The Boat Flat Car No. 6801 was produced on a RED flat car chassis between 1957 and 1960. Early issues came with bar-end trucks that have tabbed couplers and the number to the right of the serif "LIONEL" lettering on the sides. Subsequent variations would have the heat-stamped number to the left.

The boat was secured to the car with a No. 6418-9 elastic band. The early issues of this boat are not marked, but later Lionel would inscribed these boats "NO. 6801-60 BOAT / MADE IN U.S. OF AMERICA" to the right side of the motor box and "THE LIONEL CORPORATION / NEW YORK, N.Y." to the left of the motor box.

The boats were issued in several colors. The first issue of the boat has a WHITE hull and a BROWN deck and was available for separate sale in a late classic box numbered 6801-60 as is shown to the right. Due to the lack of the Lionel inscription on this version it is the most difficult to tell apart from the reproductions that were produced after the end of the Post War Period. The best way to distinguish a reproduction boat is to compare the height of the seat backs and the motor housing to a known original issue.

Later issues of these boats would have a YELLOW or BLUE colored hull. The cars with YELLOW boats came in box No. 6801-50 and the BLUE boats came in box No. 6801-75. There is a TEAL colored boat that many collectors attribute to the natural fading of the BLUE colored boat. However, many of this colored load have been found on other issues that date from this period. Any of these colored boats that do not have the Lionel inscription are reproductions. There are three variations:

Variation A: Produced in 1957, this variation has metal bar-end trucks that are secured to metal plates by clip and these plates are mounted on the ends of the flat car chassis. Uses mold No. 6511-2 because mold No. 6424-11 did not have the open holes to accept the boat cradle at this time. The car number is to the right of the "LIONEL" inscription on the car sides.

Variation B: Produced on chassis mold No. 6511-2, but has early AAR trucks that are directly riveted to the flat car chassis. Car number is to the left of the "LIONEL" inscription on the sides.

Variation C: Identical to Variation B but produced in 1ate 1958 until 1960 on chassis mold No. 6424-11 which was changed to accept the boat cradle with the addition of stake holes.

Variations are not attributed to the color of the boats due to the interchangeability of these loads. However, it is known that Variation A came with the WHITE hull and BROWN deck colored boat.