Flatback Fireboat

[dirtwheelsfl]

Wonder if they layed it up with fire retardant resin like an old navy boat?!

[gran398]

Jay, thank you very much! That solves the mystery. Means every boat from 1967 forward had fiberglass stringers. Your five stringer boat is the same as Matt's '69 model. Matt's friend has a '68 that has four fiberglass stringers. Neat stuff!

Your boat turned out beautifully.

Thanks!

[gran398]

http://www.hammerheadlivewell.com/flatb ... g-boat.htm


We can now say with certainty that this "1968" was a '66 model.

[jbyrd1950]

Jay, thank you very much! That solves the mystery. Means every boat from 1967 forward had fiberglass stringers. Your five stringer boat is the same as Matt's '69 model. Matt's friend has a '68 that has four fiberglass stringers. Neat stuff!

Your boat turned out beautifully.

Thanks!

Glad I could be of help!! Sorry it took so long to respond had some rain storms and the internet was knocked out  :(
I was wondering though, why some of the '66 and earlier flatbacks are titled Aquasport and yet my '67 is titled as a C&S.  Can't figure that one out.     Another mystery to solve?

[Capt Matt]

Gran
The flatback my buddy has he got with no title so we where kind of guessing its age. Its wooden stringers 4 wide solve the mystery:  it must be a 66 or earlier.
Capt Matt

[gran398]

Gotcha Matt, thanks for the clarification. This means all flatbacks beginning in '67 had five trapezoid fiberglass foam-filled stringers.

Jay, member Callyb has shed some light on this. His 1966 title lists the manufacturer as Coburn and Sargent, the MODEL was "Aquasport." Your 1967 was still officially a C&S, but with the new stringer system. I'd be willing to bet a shiny penny that you own one of the last C&S's ever produced

Brothers, we have one more flatback mystery to solve, and here it is. In what year were casting deck hatches first installed?

Thanks!

[jbyrd1950]

Gran, here are some pictures of the casting deck before restoration.  As you can see there are hatches, as far as I can tell/know this is the original casting deck and hatches.








*By the way still have some of the original hatches if anyone needs them*

[gran398]

Thanks for the pics Jay. Yours is just like mine, access was from the vertical hatch at the rear.

The cut out horizontal hatch is not original, it was added later IMHO.

Maybe they added the molded-in deck hatches in '68? We're getting closer. Matt's '69 had molded-in deck hatches.

[Capt Matt]

Here is my guess, in 67 when the C&S became a Aquasport thats when the stringers changed to the foam filled trapazoid type and possibly when the front deck hatches appeared too. There could be a few that where being built at the name change time that where kind of a hybrid between the two models.
Good stuff
Capt Matt

[gran398]

Based upon our research, I agree with you Matt. 1967 was the year of change.

The company name changed in 1967 to "Aquasport."

We have proven through owner input that the stringer configuration changed in 1967 as well.

From plywood stringers in 1966 to a very stout five trapezoid stringer system in 1967. The five stringer system on the late sixties flatbacks became two stringers in '72 with the introduction of the twelve degree 22-2.

The original 22-2 flatback was then discontinued.

Sure wish they had carried over the five stringer system of the flatback to the two stringer twelve degree 22-2 model introduced in 1972.

Would have made a rebuilder's life much easier, and cheaper too. Would have given something to build to on the sides.

The only question left....in what year were molded casting deck hatches introduced on the sixties 22-2?

Most likely 1968...but without owner pics...we're not there yet.

[Callyb]

Based upon our research, I agree with you Matt. 1967 was the year of change.

That has me curious now.... Mine is registered as a 1966, but I know that it has the trapezoid stringers because at some point someone cut a hatch in my floor and made a space for a bilge pump. Now another question is 4 or 5 stringers. I'll answer that question over the winter.

I'll try and search the forum later and see what I can come up with for C&S serial numbers to try and add some more input on the subject. If anyone has any info on how many boats were made under the C&S name I think we could really nail this down. BTW, the s/n of my boat is 232.

Very sweet find by the way....

Talk to you later.

[jbyrd1950]

Callyb,
  Where did you find the SN on your '66 C&S?  I have not seen nor found the SN on our '67 C&S.

[gran398]

Cally, thanks!

Maybe they made the change in late '66. After chatting with Matt, feel sure it is a five stringer system. We're not sure now that there ever was a four stringer flatback.

Jay, mine didn't have numbers either. Neither did Matt's.

[Callyb]

Where did you find the SN on your '66 C&S? I have not seen nor found the SN on our '67 C&S.

It's on a placard, which I think is plastic, riveted to the port side of the transom. My particular boat spent it's life in New England, so that is why I think it is still there. Also, after looking at the pics of the fire boat's floor I realized mine hasn't been rebuilt either...

Here's a picture of the placard. It's in the resources forum.

Maybe they made the change in late '66.

Scott, I'm not even 100% sure it is a 1966... I mean, honestly, there is no way to know for certain unless I stumble across some production numbers for each year. The only confidence I really have is a sales receipt for the boat from '81. I really wish I had a copy of the original sales receipt. But, that is like wishing I would never have to poop in a public restroom ever again...

Either way, I'll keep searching around the interwebernets until I find something. Or give up.

[gran398]

Cally, good stuff!

Hey, at least we have that placard!

And we DO know that YOUR boat was #232. Since all production records were destroyed by fire....we don't know if numbered production began at 000 or 100.

This is getting better all the time

If we could find a plywood stringer boat in conjunction with a placard like yours....CAS could star on "History's Mysteries".