1948 Speedliner 14-foot Trophy -

I am currently in the process of restoring this 1948 Speedliner 14-foot M-114 Trophy. These boats were manufactured by the Speedliner Boat Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. The company was originally called General Marine Company.

I purchased the boat in July 2015, from the original owner who was a farmer in Montana. With the long winters and a huge workload, you can just imagine how much time he had to enjoy a wooden runabout.

The seller hand built the tubular suspension trailer in which the boat is towed. I plan to restore it and use it to show the boat. I also have a Tee Nee trailer, which I will restore and use for the boat.

Speedliners were all made of plywood. However, the 14-foot Trophy was totally planked in mahogany, as were several of the other more deluxe Speedliners. This boat had a plywood bottom, which I plan to replace with mahogany. The seller tired of having to swell the boat every year, so he glassed over the hull sides and the bottom.

The fiberglass peeled off in large sheets like a bad sunburn. Unfortunately, the underlying mahogany hull sides were split and damaged and had to be removed and replaced.

The boat has split cockpits separated by a center deck. The decks are covered with individual mahogany planks.

Stripping off the plywood bottom was a painful experience because of the fiberglass fibers.

I plan to power the boat with a 40-hp 1955 Mercury Mark 55e outboard engine.

Tom Hage in Haltom City, Texas, performed a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration of the engine. It is beautiful, runs like a champ, and should provide plenty of power for this small, lightweight boat, even with a tub of lard like me driving it.