At first, we didn't know what we had, and apparently neither did the gentleman who sold it to us. In fact, he said that it was a
home made project from 1957, as the title to it implied. He bought it with the intention of restoring it himself, but 20 years later
it was still in his back yard, more sun weathered than ever. My dad went with me to pick it up, as he just happened to be over
visiting, along with my mom, when I won the auction on Ebay.
So that evening, once everyone had left, and things quieted down, I did a little research. The only thing that had any
identifying numbers or a name was the engine, which is a Mercury Mark 30 Turbo. After some pretty intense surfing and
cross referencing, I found out more about the boat than i did the motor. Apparently they are an original set. The boat is
apparently a 1957 Wolverine by Wagemaker, and was once a very beautiful little vessel. It measures 13and a half feet, tip to
stern, with a beam of about 5 and a half feet. The problem, however, is that without any hull identification, and the title listing
it as "home made", I have no proof that it is indeed a Wolverine. But for all intents and purposes, I'm going to call it one, and
maybe some day some professional out there that happens to read this will affirm or contradict my suspicions (hint, hint,
nudge, nudge).
I took a closer look at the engine, and was quite astounded. The gentleman who sold it said that he had no idea if it ran or
not, and had done nothing to it, nor knew nothing about it. So I poked at it a bit, and was quite impressed. The anode shows
no sign or wear at all, and is built into the lower housing, so is not replaceable. The prop is in excellent shape as well.
Overall, I am pretty sure that neither the boat nor the engine saw any significant water time. The engine is a 4 cylinder, 30
horse power, electric start unit, and i can't wait to clean it up a bit and see if it runs. All i know so far is that it looks to be in
great shape, no rust or dents, and is not frozen.
Now keep in mind, we already have two boats, the 15 foot Gamefisher which although still a project, is up and running and
sees plenty of lake action, and the 18 foot Larson Runabout, which has quite a long way to go before it is done, needing a
complete engine overhaul, and various other aesthetic and practical improvements. So we really don't need three boats. But
the Wolverine looked like such a cool project, that we just couldn't pass it up. So it is only natural to give the boat to my dad
once it is done.
There was little debate as to whether we were going to restore it to its original splendor, or do what I always end up doing
with such a project, which is improve it. The latter won out. Now, if I were planning on restoring it to sell it, I would
undoubtedly want it as original as possible. But since this one is staying in the family, we are going to make some
modifications to make it more practical, and make better use of space. Oh, and I almost forgot: The best part of all? My
winning bid was only 151 dollars.
I will keep up this page updated as the restoration project continues.
home made project from 1957, as the title to it implied. He bought it with the intention of restoring it himself, but 20 years later
it was still in his back yard, more sun weathered than ever. My dad went with me to pick it up, as he just happened to be over
visiting, along with my mom, when I won the auction on Ebay.
So that evening, once everyone had left, and things quieted down, I did a little research. The only thing that had any
identifying numbers or a name was the engine, which is a Mercury Mark 30 Turbo. After some pretty intense surfing and
cross referencing, I found out more about the boat than i did the motor. Apparently they are an original set. The boat is
apparently a 1957 Wolverine by Wagemaker, and was once a very beautiful little vessel. It measures 13and a half feet, tip to
stern, with a beam of about 5 and a half feet. The problem, however, is that without any hull identification, and the title listing
it as "home made", I have no proof that it is indeed a Wolverine. But for all intents and purposes, I'm going to call it one, and
maybe some day some professional out there that happens to read this will affirm or contradict my suspicions (hint, hint,
nudge, nudge).
I took a closer look at the engine, and was quite astounded. The gentleman who sold it said that he had no idea if it ran or
not, and had done nothing to it, nor knew nothing about it. So I poked at it a bit, and was quite impressed. The anode shows
no sign or wear at all, and is built into the lower housing, so is not replaceable. The prop is in excellent shape as well.
Overall, I am pretty sure that neither the boat nor the engine saw any significant water time. The engine is a 4 cylinder, 30
horse power, electric start unit, and i can't wait to clean it up a bit and see if it runs. All i know so far is that it looks to be in
great shape, no rust or dents, and is not frozen.
Now keep in mind, we already have two boats, the 15 foot Gamefisher which although still a project, is up and running and
sees plenty of lake action, and the 18 foot Larson Runabout, which has quite a long way to go before it is done, needing a
complete engine overhaul, and various other aesthetic and practical improvements. So we really don't need three boats. But
the Wolverine looked like such a cool project, that we just couldn't pass it up. So it is only natural to give the boat to my dad
once it is done.
There was little debate as to whether we were going to restore it to its original splendor, or do what I always end up doing
with such a project, which is improve it. The latter won out. Now, if I were planning on restoring it to sell it, I would
undoubtedly want it as original as possible. But since this one is staying in the family, we are going to make some
modifications to make it more practical, and make better use of space. Oh, and I almost forgot: The best part of all? My
winning bid was only 151 dollars.
I will keep up this page updated as the restoration project continues.
These are other Wolverines I found online, for comparison.
1957 Wagemaker Wolverine?
Onward to the restoration project