TOPIC: aluminum boat

hi, im looking for any information on my boat, its a 1954 nelson , made in Spokane wa. im looking to see if there is another out there, how many models were made, ect. thanks kevin

No idea, but i want one. Reminds me of my 1964 Airliner Cabinaire.

I love old aluminum boats . thanks for your reply

Hi, Kevin:

A cursory search of Peter Hunn's book, Tail Fins and Two-Tones, offers a reference about a local heating company in Spokane making these boats.

Reference
Hunn, Peter. Tail Fins and Two-Tones. Marblehead, MA: Devereaux Books, 2006. pp. 44-45.

kevin b wrote: hi, im looking for any information on my boat , its a 1954 nelson , made in Spokane wa. im looking to see if there is another out there, how many models were made, ect. thanks kevin

Fiberglass is a popular material, more expensive than aluminum, and a lot more labor intensive to build, but can be molded to sleek, fancy shapes.
Carbon fiber is similar to fiberglass, but a lot stronger. Carbon fiber is very expensive as a material, and the labor is very similar to fiberglass.

Thanks Vin, and Hi Kevin. I attached a photo of a Nelson (heating assurance corp) that I picked up in Montana about a year ago. A total sweetheart. The deck riveting pattern seems to be characteristic for these things. Other than that, the designs seem to be quite variable. I don't have any fresh water nearby, so I take it out on the ocean on calm days only. Not a lot of these around at this point. Enjoy yours. It would be great to see a photo. Bruce

Oops, just saw Kevin's boat picture. What a beauty!! Looks like mine plus two more feet. Enjoy!

To lightmetal1 I was wondering if we could get in contact with each other. I have a Heating Assurance boat that we are restoring and would like some info on your Nelson's transom. Also anyone out there who could help with the year. Not sure if it's a 62 because of the hin number that is stamped on rear of boat righthand side. Or possible the model number tag showing 59.

Wow Partner! How cool. I thought I had the last one on the planet! These look exactly the same. I thought that my boat is a '57, but they both have a '58' in the same position on the serial number. My title says '57, but it makes no difference. I'm (most likely) selling mine this weekend (buying a good sized sailboat to get back to my roots), but I'll pass this note along to the next, extremely stoked, buyer who wants to harbor cruise down in Long Beach. I'd be happy to tell you anything that I know about this one at any rate. I hope it's not against the site rules, but I'm at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I sent you an email hopefully it doesn't hit your spam.

I was hoping to get some good photos of the inside and outside of your transom. Curious how the wood was installed on yours. You should be able to get a decent photo under the back bench. Also could you take some of your hin number and the manufacturers plate on the passenger side. I would like to compare yours and mine to see what differences are there. I did send you an email let me know if you received it.

Thank you,
Monte