Yea some dude that goes by ROMAN1 on Texas hotboats has both boats. He is suppose to be living in the Bass Lake area still with both boats. I had a pick of boath boats in a garage together but havent found it yet. Here are some old adds for my Hondo Sprint
Pete also has the OG molds for the Hondo HX511T and the Cole TR2. I just happen to have some photos of that Potty E boat.
Very cool thread. I have had several boats, v-drives and jets. I currently own a matching set of 1977 21' Centurion pickelforks that are jet drive. Both have blown big blocks, one is up and running waiting on summer one is down with a bad pump seal. Just removed a aluminum headed 8-71 blown 555 that was a screamer. I got tired of buying racing fuel to go joy riding and replaced it with a milder blown 468.. Lots of fun blowin a 50-60 foot high rooster tail 200 feet long!! I have cool video of the boat blowin and goin...
The 7th annual Nostalgic Show and Go! is Sunday April 5 here in Phoenix at Speedworld Drag strip. Besides a hot rod gathering, drags, special exhibitions and parts swap...my event is very 'boat friendly'. Both my blown Rogers jet and Blown HEMI Hondo flat bottom will be there. I welcome other vintage drag/ski type boats with automotive powerplants. Steve <DIR>Hosting- 7th annual Nostalgic Show and Go! and swap. Drags, cool car show, parade, special exhibitions, gassers, rails, stockers, customs and much more. coming Sunday April 5, 2009 to Speedworld. Phoenix, Az -This is Arizonas longest continuest running nostalgic event, our 7th year! www.nostalgicshowandgo.org Also Hosting- Hosting 11th annual Pontiac Heaven, show, swap, drags, party and all around good time. Saturday April 4, 2009 at Speedworld near Phoenix, Az more info- www.pontiacheaven.org </DIR>
Here is the ride that hooked me on vdrives.I am the passenger, a buddy of mine giving me a ride, running around 93 in a mid 70's Kurtis vdrive
Cool old story about an old sunken Hydro, This is all I have on the story. Never have found out anything.
The great thing about the v drive and jet deals is they really have not changed that much over the years. There has been some stunning retores and re-creation going on over the last few years. The restored HONCHO is beyond bad ass. How could anyone not like this??
That "K" boat is a wonderfull piece of work. Cubic $$$$$$$. There was a time, back in the sixties, when there were lots of custom boats, and a good majority were built by their owner. That article on the "Sunken Beauty" is a typical example. Candy paint, flake, blown engines of every make, (as well as every multiple carb set-up you can think of), and we drove 'em. We skiied with 'em. Today, people look at a hydro or a flatbottom and think only"dragboat". They can be that, but they used to be more than just that. That Charger hydro in the "Sunken Beauty" article had seating for four, and was one family's idea of a custom family boat. It rode on a custom "road trailer", custom painted to match the boat, and more often than not,the mags on the trailer matched the mags on the tow vehicle, likely the family car, not a dually. Could you drag race it? Absolutely. Is it awfully fast? Sure. But, that's not the point entirely.For many, it was a family thing. We built custom water borne hot rods, highly polished, highly modified, and the "cool" factor was major. We built and drove them because we dug them. Like a fenderless hot roadster or a Harley, there's a feeling of freedom when you're moving along at speed. "Custom" boats were built by the owner, or to the owner's specifications, and usually different than the next guy's. We were livin'.......
Like Spike said we had lots of Drag boats /Jet boats here in Conn. The Conn. river Lake Zoar where the places to be late sixties early seventies. Lots of Fast boats, sking racing or just blasting. The tree huggers and Canoe people kind of put an end to it with speed limit and noise limits. Had some great times.
FYI For all East Coast guys...plans for Boat Races are in the works for May 22nd - 24th in Lowell MA. Check out this link to a thread on the V-drive forum which has more info and the details. http://www.v-driveboat.com/vweb/showthread.php?t=1604 How cool is that for the Right Coast!!
For those of you out there interested.......................................................if you're in the Los Angeles area around the beginning of August, there's an event going on in Long Beach, at Marine Stadium on August 8th. They're holding circle races there that weekend, and, the Boat Racer's Reunion will be held there at the same time. Lot's of big names, cool vintage drag boats ( yes, I'm bringing the Mortician), and hot circle racing action. So what's not to like? Check it out. This is the kind of thing you want to bring your camera to. Hopefully, I'll get some shots that I can post here. Spike (fcc2201's avatar looks like a wild ride as well.......)
