This extremely rare Imperial Inboard Runabout (model JI) was built by the Penn Yan Boat Company in 1931. Penn Yan utilized a vee-drive transmission in the design of the Imperial to enable placement of the motor in the extreme stern of the boat, thereby affording more passenger room in the cockpit area.

The next generation of inboards, introduced in 1935 and known as Transports, incorporated a bronze fixture which was mounted to the exterior of the transom to provide support for the propeller strut and the rudder. This feature, known as the Safety Strut, enabled elimination of the vee-drive transmission and was utilized on all Penn Yan inboards subsequently built through 1951. When found, this Imperial had an early version of the Safety Strut which may indicate that it was used by Penn Yan as a prototype for the new drive system. The boat is presently undergoing a complete restoration.