Uh oh. 1958 Skagit 20 Hardtop

[Kelly]

As of right now, 0 hp. That will be the last thing I do for the hardtop. The blue one may get power soon, depends how expensive this all becomes...ha!

[Karl]

Kelly, I like it!

Forgive me if I've missed it. What are the power plants? Do they run?

[Karl]

Kelly, I like it!

[Kelly]

Great info! I like factory stories like this!

[bruceb]

The Skagit factory made 2 20 foot hull molds, one for inboard, one outboard. Think from conversations with factory workers, the idea came out that they had a production crunch, so they built outboard boats with inboard mold, hence the keel ends forward of the stern to accommodate the driveshaft. The lack of a keel at the stern on this particular hull gives it a neat cornering characteristic.

[Kelly]

I'll have to look the next time I go out to my in-laws as I currently have them both at their place. Why is that significant?

[bruceb]

The blue boat has a more normal transom width in my just completed viewing of numerous 1957-58 20 footers. However, the notch downs are not factory, meaning done by marinas/previous owners. The hardtop boat transom is different, don't know if I've seen one that narrow, but had to come from the factory like that. As a general set-up, these were powered by the twin longshaft versions of OMC motors which were 22 inches. Your hardtop had the twin Johnson Golden Jubilee 35s, like 17"shafts. Tim Jones is more of an expert on these motors. I'll attach pic of your boat, about 8 years ago.
Our transom was cut down by the dealer to fit a 20" longshaft single 50hp Johnson(fat fifty). Many times this dealer "notch down" alteration was less than factory in quality of sealing and sped up the deterioration of the transom.....
My next question is, does your keel continue to the stern, or does it end 4.5 feet from the stern ? ( curious about both boats)

[Kelly]

Hey Bruce! It's an Express, same cabin size and same layout. I forgot to snap some pics of the interior after I spent the day cleaning it. The wood is definitely not as solid as the blue one, so the hardtop will get the restoration attention first.
Good to know info on the hatches. I looked at a ton of pics before posting that to make sure I was on the right track with regards to early vs. late 58.

Look at the difference in the transoms as well. While I know they can be modified at any time, I don't see where the blue one has been changed, at least in the width. <disregard that outboard that's on the hardtop...it's a 10hp Johnson>

[bruceb]

Kelly-
The fleet expands !!!! Although the white and blue boat is going to require a lot of work exposing the original gelcoat, I'd guess it will have the cool story of maybe being the boat in the factory pic. You're likely on the production timeframe with the hatch design, being an earlier boat with the plain hatch for the boat on right. At one point, thought there was discussion with a factory employee that the hatch design in 58 was an upgrade, but not sure that's correct. The plain hatch became a replacement piece as it fit several production years-interchangable, and was also installed from the factory. Hatches were a common replacement part as owners sometimes forgot to latch it down with interior hasp and they blew off at highway speeds.....
So I don't think I've seen a pic of the helm/cockpit area of the hardtop boat. Does it have a sink and head opposite ? trying to verify if it's an express or offshore.
Great that you've persevered on getting the boat, it's a cool one !

[Kelly]

Don't tell me that Brian, I can't have 3! LoL...unless of course you want to buy it, then by all means show us some pics!

[Bflaherty]

I know the whereabouts of another Skagit 20, up here in Bellingham... Not sure of the year, and last I heard it was not for sale... But I drove by a week or so ago, and the license tabs haven't been renewed since 2013, so there's a good chance the owner could be convinced to let it go.. I will have to see if I can drive by again and snap a picture.

[Kelly]

Can't wait to see if the gelcoat is in good condition on the soft top.

[Kelly]

Unfortunately I can't find the data plate for the hardtop. My guess is his kids had something to do with it being gone.
Here's my best guess. The hardtop is an early production 58. I say this because of the early flat cabin hatch and early cleats and narrow splashwell. The soft top I still say is a later 58 with the double bump hatch and wider splashwell. Just my guess on all of this. I would love to sit down with some smart Skagit folks and talk details...really in the 1958 year realm.

[Kelly]

I'm Lovin this!

[Kelly]

Well here's the thread back when I first saw the boat in 2014:
http://www.classicboatclub.com/showt...ghlight=skagit

And here's the thread exactly 6 months later when I was asking for info on where to buy window rubber etc...:
http://www.classicboatclub.com/showt...ghlight=skagit

So I have concluded that yes, I'm persistent and yes, my memory is bad. Ha!
Anyway, more pics soon but here's a little teaser shot: