Here's a boat that, sadly, isn't made today. These are excerps from a sixties Nordic Catalog. Nordic flatbottoms,these boats were as nice as any. Their long deck hull for circle racing was cool, and, check out the very rare 427 Ford Tunnel Wedge, in photos 2 and 6, makes most big blocks today look like a booger.
I restored a '67 Hallett circle race hulled ski boat, ( SK-85 "Wild Cherry"), Hallett made a fine flatbottom. Here's their pamphlet from the sixties.
Sanger Boats in the sixties.....Need your fix of Metalflake? Wood decks turn you on? Check out the sixties catalog, especially the Metalflake chip-chart on the back cover!
Here's a boat that just came out too late in the game, but stayed around long enough to leave it's mark on racing. Cole Boats. Most of their flatbottoms were runner-bottoms, and to my knowlege, their hydros were all pickle-forks. I believe the catalog is from the late seventies/ early eighties.
Nordic, Hallett and Sanger, all still in biz. Sanger Jack's family, I believe, still runs his old company. Hallett's still owned by Nick and Nordic only sold 5 or 6 years ago to it's new owner. Nice to see these old names still around. Like Howard boats. Been owned by Gene now for 20 years but still there. Howard Brown was our neighbor when I was a kid and rented a house from my parents, I worked for him many years later. Dad knew Rich Hallett and I can still remember going to his shop and seeing him work on his later to be world record holder for Lee Taylor. Dad worked for Nick Barron in the early 80's, his last stop before getting out of the boat thing altogether.
Speaking of El Camino's and boats. As the story goes Gaylord Boats hooked up with GM to help develop the 429. As part of the program he was given a concept 65-66? El Camino convertable that he and GM used at trade shows. (sorry if my facts are not 100%) I tried.
Hey Flyin' T, I'm glad my catalog postings woke up a discussion! Actually, when you talk about Sanger, Nordic, Hallett, Howard, etc., being around still, you're right, but in name only. NONE of these companies make their family ski boat flatbottoms, or drag hulls anymore. Hallett doesn't make their flatbottom anymore, same for Sanger, Howard, Nordic, Schiada, pick a name, they're into big, huge, expensive, ocean type hulls, not so much a ski or drag type of hull. Cole Boats, around for decades? Perhaps Jim has, but not the business. Post a Cole sixties ski boat with a true flat bottom and no t-deck with back-to-back seating for four and thru-hull exhausts from the sixties, I'll publicly stand corrected. I've been in Cole's shop in Chatsworth many times when he was there, ( I live in West Hills right next door to Chatsworth). As for getting a Cole hull today, you can contact Pete Giroux, of Giroux Marine, in Camarillo. He has one or two of Cole's molds, and will lay up one for you. Giroux also has , I believe, a Deaver hydro mold, and will make you one of those as well. (Pete and I are old friends) Point is, and I'm not schooling here, but I know my boats. The discussion is vintage drag boats, and although included here are entries of more ski-able boats, we're really looking at what was, not 2011. Go talk to Casale, of Casale v-drives, or Robert Dean at Glenwood, they'll tell you about the days when they were pumping out components because the boat companies were in full swing. VERY FEW V-DRIVES ARE BEING BUILT TODAY, and mostly by independants. Insurance companies, Lawyers, Idiots, rising gas prices, there are various trains of thought as to why the breed has slowly declined from prominence. It's sad really. I still enjoy mine. Fun is fun.
My god! How cool is this! How many people out there could honestly say they wouldn't want that package sitting in their driveway. QUOTE=LANCE-SPEED;6781464]Speaking of El Camino's and boats. As the story goes Gaylord Boats hooked up with GM to help develop the 429. As part of the program he was given a concept 65-66? El Camino convertable that he and GM used at trade shows. (sorry if my facts are not 100%) I tried. [/QUOTE]
Spike: a while back I was contacted by a guy That said he saw my post about the original CLIMAX. He said his father worked for Sanger at the time and built that boat. His father rmembered that someone in Hayward had the boat, (ME) but lost track of it after that. Glad that someone believes I didn't just make that up.
That's what I figured, How's your project(s) Stevens, etc. coming? ...some update pics would be great! Don't be holdin out.
