New to boating... What can anyone tell me about this boat? 1974 Glastron?

[triv911]

Hello all,

I am new to boating and am looking for a boat that is good for myself, wife, two small children on a small Minnesota lake. I came across this Glastron. Original owner died, been sitting in son's garage. It is free to me if I want it but I know NOTHING about it. He doesn't either. He thinks it is a 1974 Glastron. To me, not knowing any better, it seems to be in great shape. I have a 60HP for the back. Anyone able to ID this boat and tell me about it? Good? Bad? Stay away?

Thank you in advance!

[Hyperacme]

Great little boats ... Early to mid 70's V-156.
60 HP will get you mid 30's mph.
Boat looks to be in very good shape for it's age.
Any soft / weak spots in floor ?
Take a sharp object and poke around transom ( In side boat, under splash well & around old motor mount holes )

Price is right ... Good boat to start with ...

[triv911]

Thanks! I can have it for free just to get it out of his garage. Is it a good family boat? fishing boat? Floor seems solid as I walked all over it, jumped around..nothing that caught my attention.

[Hyperacme]

Glastron sold a crap load of V-156's.
At least 5 or 6 company's made copy's of it's hull.
Very stable for a 15 and half foot boat, at rest you can stand on front bow seat and not tip boat much ...
If you don't like the windshield in your way for fishing , it can be removed.

Biggest deal with old Glastrons and almost any old boat is weak/rotted wood in transom, floor under transom and stringer under that.
Transom is two half inch pieces of plywood nailed together, with one sheet of fiberglass covering it.
Dealer drill's holes for your motor in it and should have seaedl holes with some sort of sealant, even if he did it could have gotten old and let water in and wood rotted.

Poke around back there, also around screw holes for speedo pilot tube and fish finder wiring.
If it's minor rot, people have put large metal plates on inside and out side to get a few more years out of boat.

Some one must have taken pretty good care of that V-156, it look pretty good.

My old 1972 V-156 ...

[Rich_V174SS]

There is a hull ID number stamped into the back of the boat at the top of the right-side scallop, the last two digits will indicate the year.

[Oldfishguy]

Grab it!

And anything else that goes with it: life jackets, anchor, rope, etc..  You will still have some money tied into it somehow, it always happens.  Hang that motor on it and run the heck out of it with your family; I do not believe there is a better family hobby to do together.  Good luck.

[triv911]

There is a hull ID number stamped into the back of the boat at the top of the right-side scallop, the last two digits will indicate the year.

OK! thank you.. I will take a look next time I go check it out again. I am glad you all are here!

[triv911]

Grab it!

And anything else that goes with it: life jackets, anchor, rope, etc..  You will still have some money tied into it somehow, it always happens.  Hang that motor on it and run the heck out of it with your family; I do not believe there is a better family hobby to do together.  Good luck.

I always figure it is free, so I am not out anything. The motor is free as well (In Laws have it from an old boat long since gone)... I have cant imagine I am out anything out of the gate.  I do a lot of fishing, so I know I will have money into it before long! I just cant ignore how well it looks for its age.

[triv911]

Glastron sold a crap load of V-156's.
At least 5 or 6 company's made copy's of it's hull.
Very stable for a 15 and half foot boat, at rest you can stand on front bow seat and not tip boat much ...
If you don't like the windshield in your way for fishing , it can be removed.

Biggest deal with old Glastrons and almost any old boat is weak/rotted wood in transom, floor under transom and stringer under that.
Transom is two half inch pieces of plywood nailed together, with one sheet of fiberglass covering it.
Dealer drill's holes for your motor in it and should have seaedl holes with some sort of sealant, even if he did it could have gotten old and let water in and wood rotted.

Poke around back there, also around screw holes for speedo pilot tube and fish finder wiring.
If it's minor rot, people have put large metal plates on inside and out side to get a few more years out of boat.

Some one must have taken pretty good care of that V-156, it look pretty good.

My old 1972 V-156 ...

Man that is a nice looking boat! I dont know much about these V-156 but I appreciate the vintage styling . How is the storage in these things? I would like to keep rods in mine, a cooler (when out), and have room for a live well or a 5 gal bucket.

[CVX Fever]

You've probably noticed your getting quite a different response over here than you are over at iboats.com with this boat. The plates in back point to transom issues/repair but there is nothing saying it couldn't be run for a number of years just the way it is depending on a lot of variables. At that point you could either take your motor/controls off and get rid of it or fix it if you've come to really like the boat.

[triv911]

I have noticed a fair amount of different view between the forums. I find them both very helpful! iBoats seems to be more technical and those who replied seems to have reservations about the price and quality of the boat. Completely understandable... Most of those who replied here seem to be impressed with the overall condition of the boat versus the year.

In either case, I did not know those plates weren't OEM (a testament to my lack of knowledge ). That means I am learning stuff which is always good. I suppose I will will throw a motor on it and see what I get before I sink any money into it (fish finder, radio, etc). That way if does have a bad transom, I am not out anything. I will sell the motor and trailer with the boat as a "must take" as recommended by another user on iboats. 

[Hyperacme]

Just read Iboat forum's reply's.
Seems like an odd spot (bolted plates on upper transom) to repair/strengthen transom ... Thought they might be some sort of home made ski pole mounting.
Good points about putting new plywood over the top of weak rotted floor ...

It's hard to judge a boat just by seeing a few pictures ...
If you like the boat and are willing to put some time and money into it ... go for it ...

[triv911]

I thought it was odd too but I suppose anything is possible! I guess i'll give it a whirl.

[Hyperacme]

What brand and year is your motor ?
Can you get some pictures of under splash well and looking back at motor and splash well ?
Try to see what block are on corners ...

[triv911]

I am not sure of the brand/year. I mentioned the boat to my father in law as he grew up on a river and has had a boat all his life. He doesn't know anything about the boat but oddly enough had a 65HP off his old pontoon boat. Johnson I think? I will upload pics soon.

What's a splash well?

[Hyperacme]

Splash well is the tilted shelf in front of motor, water splashes in and drains out thru hull fitting ...

[CVX Fever]

Seems like an odd spot (bolted plates on upper transom) to repair/strengthen transom ... Thought they might be some sort of home made ski pole mounting.

I agree Gregg. Those plates could very well could be there for something other than a transom fix/repair. Judging by the overall condition of the boat it isn't that far fetched that it is still solid & the motor/controls were removed only because someone wanted them for a different boat.  As already said you don't know until you start poking around underneath.

I think the guy on iboats that told him up to 3K in materials alone to rebuild the boat missed the mark by quite a bit.