TOPIC: Possible 1959 G-3 Found in TX

I decided to call her Lucky before I read the posts about the 59s. She was found in Texas without a title. It near impossible to get TPWD to issue a new title. Once i got to see her up close I noticed the Oklahoma vessel ID, hence the name Lucky. And the fact I got her for free when the Craigslisting asked for 285.00. I being born and raised in Texas had to Politely add my two cents. Letting the seller know of all the blood, sweat and tears I would have to let to get her back to even floating condition. And the Big Sweetheart gave her to me! For a promise to rebuild her. I will get her back. I promise and a real Texan will never remits to a promise. I might take a couple of years but she will look good again. Let me try to get pics of her on here. I have yet to get back to the storage and bring a flashlight to search for the Glasspar Serial number that will tell the tell. If any of you notice any tel-tel sign either way please reply. It will drive me crazy till I get back there Friday evening. Thanks Guys, See ya in the Creeks. The Lost Fisherman

COOL GOT ONE ON HERE! TRY AGAIN, ok maybe this time!

Two out of three!

I THINK I GOT IT NOW!

That's her Little Miss Lucky! Thinking Fighting Lady Yellow with the Dark Green stripes. And a Large Shamrock with her name on the stern beside the Jack Plate.
I'm Missing trim on top of the transom and the G-3 stars on her side anyone got extra Original?

LF76, Cool find. The Glasspar HIN (vin)# will be on a plate attached to the left side gunwale near the front. It will be under a Glasspar script and visiable thru a window. Another tell tale is if the original decal is visable thru the paint of the sponsons. As you have been reading up on the 59's I probably haven't told you anything you did not already know. Always glad to see another one of these neat little boats saved. Welcome to the site. And please keep us aware of your progress. I like the Shamrock idea.

LF76:

Welcome to the website and congratulations on finding that 1959 Glasspar G-3! Sounds like you got a great deal Sir!

Al has already given you some great advice on how to find the serial numbers. You asked about the metal "G-3 Star Emblems."
We have a member in our East Coast Glasspar Owners Association that found a man who can make those. I will contact our member and get the name of that man for you. You might want to keep an eye on E-Bay as they sometimes come up for sale there.

Anyway, good luck with your Project G-3.

Here are some photos of our one-family owned 1960 G-3 which my Dad bought new for our family way back in 1959:

Thanks for the info Morris. I'm headed to the storage in just a minute to find the HIN. Gotta see for sure if she's a 59. I'll get a pic's of it. I looked everywhere yesterday, well except where you just described. Knock Wood!

And thank you 60Red Please forward the medallion info, I'll get those in the works asap. And even if Lucky is a 60. If I could get it half way back to your Original 60. She'll be a fine look'in Boat

5:59 cst I'll be back in about an hour with the the HIN!!!

Back, I'll be dang still no HIN could be found. Heres the pics under the gunwale starboard then port. I can't even make the pic thing work i'll adjust the resolution.

ok wrong side but I got the pics working, now heres the starboard side

I reread Morris post and can see where I went wrong now I was looking the wrong direction. But here are two pics (maybe) of the center support No Number on it but there are several holes in it which might indicate a 60. Give it a look and see what ya'll think.

It looks like someone has done some very poor glass work. Unless it was the Glasspar dudes first day. Heck the way it looks under there he might have tied one on at lunch came back and worked on Lucky. Could have been his last day!
I started smelling a Copperhead and decided to clean Lucky out on the way to my shop in East Texas this weekend. Before I get back under there rolling around. Thanks for all the help! If anyone else has found there HIN in a hidden spot please reply. I'll make a list and find it for sure. Does anyone have a pic of their 59 G-3 HIN. If so please post it so I would at least now its shape. I think I've read its round.? The ones I.ve seen on other boats have all been retangle and in plan sight. The Lost Fisherman / aka Randall

LF76 wrote:

Thanks for the info Morris. I'm headed to the storage in just a minute to find the HIN. Gotta see for sure if she's a 59. I'll get a pic's of it. I looked everywhere yesterday, well except where you just described. Knock Wood!

And thank you 60Red Please forward the medallion info, I'll get those in the works asap. And even if Lucky is a 60. If I could get it half way back to your Original 60. She'll be a fine look'in Boat

5:59 cst I'll be back in about an hour with the the HIN!!!

---

LF76:

Thanks for your kind words on our 1960 G-3! You should know that our G-3 was garaged it's entire life and NEVER sat out in the rain or in the water except when it was being used. Our Dad was hard on myself and my Brothers concerning this boat and to be honest that is why it looks like it does Sir. The red gelcoat on our G-3 is all original with the exception of a small area on the splashwell.