Check this out...... Just today I grabbed a copy of the latest "Hot Rod Deluxe" magazine for July 2009. On page 8, there's a center spread section called "Where It All Began" showing the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1965, main floor during a "Custo-Rama" car show. Front and center in the picture are a handfull of custom boats. It's a great representation of what hot custom inboards really looked like then. There's a dual quad 406/427 Ford in a wood decked flatbottom, another big FE Ford behind that with multiple carbs( large fabricated air scoop hides what kind of carburetion), and, there's a blown/injected engine with tall zoomies( dry stacks) sticking up just into view at the bottom of the page, can't see the boat's hull enough to tell what make it is! There's two other boats in view but you can't see what powers them in the shot. They do appear to be metalflake though, with back-to-back seating. This is how we looked in 1965, and these weren't just built to show, they were ski boats. They were (ARE) exciting and fun, and they fit in your garage, UNLIKE the so-called "performance" or "ski boats" sold today...........
These are pics of a couple of my Boats, the White Sanger/392 Hemi is in 1968, this boat was the original "Climax" from the late 50's Blown fuel over 125 mph, before I bought it in 1965. As pictured it would run about 95. The other Sanger had a 478 inch BB chevy in early 80's would run about 115mph was a ski racer.
Hey Tom, Nice to see your flatbottoms. I'm sure the early one was top of the line in it's time, as I'm sure the later bubbledeck was. It would appear that you go back a ways with hot inboards. Do you still have one today? These boats are rapidly becomming like their classic hot rod counterparts, more and more you hear someone say, "...yeah, I used to have one, I should never have sold it....".
Thanks Spike. I don't own a boat now, The last I had was a 36' Cigarette with twin 454's. I have built all the plugs for some of the best Hi performance off shore fisherman Built, probably not well Known in Calif. Marlin, Dakota, Exotic.and some others. Back in the 60's, I helped tune Vern Amaral's "Flower Power" Blown Fuel Flatbottom. I loved boats so much I bought a marina on Clearlake in 72. Hardest I ever worked. Thankfully I got out of that in 79. in 87 I came to FL. and started building Boats. Right now I'm building a 27T/Hemi Roadster.
Tom, Interesting that you'd mention Vern Amaral, though I've never met him, I remember seeing his boat. Ray Caselli, who raced in Blown Fuel Flatbottom until his passing in '73, was a friend of my Dad's, (I got to know Ray because Ray did a lot of welding for my dad's business), and Vern and Ray raced in the same class. Didn't the both of them crash, or flip, at a race, at the same time? Seems I have a memory of some thing like that. You mentioned Clearlake. There's been a Vintage and Historic boat event there for the last two years. I haven't been able to go, but friends who have been there tell me it's a pretty lake, very casual atmosphere. Sounds like you're happy doing your thing in Florida. Have you been to Don Garlits' museum in Ocala? I'd like to see that! Spike
Spike: Vern Amaral and Ray Caselli used to race at the Oakland estuary all the time. Vern flipped several times, I remember him running with a cast on his arm, and the doctor told him if you break it again we cut it off. I think he was racing Caselli when Ray flipped and got killed. At any rate I think that was when they outlawed Blown Fuel Flatbottom. Someplace around here I have a bill of sale for a Hondo Hull,complete with trailer and I supplied the Chrysler engine. Vern Wrote it for me to take to the bank, but the bank would not loan me any money because the only car I had at the time was a company car. The price for the Boat, motor, trailer complete was $4500.00 (1968) And yes I've had some interesting times in Florida. And Garlits Museum is amazing. Cook and Bedwells carb/chrysler dragster that went over 150 mph in 57or58 I was standing next to it when it did that at Vacaville. They said nobody would ever break 150.
Keep this thread going guys. It's helping me to keep motivated to finish my blown '72 Hondo.....Maybe have it in the water for the first time in a few weeks. Gotta learn to drive it too.
Lake elsinore thisweekend NJBA Drag Boat Racing! THUNDER IN THE CHANNEL Date: 3/21/2009 - 3/22/2009 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM Cost: Admission: Saturday = $15 pp. and Sunday = $20 pp. Location: Levee System Entrance near Diamond Stadium
Boat Fest 2009, We just came back from the Boat Fest at Bass Lake this last weekend. I had intended to take a slew of photos to post, but, as always, I got caught up in the show and talking to people, however.................my good friend Larry Spatz took a lot of pictures! Check out this site.. www.stevensboats.com , you're going to dig it. Spike
The Jalopy Journal