Hey Flyin' T!, No need to get defensive. I'm not your enemy. I'm trying to point out that these boats are gone, they're not produced anymore by the name company. I worked for seven years at Spindler Engineering. It is my understanding that Ron Spindler bought the company from Leonard Schiada, and Ron's son Lee, ran the company, and Stan was Shop foreman. I was in and out of Schiada's shop in Torrance ( where the hulls were laid up ), as well as the assembly shop in Van Nuys, many times, and there wasn't a family v-drive, or drag, or circle race flatbottom in sight ever being built, (although the old mold was up on the roof). I asked Lee what he would charge to build one of their flatbottoms, and he told me probably $18,000 for just the hull, as they would have to make all new patterns for the wood, and no one there had ever built one. That's what he told me. I don't think they have the mold anymore today. The smallest boat that Schiada put out from 1999 to 2006,( when I worked for Schiada's owner) was a 24 foot Day Cruiser. Not quite your family ski boat. You could, but that's pushing the definition, and most don't, and there were only a few v-driven ones that I saw during those years to boot. I'm not bagging on Cole either, in fact, I think his boats were pretty nice, and did well as race boats. Truth is though, the era when hot inboards were in their heyday, came to a CLOSE in the seventies, just as Cole was revving up. I thought people would enjoy seeing the catalog because the boats are beautiful . After the seventies, only a drag racer would be in the market for a runner bottomed, t-decked, balsa floored, skinny stringered, light weight hull. Families were going towards the "Malibu- Skier", "Ski-Sanger, "SKI-Nautique" style boats, jets, and later, wakeboard style boats. The era of hot family flatbottoms faded. I'm told there are more '32 Ford roadsters on the road today, than 'Ol Henry built at the factory, because private companies build new cars just like them. With many of these old boat hulls, it's a similar thing, the original company has stopped making them, but some molds have avoided being thrown away , got bought, and a few people will lay up a new ( designed years ago) hull. Anyway, I appologise if my previous post rubbed you wrong, certainly NOT my intention.
Cool catalog Spike. Cole boats were certainly a beautiful product, as we learned first hand, having raced "Airtime", the boat that Jim Epler won the World Finals with. There were also some beautiful TR2 copies made buy Cougar Boats up here in BC. The first one out of their mold was owned by my brother, and the fourth one, a B/A Flat I crewed on, but it had a sad end, stuffing in nose first at the finish line, at very high speed. Sadly they are no longer produced either, since Cougar also went more into the day cruiser market, and then the company was sold and moved to the American mid west.
Those flatbottom days on the Parker Strip are not completely gone. The hayday of its peak popularity most definitely is. There is still a small sub-culture of oldschool enthusiasts who are still at it. You won't find too many on any big weekends, but during weekdays and a few annual gatherings planned during weekdays it can be quite a shin-dig. That's when the water is still the same. As for Schiada under Spindler, the 21 River Cruiser v-drive continues to be produced for very big bucks. Smallest boat? I hear they recently layed up one of their 10' mini outboards they used to do in the mid 80's. The flat bottom mold was found years back in Fallbrook by the Harper family(longtime Schiada family friends and early employees) who returned it to Schiada. I've heard as Spike said, that Lee will build one but for no small cost. And there is a trick to using that mold I would definitely consult the Harpers on. Here's some photos from one of our last Parker trips. 1968, 69, and 71 Schiada flattys and a 1981 20' v-drive ski race boat.
I thought that little outboard was a 12 footer but you're probably right. Yeah the vintage flat, even early jet, thing has been pretty strong for about 10 years or so. I think it's very cool that the hulls are being sought out and restored. If my back was better I'd like to redo a early Biesmeyer, '59-62, some thing in that era. Rusty's 18 footer was really nice but like my old Buck Smith, flat as a pool table. The old Howard on the other hand was all rocker and heavy, mashed down the rough stuff and rode pretty nice. We had the old Schiada 18 GN mold at Howard's. Nice mold, good lookin hull.
There's a bunch of 10's out there and three or four 12'ers. Dave has a 10 and a 12 currently. The Schiada/Howard 19 mold is still around. I forget the name of the current owner...but those are cool boats.
I love these "Hot Rods on water" Been working on mine for a while. Late 70's I know but still fun. The tow rig will be my '56 2 door Custom line.
Well, It appears that I owe everyone an appology. I was not aware that Schiada still made their 21' Daycruiser. So I am wrong as to their smallest boat, ( the little outboard not withstanding). That's still a big boat in comparison to what families skied with, up to when daycruisers became popular, or what was /is used to drag race with. Honestly, wouldn't you consider a daycruiser in a different category as a flat or hydro? Anyway, I'll not beat this dead horse any longer. Here's some cool ads you all might dig . Enjoy. And check out the 2nd ad, Nordskog Marine selling racing fuel for 50 cents per gallon...
Spike: Have any brochures on MARLIN BOATS out of Renton, Wash.?? Not the Marlin in Oregon though. My Marlin was manufactured by Don Whatmore, after he and Skagen split ways. Hard to find info on it, Thanks either way. Ken
Did you find a oil pan for a SBC in that pile!! I am in need of a oil pan for a flat bottom V-drive we are restoring with a 350 and tri power and a power glide!
You posted a Steven's that LeadSledMerc built, didn't give any credits and was wondering if you knew he built it is all.............. In another post he was asking me how my project was coming along as it's identical to his, sorta.........
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