But, with a little elbow grease I know you can get your G-3 looking good too.

I have a friend who restored his 1959 Glasspar G-3 and thought this link might help you see what he did to get his restored.
In my opinion, Dean's 1959 has to be one of, if not THE NICEST restorations of a 1959 in the U.S. Hopefully, he will come on here and give you some tips and advice. He is a real nice guy.
Here is the link for you to his restoration:


www.deanlofall.com/MyBoatResto.pdf

I recall him saying that his boat had a metal tag somewhere under the dash of the boat. You may want to check there for a plate too.

LF76:

Here is another link that should help you with what that metal serial tag looks like on a 1959 G-3. Go to the 21st post in the thread (# 74653) and you will see a picture Dean Lofall took of the serial number plate (tag) in his 1959:

www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/home/g3-owners-association/new-1959-g3-owner

Red your G-3 with it's original gel-coat. Is famous in several forums on the net. Your Dad was a very wise man. Dean's Bandit I have a small portfolio on. I agree it is one of the finest renovations I've seen. I have been lurking around Fibercglassics and iboat for 3 years now. Working when I could on a 15' Magnum Runabout built in Fort Worth 1976. A little runabout for Me and my little waterbug Cassy (My youngest)to play with. Next Summer she will be ready. Here's her pic last summer before the transom cracked. Since I replaced the transom, rebuilt the bilge area, add a 10" jack plate, and just finishing a rebuild on an 1975 850 Merc. I'm at the polishing stage of the paint job.
I haven't been able to figure out this addiction, But I love to working on these old girls. I spend every free moment working on or figuring out my next move. Yeah I got it bad.
But thank you for the link to Deans rebuild doc I saved it and will reread tonight, lots of good info on that. Taking Lucky to the shop this weekend in East Texas. I'll wash her out and find that disc if it's on her. Sand a little to try and find those sticker.
Thxs for all your help Red! My Name is Randall LF stand for The Lost Fisherman (Uncle old CB Handel) The greatest man I've ever had the pleasure to fish with. 76 just the year.

CONGRATS L.T & WELCOME.. L.F. here in east Tenn. Can not search find link to my prior post about 1 1/2 years ago here on FiberGlassics. Here is a photo link for another gallery.
www.glassicsonline.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=12517704
We had gotten a 59 ,Built in Nashville, off a farm... Slight
outline of the decal sponson on rear qtrs,, no angle holes for the
interior Glasspar logo , like you possible show. Could be added
by another owner over time... My HIDDEN ROUND DISC was on the
transom inside ski hooks.. Port side. Like you were showing in your pics under neath deck.. Need to remove those hooks, may need
slight sandpaper / emory to see in indent #'s. Could have the #'s
up against the wood side.. Same format 13X .N. 9.123
.

LF76 wrote:

Red your G-3 with it's original gel-coat. Is famous in several forums on the net. Your Dad was a very wise man. Dean's Bandit I have a small portfolio on. I agree it is one of the finest renovations I've seen. I have been lurking around Fibercglassics and iboat for 3 years now. Working when I could on a 15' Magnum Runabout built in Fort Worth 1976. A little runabout for Me and my little waterbug Cassy (My youngest)to play with. Next Summer she will be ready. Here's her pic last summer before the transom cracked. Since I replaced the transom, rebuilt the bilge area, add a 10" jack plate, and just finishing a rebuild on an 1975 850 Merc. I'm at the polishing stage of the paint job.
I haven't been able to figure out this addiction, But I love to working on these old girls. I spend every free moment working on or figuring out my next move. Yeah I got it bad.
But thank you for the link to Deans rebuild doc I saved it and will reread tonight, lots of good info on that. Taking Lucky to the shop this weekend in East Texas. I'll wash her out and find that disc if it's on her. Sand a little to try and find those sticker.
Thxs for all your help Red! My Name is Randall LF stand for The Lost Fisherman (Uncle old CB Handel) The greatest man I've ever had the pleasure to fish with. 76 just the year.

---

Randall:

Thanks again for your kind words on our G-3 and my Dad. Your right, my Dad was a wise man. You are also very welcome on all the help and links. That is what makes FG a great website.
I was not aware that our G-3 was "famous in several forums on the net." Thanks for that information!

I really like your "Magnum Runabout!" It looks like you did a great job on it. You had also mentioned the jackplates for these older boats. I have a "Bob's Machine Hydraulic Jackplate" on our 1960 G-3. I didn't want to build up the transom and wanted a new outboard motor so that was why I went that route. I had several other Glasspar G-3 Owners tell me that a jackplate "would never work on my G-3" and that information was TOTALLY FALSE! It has worked GREAT on our G-3 and IMHO it has been one of the best
modifications I did to the boat. I can raise or lower it while I am driving the boat which helps alot for shallow water or high speed running. I will get a picture up here for you of how the jackplate looks in case you want to install one on your G-3 later.

