Sears 12 ft jon boat help

[raphelps]

I have acquired a sears 12 ft jon boat. There is no tag on the transom and the original wood in transom has been replaced so no plate on that. The only thing I can find is on the bow. It has been painted over but can read stamped number 005512 which I assume is a serial number. Can anyone give me an idea of age or any other info you may know. Do you think it would be safe to run with a 1980 7.5 hp merc after I rework the transom?





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[ggoldy]

I would think a 7.5 would be fine, maybe even a 10 horse. Rebuild the transom well. The weight on the back end should be the limiting factor....at least for me.