Need help identifying

Jul 26, 2021
8
Johnson Boat Works unknown model but 16’ Lake Weatherford
My teenager brings home a sweet little boat. Thankfully it wasn’t a puppy. At least the boat is potty trained. So I’ve determined that it is a Johnson Boat Works creation, but it’s pre 1972 since the HIN search doesn’t recognize the letter/number combo on the plaque on the boat. Any design drawings I find just don’t seem to fit and they are very limited.
So, could anyone please identify the year and model for this old gal?15A14C64-5229-4FD5-9AFF-99C3ACDF1118.jpegE097D9D1-B9A5-41E3-8239-68B29E2F1560.jpeg54FDD0DD-FAA4-4CB6-9B60-3E752202FF84.jpegFDB04140-B9A8-4D42-BF19-AB3305110D01.jpeg15A14C64-5229-4FD5-9AFF-99C3ACDF1118.jpegE097D9D1-B9A5-41E3-8239-68B29E2F1560.jpeg54FDD0DD-FAA4-4CB6-9B60-3E752202FF84.jpegFDB04140-B9A8-4D42-BF19-AB3305110D01.jpeg39AC5080-8AA8-4B62-ADC7-EBF792CB0FE1.jpeg
 
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Likes: Ken Cross
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Sweet little boat!!! Congrats. The scuppers on the bow are a nice touch.

I'd be trying to figure a way to attach a short pole to the transom so I could run a hammock between the mast and the pole.... that would make a nice little marsh camper.:thumbup: Stash a single burner stove and some cambells and head out for a weekend.
 
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Likes: DaisyDonk

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
What a sweet little day sailer. Around 15 feet? Have you checked the sail for an insignia?
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Something to consider.... with that reverse transom, she might be hard to climb into from the water. You may want to practice that in a calm lake and see if you need to add some handholds in convenient places.
 
Jul 26, 2021
8
Johnson Boat Works unknown model but 16’ Lake Weatherford
What a sweet little day sailer. Around 15 feet? Have you checked the sail for an insignia?
And I didn’t even think about checking the sail. We will unfurl and see what we can find.
 
Jul 26, 2021
8
Johnson Boat Works unknown model but 16’ Lake Weatherford
Something to consider.... with that reverse transom, she might be hard to climb into from the water. You may want to practice that in a calm lake and see if you need to add some handholds in convenient places.
Thank you so much for the suggestion!
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I am pretty sure that its not, but it certainly resembles a Snipe. It should be a fun boat to sail…
 
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Likes: PaulK
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
Under Johnson Boat Works the Sailboat Data site lists a 16 foot "X" Boat made of wood first built in 1932. The picture on the site is a bow-on view and there is only a sketch of the side of the boat, so it is not too clear as to the boat's total shape. Two suggestions: (1) look under all overhangs (side decks plus bow and stern decks) for any labeling or information or (2) ask the person from whom the boat was bought, received, or "liberated". If the boat is wooden it looks to have been very well cared for over the years. In any case it is a good find.
 
Jul 26, 2021
8
Johnson Boat Works unknown model but 16’ Lake Weatherford
So I looked for any additional identifiers under the decks. After contorting myself in many ways, I have not found any. However, I looked at the sail and found a lightning bolt. It is white. Thinking it might be faded, I found a similar red lightning bolt for the lightning class racers. But the specs of the boat doesn’t match up with the class requirements and this bolt doesn’t look like it was red at some point. Keep in mind the HI has JBW. This is all mind boggling!
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Could this be your boat? It seems to fit ... 16' fractional rig, centerboard, reverse transom
I see @31seahorse already found it!
 
Jul 26, 2021
8
Johnson Boat Works unknown model but 16’ Lake Weatherford
I’m so believe y’all are right. I did contact a man who did the rigging for JBW in the 70s. Hopefully he can confirm.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Looks like a Snipe to me. Old design with reverse transom 15.5 ft long
3 things going against that theory:
1. Snipe was not made by Johnson Boat Works - a lot of other builders but JBW is not listed in Sailboatdata
2. Snipe had a daggerboard, the boat in the photos clearly has a centerboard that swings into position. The shape more closely matches the shape shown in Sailboatdata.
3. The shape of the rudder in the photos more closely matches the rudder shape shown in SBD for the X Boat.

The hull & rig looks very similar, I'll give you that! But the bottom of the boat in the photo looks like it is flatter, like the X Boat, while the Snipe looks like it has more rocker. The one detail that throws me off from the X Boat is that the hull should be 6' wide and the boat in the photo seems to look narrower, like it could be 5' (that would be the dimension of the Snipe). I think it is the head-on photo that may be creating the illusion of a narrow hull, though. The photo from behind does appear that it could be 3' from centerboard to rail. The deck next to the cockpit definitely looks wider in the photos than it does on the Snipe.

They were first built within a year of each other (1931/1932) so it is not surprising that they look so similar. Perhaps the X Boat was a midwest knock-off of the Snipe, with wider deck & flatter hull in the model of the scows that JBW built for midwestern lakes.
 
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Jul 26, 2021
8
Johnson Boat Works unknown model but 16’ Lake Weatherford
Thanks everyone! @31seahorse wins the prize (bragging rights). The gentleman who worked for JBW confirmed that it is a 1976 model X-boat. He was the one who actually did the rigging on this particular boat. He has been a great help, as you all.

@Scott T-Bird it does have a 6’ beam. That picture makes it look much skinnier (wish the camera would work like that for me).

Again, thank you everyone for your time, effort, and suggestions. Y’all got me on the right track.