TOPIC: 1960 Span America Skiette Hard Top on Ebay

Here is a rare one for ya guys.
As many of you know I started collecting Span Boats long before our family started the museum and I still go by the span boats guy. Well a friend of mine sent me this link today for this auction. Tho the guy is a little off on the year its a beautiful boat and rare too. Now here is what it is. Its a 1960 Span America Skiette hardtop. I was under the idea that only the VIP models got hard tops but I guess anything was possible back then. It was more than likely built at the Santa Anna Ca. Plant too. On the rare scale its very rare do to the hard top and the Skiette is hard to find. I know of about 5 Skiette's that exist today and 2 are the seaking versions. This is the only one that I know of with a hard top and the only 1960 Skiette as well. I am not saying that there couldn't be more out there but I have not seen them. The last hardtop I saw was in Broken Arrow Ok. but my Buddy Clyde died of Cancer before he could retrieve it for me. I wish I could find that one because my VIP hardtop is missing the top.I would love to find one or pop a mold off one someone has for mine. That way I could finish my VIP and get it on display. If anyone has info on that boat please chime in here. Now about Span America and why I love them so much is the hull design is cool and the used this one from 58 to 60 and in 61 they went to a lapstrike design that was even cooler. I still have 22 of them here. Ok that is abit excessive I know but the son of the wisconsin company and I were going to build them again so thats why I bought so many of them. Well with the ecomomy as it is the idea was tabled. I aslo liked the fact that that the company was in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin through its 10 year history. All under different owners but still I found that interesting being from Minnesota. Plus a few years back I contacted Andreas Rhude about really digging up the history of the companies related to the Span America line and what we found was simply amazing and to put it in Andreas's words "It would make a great TV movie". What we found was nothing less than amazing and quite shocking. I am sure a lot of boat companies had there share of drama but this one is off the charts. One Day the story will be told.
If your looking for a rare bird this is the boat thats for sure. Priced a bit high but as the saying goes you can always go down but you can't go up. I hope I posted this add right so it shows up.

nice lookin boat bob...especially with that hardtop. ron

Black seats =pain. Cool otherwise. Link below
Check out this item I found on eBay:

1960 Span America Vintage -less than 100 hrs on 35hp Kiekhaefer Mercury Outboard

Link:

(Sent from eBay Mobile for Android)

Here is one for $550 not too far from me
springfield.craigslist.org/boa/2690224196.html

Streetrods,
Thank you so much for posting this. I bought the boat at noon today. My buddy Steve williams from Golden Eagle Marine will go pick it up for me. Now here is the Super cool part. Remember in the first part of my article about the 1960 span when I spoke of my friend clyde finding me a hardtop well as luck would have it this is the very same boat he found 2 years ago. I was just blown away when I heard that it came from Ok. Again thanks so much for the lead. Now I can finish my 1960 Vip.
Bob

Cool boat, great find. Here's the photos from the Craigslist ad in case the ad is deleted soon:

You are welcome Bob...I saw it a few days back and thought it was cool but not big enough for what I want then saw this thread and went and searched it again in case anyone wanted it.. Keep your eyes out for a clean Johnson Deluxe for me : )