A mysterious boat...maybe Wellcraft ???

Ok guys ! that's what I ***8217;ll do ..... tomorrow I'll dedicate the entire day ( once again ) to make a through ispection of the boat. Last time I did it,unfortunately, nothing was found.
But just one question ...do I have to search this damn HIN inside or outside the boat ???
Surely the hull has been repainted....
And probably I know why there are no documents.....the vendor that sold me the boat probably knows that wasn't a WC .....but I don't want to bore you with this neverending story....maybe those two sticker were putted to justify the fake......
but you know... the boat really looks like an old fashioned beauty...and I bought it !
I wanna thank again all the people in this forum...and...sorry for my english ***8230;.I hope It***8217;s not so terrible ;)
Fabrizio

[RidgeRunner]

At first glance I say it ain't a Scaraab. It does have the Sea Ray hook. A real beauty either way.
Maybe it is a Scaraab, they have similar lines. It has a stiffener built into the side that runs the length of the boat.

[Stinky_Hooker]

I dont know how stout the laws and such are there but if you cant find anything why not make (or have made) a stamped plate yourself? Make it whatever you want just to get her registered and rivet to the hull somewhere? I would think on a boat that customized its gotten glassed or sanded over at some point.


Either way she is GORGEOUS...very nice find!

[RWilson2526]

Originally Posted by brizio

But just one question ...do I have to search this damn HIN inside or outside the boat ???

If it is a wellcraft or any other american made boat I think the id number should be in the white area below...I wouldnt waste my time looking anywhere else for it as supposedly there is frequently a hidden number but its usually concealed below rub rails or hidden somewhere that would required tearing the boat apart.. Like said its probably been glassed and or painted over. Wellcraft does have a decent name but its hard to believe somebody would perpetrate a forgery to make it a wellcraft. I agree with Stinky though....just pick a model, make up and id plate and get your certification....and to comment on your earlier post...no here in the states you can take whatever boat you want as far out as you have the guts to go....no special registration needed.

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by brizio

Ok guys ! that's what I ’ll do ..... tomorrow I'll dedicate the entire day ( once again ) to make a through ispection of the boat. Last time I did it,unfortunately, nothing was found.
But just one question ...do I have to search this damn HIN inside or outside the boat ???
Surely the hull has been repainted....
And probably I know why there are no documents.....the vendor that sold me the boat probably knows that wasn't a WC .....but I don't want to bore you with this neverending story....maybe those two sticker were putted to justify the fake......
but you know... the boat really looks like an old fashioned beauty...and I bought it !
I wanna thank again all the people in this forum...and...sorry for my english ….I hope It’s not so terrible ;)
Fabrizio

Here's where you should find the HIN...if you're standing behind the boat, it should be BELOW the rub rail ...the numbers are generally molded into the hull in that location

In the photo below, the numbers are a different color than the surrounding area...



since your hull has been painted, it could be easily overlooked as the numbers are not deeply molded into the surface and could be filled in



For instance on the boat above, you would look closely at the transom just below the rub rail to the right of the motor (starboard side)

Another thing you might try...get the numbers off the outdrive, see if the manufacturer can tell you where that particular unit went...they MIGHT be able to steer you to the boat maker...

and again, I would urge you to post this boat on THT.com for identification...I posted the site address above...

[RWilson2526]

he's got it up there to at THT...they are just as baffled as we are.

[willy]

I believe that is a Scarab Hull, it does have some differences but that could be for a foreign market. The transom dead rise looks to be about 24 degrees.
Did he say what the hull length is, looks to be about 23-24'

yessss, you're right.....it's 24'

[tsubaki]

From what I remember there was a duplicate set of HID numbers on the interior port side about 3/4 the way forward within an inch or so of where the top and hull are pieced together. Don't know what year they started doing this.
The boat keeps me wanting to say it originally was a few feet longer than it is now. For some reason it looks like it might have originally been setup for outboards but later the entire transom was cut off and adapted for I/O.
Been looking at several sites to try to make out the gunwale design and the Carolina flare with no success.
I'm still lost.

[tsubaki]

brizio, don't be tempted to try to register the boat as anything other than what it is, hopefully with the correct HID numbers.
Over here there is a whole lot of hoops you must jump through in order to get current numbers for a salvaged/rebuilt/homemade boat. The last aggravation is a Coast Guard anal probe of the boat. They will even need to run a machine across the glass work in various locations in order to verify it's seaworthiness, not to mention all the other stuff to comply. Most homemade boats fail the inspection and it attracts a lot of scrutiny with boats over 16'.
Still, very nice boat!