BTW,....my first name is John.

Randall:

Here are a couple of photos of our jackplate on the G-3:

Randall, I liked this hydraulic jackplate because of the minimum
3 7/8" setback and low weight. It will take an outboard up to 115 H.P. and "Bob's Machine" down in south Florida has been GREAT to deal with.

John that is one sweet 60. I like the why the short jackplate looks on her. I will definitely use one on Lucky.
I was thinking of enclosing the splashwell. And making a high coaming across the stern that will turn the water back without a splash. An old trick used on low riding Kayaks. What I've heard from G-3 and Lido owners is the trouble backing their boats off the trailer or even trailering in a choppy water. They seem to overwhelming the splash or in the 60 Lido without the splashwell swamping the deck. Don't know, I will have to study it. The Jack Plate is a sure thing. I like the way it pushes you out of the hole and on to a plane almost instantly!


Have a great weekend John. I hope to have Lucky's HIN soon!

Thanks Split, I'll look there. The other night when I was rolling around on the old deck. I could smell a Copperhead. I don't know if it was in the boat or under the trailer. It was close, if you ever had any deals with a Copperhead you know exactly what I did next. Yeap, ran like a girl! I'll power wash her out this weekend and find that Disc. Have yourself a great weekend Split!

LF76 wrote:

John that is one sweet 60. I like the why the short jackplate looks on her. I will definitely use one on Lucky.
I was thinking of enclosing the splashwell. And making a high coaming across the stern that will turn the water back without a splash. An old trick used on low riding Kayaks. What I've heard from G-3 and Lido owners is the trouble backing their boats off the trailer or even trailering in a choppy water. They seem to overwhelming the splash or in the 60 Lido without the splashwell swamping the deck. Don't know, I will have to study it. The Jack Plate is a sure thing. I like the way it pushes you out of the hole and on to a plane almost instantly!


Have a great weekend John. I hope to have Lucky's HIN soon!

---

Randall:

Thanks again for your nice comments on our G-3! I appreciate it very much.

Randall, our "Mercury" is actually a 50 H.P. not a 60. But it can still run about 42-43 MPH with both my Wife and I in it with the motor trimmed up and the jackplate raised some also. Although alot of G-3 owners want to have the bigger engines we are pleased with the performance and mileage of our G-3 with this engine. Also, it is not placing alot of stress on the stock transom which is original to the boat.

You mention the splashwells on the G-3's and the tendency of the water to come over the back transom. On our G-3 with that Merc 50
we really don't have much of a problem with that as the motor only weighs 204 pounds. Now,....with that being said, back when my Dad bought the boat it had a 1960 "Johnson" 75 H.P. V-4 and with THAT motor we had water coming over the back! LOL! I think if you stay with a lower weight motor you will be alright.

You have a great weekend too Randall.

Got her cleaned out but no HIN anywhere! I took everything out. Cleared the dash, pulled both Aft tow loops even brushed the washers clean just in case but nothing! Looks like someone rebuilt the transom and bilge area. The port tow had a flat piece of steel instead on a washer it make me wonder? After looking and cleaning all afternoon Sunday I got tons of pictures of things to fix, redo, and customize, on Lucky. But first things first get a Title!
Any words of wisdom out there? Will The Coast Guard issue a new HIN if one was stolen? Just a thought! I LEAVE YOU WILL THIS IMAGE TITLED GETTIN THE JUNK OUT YA TRUNK!

John, you are too kind. Thanks for the compliment!

On Bandit, the boat had its HIN up under the center deck, port side on a disk screwed in next to the port-most screw that attaches the seat back to the center deck. One other place to look is the aluminum trim at the base of the center deck support. I have heard of another '59 with the HIN stamped on that.

Dean

deanlofall wrote:

John, you are too kind. Thanks for the compliment!

On Bandit, the boat had its HIN up under the center deck, port side on a disk screwed in next to the port-most screw that attaches the seat back to the center deck. One other place to look is the aluminum trim at the base of the center deck support. I have heard of another '59 with the HIN stamped on that.

Dean

---

Dean:

Welcome back Sir!!! It is great to see you posting here again!

Dean,....you are very welcome on my comments and in my opinion VERY DESERVING of them all for the EXCELLENT job you did in
restoring your 1959 G-3!

