too John!!) for all your help!

Hi, a meetup in MN sounds like fun, but weekends fill up quickly here in the north, short summers. Let me know when and where, it would be cool to see 2 G45's on the same water.

I have not found my drawings and was wondering if you might do me a favor and measure from outside of the transom corner bracket to the center of your ore locks. I have the same locks as you but lost the dimensions.

If you really are interested in the Shell Lake stickers I may be able to help buy contacting the historical society in Shell Lake. They have quite a lot of info in the basement there and might have an image we could use to have stickers made. They are 2hs west of me but I will be going there at least once this summer with a couple of my S L boats. I have 3 the 55 G45, 59 Rocket, 62 Tempest. They are not show winners but examples just the same.

I have an original decal from the time period 1962 to 1968 when the company was "Shell Lake Boats, Inc." - after the bankruptcy in 1962 and prior to the sale to Lund in 1968. They wouldn't be appropriate for your 1950s boat.

Andreas

Hey Gene!!

My apologies for the delayed reply!! The measurement you requested is 54 & 3/8". Let me know if you'd like anything else measured! If you could reach out to the historical society that would be great!!! Let me know what you find out. Take care!

Thanks for the measurement.
Will do on the historical society.