This listing for a cool 1954 Cadillac speedboat is timely, as I need some help from the Barn Finds community to identify a mystery fiberglass boat found on the large Georgia property we’ve listed here as a Barn Finds Exclusive. More on that later. For now, feast your eyes on this beautiful vintage Cadillac Runabout, which features a smooth-running Evinrude 30 hp Big Twin engine. Find the Cadillac of boats listed here on craigslist for $6,400.
The hull is absolutely beautiful, and the finish work looks quite nice. The seller never comes out and says this is a fully-restored boat, but it sure looks like it. That being said, the price seems too good to be true for a vintage boat with all of its quirks worked out. The seller notes that the 14-footer features a dual cockpit made with high-compression molded mahogany plywood.
Even better, it comes with its own trailer. Yes, a 16-foot Cox galvanized boat trailer with a new light package is included in the sale, which makes this an even more tempting purchase if you’ve got access to a lake and a dock. Of course, many of us have lamented that it’s much better to have a friend with a boat than to own one yourself, but beautiful vintage runabouts like this can make it tempting to take on the challenges of boat maintenance.
Speaking of, check out this find from the large Georgia collection listed here as a Barn Finds Exclusive. Can someone help me identify it? I love the small fins at the back and the curved windshield but my boat knowledge is *extremely* limited. If you’ve got an idea as to what this is, please reply in the comments below.
B-o-a-t stands for bust out another thousand !!!!!
Looks to me like a brand called “Cutter.” A family friend had one when I was a kid. If course, numerous brands had fins.
I think it may be an early Glastron, based on the windscreen shape. There were tons of boats in the 50’s. Check a site called ‘Fiberglassics” . They’ll know. Any more pictures?
Found it. An Aristocraft 1963 model called a funliner.
You are absolutely correct! Looking at Google images now. Dang, they look cool with the factory “hardtop” attached. Neat boat, wish I had the bandwidth to restore.
Jeff, not that difficult to refurbish a fiberglas boat, if you’ve got the space. I’ve done 2, a 1957 Glastron “Surflight” and a 1957 Shell Lake runabout.
That looks like about a ’58 or 59 Glastron.
There is a great website called Fiberglassics devoted to those who love and restore vintage fiberglass boats. I am sure posting a photo of that mystery boat there would lead to instant, detailed answers.
Somebody is getting ready to sell a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, even if the “Cruise-a-Day” 6-gallon tank was good for about an hour! I’ve been an outboard tech since 1958, and for all their crudeness, I enjoyed working on the pre-mid-60s engines the most. No thinking required!
Probably leaks like a sieve. I never rode in a wooden boat, that didn’t have a puddle of water in the back. Those old ‘Rudes were some of the worst polluters on the planet, but we sure had fun. We had a lake cottage for decades, and I grew up in the 60’s motorboat heyday. The local marina was like the car cruisers hangout for boats. You rarely saw two alike. All gone now, replaced with party boats and PWC’s.
I remember those days too Howard. I kinda miss them. My dad had a wood boat like this, yes the do leak especially for the first time you put them in the water after winter storage. The wood needs to swell before they seal up. I always felt the wood boats rode better but way too much maintenance. Fiberglass are much easier to care for and restore.
The boat is beautiful and I used to own a 25 hp version of that engine, I ran it for close to 20 years and it was one of the best outboards I ever owned. My mom had a friend who wanted to buy it so I sold it to her and within a week her son tried to run it without mixing 2 stroke oil in the fuel, what a douchebag!!!
A rather well off friend once said to me,and I am cleaning this up a touch,
“If it flies, floats or (engages in sex)
Always rent it.
Possibly some of the best advice ever bestowed on me.
Thanks for featuring an old boat combo now and then! My man-cave is always filled with antique outboard projects. Polluters, yes indeed…but I have found a biodegradable oil that will keep me out of EPA trouble for a good while.
Love the old outboards……..the hell with the air I breathe. I have a old Mercury 20 hp sitting in my shop………….going to have to do something with it
Most of my really old ones run gas/oil at 16:1…that is 8 ounces TCW per gallon. I love them because they are simple, light and easy to work on. Your old Merc was a strong performer in its day, somewhat heavy…requires special tools…electrically bewildering…but worth resurrecting in my humble opinion! The folks at aomci.org would agree.
Great man-cave John B. My favorite is the Sea King in the background. I’ve been looking for an old “Red” Johnson 3hp. Fun Stuff.
All fifteen of my motors are scratch-and-ding originals. I paint nothing. Parts are fairly easy to locate as well. Harmless fun. You could likely find a decent ’56-’58 maroon/white JW Johnson on eBay or craigslist. One with a nice gas tank is rare!
Jon B, I remember when we bought a new Evinrude 3 hp exactly like the newer one in your picture to replace the one we had that was exactly like the one behind it. Thanks for the memory.
Hi Will…the dark one is a 1958, the later is 1967. I should post a video of my additional ’66 model running, 3hp OMCs of this vintage sound like a sewing machine when tuned right! 32lbs, and self-contained. I tend to forget the troubles of the world when I am on the river!
April 2022 – I just saw the same Cadillac boat and same pictures for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $7,8000 in Troy NC.