Randall,....it looks like you are making progress on your G-3! Sorry you were not able to find that serial number plate. I would recommend going to the MAIN FORUM here on FG and explain your situation there to the many members here. They may be able to
give you some advice on how to get a title and registration where you live.

Thanks Dean, I looked for it everywhere the posts have suggestion and then some. all most 4 hours on my back removing everything. No number, someone must have taken it off planning to keep it in a safe place and forgot to return it. I have send an e-mail to the previous owner asking about the HIN.

Lucky appears to be a 60. I'll to get a pic showing the inside back of the center console where it had been cut out for attaching the Glasspar sig.
She not a 59 but still my next project.


Will do John, I'll post it on the main forum and see what happens. Thanks guys for all your help.

Randall:

Yes Sir,...I saw where you posted on the Main Forum. The members there should be able to help you out. I saw the advice from one member to just register it in another State. Our G-3 was originally registered in Wisconsin and it is ALOT easier to get a title and registration there than it is here in N.C.

Hey, I wanted to tell you that if your G-3 had that "Glasspar"
insignia across the back of the center deck support IT IS a 1960.
The 1959 models had them on the end of the sponsons, like it is on Dean's 1959 G-3. If you need one of those I think I might have one Sir!

LF. NOt every boat mfg before 1971 had serial #'s on their hulls. Glasspar with multiple build cities, had a good date code..That
small brass rectangle ID for 60 - 61 could still be in the floor stringer corners under dirt. ?
2) Yes, other members here on the forum have used Wis (?) to
register a hull ON-Line for about $23. I Believe.

Hey John, She Looks like a 60 I could see the center support plywood had been routed out from the inside for the sig. Must have had short bolts.
Yes Sir If you Have and Extra Glasspar Sig and are will to part with it. Let me get the Title out of the way and we can talk more about it. I'm not disappointed about the year. There are no changes to the shape of the boat just a sig that only a G-3 owner will know.
You and Split have got me thinking about Wisconsin. If OK fails me again, I'll be contacting Wisconsin. I hate unnecessary red tape.

Hello Split, I looked through each hand full of junk pulled out for anything hard. I found almost 50 SS screws That once held in the deck. Nothing brass but I will keep an eye out Thxs for the heads up!
One thing I did think about and glad I did was to dump a gallon bottle of bleach in the hull just before starting my pressure washing. It worked it's magic. I alway forget my hand are flesh and wide up cut, poking, and stabbing them on something. Yeap, about a dozen different little cut and no infections. My work jeans really payed a price though! And she doesn't smell like mold any more Lemony Fresh. LOL, Ya'll have a Great Night.

If you have the registration numbers, tracing those back with the state can go a long way. In my case on Bandit (which had no title)... I had found a registration card in the dirt in the boat (as Split suggests) listed in Oregon... and the boat had Idaho registration numbers on it. After peeling the vinyl ID registration numbers... I could see the OR registration numbers under (outline of shiny gelcoat) them. I called both of their licensing departments and they gave me the last registered owners... Idaho actually went after the titled owner with a copy of my bill of sale and photos... I am not sure what they threatened him with... but he phoned me the next day and wanted to get the title sorted out ASAP. It was good to talk to the guy, where I got a lot of historical information about the boat being new in Oregon, then moving to Idaho and then ended back up in Oregon where I found it as a derelict.

Another detail on CD the model years(Guys, correct me if I'm wrong) the 1961 had a foot rest for the driver/passenger up under the deck, and I think also a small sump with a center drain plug in the transom... I think the 1960 was like the 1959 without the foot rest and the starboard side drain plug. Both had the CD support "Glasspar" emblems.

Where's G3-Bill... he's all over these details!

Dean

Dean:

You are right on all your facts concerning the 1959-1961 G-3's.
The 1961 DID have that "foot rest" for the driver/passenger just under the front deck.

Hey Dean,...did MadProps www.glassparg3.com website close down??
Thanks.

Lucky must be a 61 only the glass tape remains but she did have a footrest under the dash at one time. You can just see the outline of it here!~






Lucky boat she gets younger every day!
Sat on hold for thirty minutes at lunch with OKTC decided to try Wisconsin. Wish me luck!

Dang, that was easy! She's registered in Wisconsin. Even donated to the fight against invasive species there.
So She's a 61, and She's Lucky that you Guy's replied to my post. So everything is looking up and her name is perfect.
Thanks for all your help and suggestions.
I will get her back to new or better as promised the previous owner.
For now I have a 13 yo daughter that loves the water almost as much as me. I heard Santa will be bring her a new wakeboard this year. Fun my 76 Tri-hull Magnum will be finished just in time for a little summer fun only a Dad with his Daughter can have.
Boats can be built everyday. Those memories we all carry throughout our lives, only happens once. I was blessed with four great kids. Three are grown and making me a very proud father. The Baby is no exception. Time for me to step-up so she can say, Dad and I with a big smile on her face one day.
See Ya'll Later and Thxs Again! Randall

LF76 wrote:

Dang, that was easy! She's registered in Wisconsin. Even donated to the fight against invasive species there.
So She's a 61, and She's Lucky that you Guy's replied to my post. So everything is looking up and her name is perfect.
Thanks for all your help and suggestions.
I will get her back to new or better as promised the previous owner.
For now I have a 13 yo daughter that loves the water almost as much as me. I heard Santa will be bring her a new wakeboard this year. Fun my 76 Tri-hull Magnum will be finished just in time for a little summer fun only a Dad with his Daughter can have.
Boats can be built everyday. Those memories we all carry throughout our lives, only happens once. I was blessed with four great kids. Three are grown and making me a very proud father. The Baby is no exception. Time for me to step-up so she can say, Dad and I with a big smile on her face one day.
See Ya'll Later and Thxs Again! Randall

---

Randall:

So glad to hear you finally got "Lucky" registered! I knew the FG Members in the MAIN FORUM would be able to help you out. I think there is more exposure there than here in our G-3 Section.

You are right about our kids being important! My Wife and I want to give our "one-family owned G-3" to our Son eventually. Here is a picture of him driving the boat this past summer on Falls Lake, N.C.

John, your boat needs to stay in the family. A big part of a great boat is the history that goes with her.
That Red G-3 will outlive us all!

Glad you got it registered Randall. Does the registration have the HIN number on it?

Hi John, hope things have been well with you. I haven't heard anything from Madprops, but I expect he retired the site, there wasn't much activity on it before it dropped off.

Dean

We also were lucky to find a 1959 G3 in Seattle. Here is a photo of the finished restoration. Congratulations and have fun with your new boat.

RJW,
Your picture doesn't do justice to the excellent restore you did.
Hopefully you won't mind my posting some other pictures of it.
Doc Frankenmerc

Sweet Boat RJW, I saved a few pics Dr_Frankenmerc posted, for my Ideas Folder. I need to refer back to it once I start the rebuild. The seat is exactly what I want, only different colors. The exact pattern and style I was thinking.
I'll be rebuilding her slowly and might post a few pics with question. Once complete I'll download all the pics on the project forum start to finish. I've enjoyed reading others and find lots of useful info through them.

Dr_Frankenmerc is that a 1973 1500XS on Wild Thinggg? A better question does it weigh 350#?
I'm thinking Double Merc 50s mounted on a pair of Hydro Jack Plates on Lucky. Do you think once rebuilt she can handle the weight?
I know can build a transom and stringers that can handle the power.

"Dr_Frankenmerc is that a 1973 1500XS on Wild Thinggg? A better question does it weigh 350#?
I'm thinking Double Merc 50s mounted on a pair of Hydro Jack Plates on Lucky. Do you think once rebuilt she can handle the weight?"

It is the same size & weight of a 1500xs, but is actually an '87 115 inline-6 power head with adi, high domes, tweaked reed stops, and 1500xs carburetors running .080 jets.
The last run was at 6200 RPMs, turning a 26p surfacing chopper at 65.9mphGPS.
The beast weighs somewhere around 270-290 pounds as a shorty with Merc PT.

I don't know if I have ever seen a G3 with twins. I'm not sure just how well that would work out. I think they would weigh in at about 130 pounds each, so weight wouldn't be of concern.
I'm betting that you might find that a single inline-6 would out-perform twins on a G3 - not sure.
I've seen G3s with v8-vee drive units, so why not twins.
I attached a few pixs of a set of twin 400 Mercs I restored for my pal with a small power-cat.
When the twins are up and flyin' they sound awesome!!!
Doc F

Thxs for the pics, Awesome Power Cats!

I'm in the process of designing a double Hydraulic Jack Plate with trim. I have a few buddies in the machining business to help with design. With the weight of Twins around 270 it should be able to handle both weight and pressure at WOT. The look of the twins on one plate, just watching them raise, lower, and tilt would be worth trouble of building the plate. And the biggest Plus it's different no one on the lake will have anything close. I think I like that as much as bring these old beauty back.
I know you are right a single v6 would be hard to bet. And will be placed on her transom if I hit too many walls!
Thank you for your reinsurance on the weight, it was my biggest concern. Have a great weekend! I'm headed to the shop for the weekend to finish polish and assemble my 76 850 Merc. I'll post a few pics in the Mercury Outpost, if I git-er-done.