Looking for year, any help Orlando clipper

Hello everyone, I bought a boat and tried to register it and I couldn't because I didn't have bill of sale or the year of the boat. It's an old Orlando clipper that has a 3 digit serial number. My dad seems to think it's somewhere from the 1950-1960.... Apparently they want the actual year. Boat has never been registered before surprisingly. Any year suggestions will be helpful. Included in are some pics of the boat.

 

Welcome to the Forum Zack.
Have you been 'buffing up' the aluminium or has it always looked like that?
What is the 3 digit number, and where is it located?
Is it (eg) engraved on the transom, or maybe on a wee plate riveted to the hull?
In order to register the boat, what sort of 'proof' (if any) do they require re the age?

 

When I bought from my dad who bought at a yard sale it was corroded in green stuff which I buffed out with a wire brush and grinder. The 3 digit serial number was on a small riveted plate by the hull. They were asking for the year and didn't know hense is why I am looking for like year models that others have or seen

 

If it was made prior to 1972 it doesn't have a Hull Identification Number (HIN). Your real problem is no Bill of sale. All of the US states are authorized to assign an HIN to boats that are built prior to 1972, or are home built. But they need some documentation that you own the boat. (boat theft is a big problem in the US, especially Florida) You need to contact whoever you bought it from and get a signed Bill of Sale or just a signed document stating how much you paid, when you bought it and from who. Florida is particularly rigid about boat registrations. Plus whatever tax there may be is based on the value of the boat, and that is whatever you paid for it. If you hit a brick wall contact the State Boating Law Administrator and ask for how to proceed. Florida - NASBLA https://www.nasbla.org/nasblamain/about-nasbla/boating-contacts/florida If the boat was built after 72 it will have an HIN and you may have inadvertently ground it out. It would be on the outside of the transom in the upper right hand corner. If it was stamped in, there are chemicals that can bring it out. If it was attached on a plate and it's not there you're out of luck.
Another subject. Aluminum forms a protective aluminum oxide coating when left natural. That coating is invisible, but there, and it protects it from corrosion. By agressively grinding it you probably removed the oxide. Have you put any kind of a aluminum primer on it? You're going to need to do something to protect it.

From the photos it appears to have some sort of label on the inside of the transom. Is it a label? what does it say?

 

Here is some background info re Orlando Clippers -
Orlando Clipper - Classic Boat Library http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=Orlando_Clipper

Here is an old thread (from 2007) on here about Clippers - post #15 mentions looking for serial / model numbers on the hull.
1969 orlando clipper https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/1969-orlando-clipper.18523/

 

When I got it the boat was really oxidized and it was green. I sanded lightly with the grinder and wire brush to wear most of it was taken off. I painted with self etching primer, and then primer and paint so it should be fine now. What you see in the top right section of the boat is my only boat info tag. Says it was made by Orlando boat co. A division of southern lighting mrg. Co. Orlando Florida. Orlando clipper and the serial number

 

Good. It should be ok. The link BajanSailor gave you to Fiberglassics may have some good info on the year and model. (he beat me too it.)

 

I had a 10’ Clipper in the mid 60s, and it was not new, likely manufactured in the early 60’s.
It was a great boat, my Mom would have had a fit if I told her how far I travelled on that thing!
I’d just throw out a date, say 1963, it doesn’t really matter, they just need to fill in a blank.

 

Registering your boat in Florida can be a real PITA. I had built a small sailboat several years ago. No license is required for sail boats or manual powered boats. I decided to tiuse a wee little 2 HP motor on some ocassions. That means that I had to register the boat and get a boat license number. Sheeesh!!!!!

First, is that you have to get a Florida Wildlife officer to examine the boat and then go through a bunch of hogwash administrative stuff and end up with no reply or other resolution. Weeks went by and I had exhausted my considerable patience with the department of motor vehicles and the FWC who are for some reason involved. Try to call the DMV in Tallahassee and good luck with that. No way you can get to a human at that number. To hell with all that then, I will appeal to a higher authority. (No not God, but a politician) I resorted to contacting my state representative and my state senator. Wow! that really worked well. After a short period of time I got a phone call from the office of the politician and things got rolling after that.

Yours is a similar but not identical dilemma When you finally get an audience with the district tax collector you will need to produce a bill of sale or some other evidence of purchase so that the state can charge you sales tax on the purchase price. If you got the boat for free or as a gift..........no telling what the outcome of the tax assessment. After that you get to pay for a license that will cost you about $40 per year, depending on the size of the boat. Big boats cost more for a license.

I feel for you, and good luck with whatever resolution you may find. Meanwhile do not use any kind of mechanical power on the boat. A FWC officer will bust your chops to the tune of a considerable cash fine if you do not have the license numbers on your boat as well as all the safety gear such as PFDs, fire extinguishers, signalling devices and all that jazz. It is not easy to be a law abiding citizen when the price is high and the administrative mess has laid a curse on your good intentions.