TOPIC: 1955 Or 1956 Pipestone Princess

Let me begin by stating that I am an antique outboard motor collector. I have a special place in my heart for 1950's era OMC motors. I just love the look of the rounded metal cowlings. In my search to expand my collection, I came across a truly rare find.

I have in my possession a 50's era Pipestone fiberglass boat. Initially, I was only interested in the 1955 Evinrude Big Twin 25 (model 25018) which was mounted on the hull. I did not realize how rare the boat was until I arrived home and began to research the Pipestone Sales Co. Over the last year, I have reached out to anyone who may have information regarding the company. I even contacted the Pipestone County Historical Society. In the end, most of the information I have comes from Fiberglassics.

I know that my boat is a 1959 or older Pipestone Princess. As you can see, the max capacity is 680 Lbs with a max HP rating of 45. In 1960, the Princess' max capacity was raised to 700 Lbs. This information comes from the hull tag and the information found here: www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=File:Pipestonebb001.jpg

Beyond the 1959 records and the hull tag, I have no other conclusive evidence. All I can do is compare photographs of other boats. I would say that Pipestone-Glass has a very similar model. Check out his thread: fiberglassics.com/forum/main-forum/64765-mystery-solved-1956-pipestone-w-a-1956-javelin.html#144078 Pipestone-Glass believes his hull was manufactured in 1956. Judging from other sources I will not list here, I would have to agree with him. However, my boat has some key differences. My boat has an aluminum gunwale and cedar side trim. Pipestone's gunwale and trim material is exactly opposite. Additionally, the side trim on my boat begins much farther back than Pipestone's boat. The bow cover has a higher profile on my boat than does Pipestone's. My boat has no splash well at all. At first I believed that it had just broken off. However, there are no drain holes whatsoever on my hull which means it never had a splash well.

It almost seems that the boat I have was manufactured at a time when Pipestone Sales was trying to develop their product. It has enough differences from 1956, 57, and 58 models that I believe it truly is a 1955 model. If I am correct, I have an original Pipestone Princess from the very first year of production. The fact that the boat has been fitted with a 1955 Evinrude Big Twin further supports my belief that the hull was manufactured in 1955.

I am asking for any input others may have regarding my find. Please feel free to support or argue my findings. I am in need of objective observations.

www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=Pipestone

Thank you for the link Sabre. I have actually known about the library since I first started researching Pipestones. The '59-'60 model page is how I know conclusively that my boat was manufactured in or before 1959.

If you are interested in a '57 35 horse, see my ad under "JEGO's Place"
Thanks
Bill

Cool boat and information. The original "Pipestone" boats were made for them by a company in nearby Slayton, MN. Pipestone Sales' main business was making and installing radio towers. The boat operation started out as a sideline. After the final "Pipestone" boat firm went belly up in the early 1970s, Bayliner took over the facility.

I have an extensive file of history of the Slayton and Pipestone firms in my archives ay home. I am 320 miles from home for a couple of weeks. I will check my archive when I return home.

Andreas

Andreas,

I would greatly appreciate any help you could offer. I will most likely begin the restoration of the boat this coming winter ('21/'22). So, no hurry. Since I have more experience restoring motors, I will probably begin with that. I will then move onto the hull. I hope to have the boat completely restored by mid-summer 2022. I'd like to bring it to boat shows once restored.

BillW,

I am always interested in 50's era motors. Especially the larger ones. I will check out the add. Thank you!

Okay, so here's my take on your boat, based on the catalogs that I have. In 1955 they show two fishing-type boats. In 1956 they started to produce runabout boats. I do not have the 1957 catalog, but here is the Princess in the 1958 catalog. A lot of differences between this boat and yours. The 1959 catalog has the closest match. I'm including the specifications from the back of the 1959 catalog. In 1960 they went to a lapstrake bottom and the catalog doesn't show the deck arrangement, but I believe that it was different also. I wrote an article for Boating World back in the 90's and interviewed John Lysdale's (owner of Pipestone Sales) brother-in-law who filled me in on the history of the company.

Lee Wangstad

1958

1959

1959

I wrote an article about Slayton Boats for the "Boathouse" magazine and it touched on the Pipestone Sales connection. It can be found at www.acbs-bslol.com in the "Boat Builders of the Past" section.

Fiberglass boats started to be built at Slayton, MN by Art Olson in 1954. Olson was connected to John Lysdale's Pipestone Sales Co. Boats were molded at Slayton and sold to Pipestone Sales. By late summer 1956 Pipestone was making its own boats and Slayton continued to make boats for its own "Slayton" product line.

I do not have any photos or brochures for Slayton boats. I have 1960 and 1965 brochures for Pipestone boats.

Andreas

Lee,

I apologize for not adding a response a few months ago when you posted the pages from the '58-'59 catalogs. (Summertime projects around the new house have taken every minute of my time.) It was very exciting to finally nail down the details of my boat. I agree that it is most likely a 1959 Princess. Do you have anymore resources regarding Pipestone Sales? The photos you have attached to this thread are not in the Glassics Library. I think it would be great to add your material to the library.

Thank you Lee for your contribution!