SEABUDDY
ON BOATS

Posts Tagged ‘outboard’

Magnum Marine started life on 188^th street with the “Maltese Magnum”, a 27’ race boat.

Magnum had replaced Donzi Marine in Don’s daily life and in 1966 he went racing in that boat. He won, so naturally, folks wanted one for themselves and a building was built and a powerboat racing legend was born.

Don Aronow wins 1967 World Championship in Magnum Marine 35 vee drive boat

Don also built a bigger and wider boat, his 35 footer, in 1967. That new boat was intended to be kept in a slip in the water. Up till now, all of Don’s boats were for trailered boats. Initially, these production 35’ cabin cruiser boats came with two gas inboard engines. However, a few were raced without their cabin and fly bridge and with up to four outboards or two inboards.

catalog sheet for the Magnum Marine 16 Marauder

He also made two smaller outboard engine powered boat designs. One was a ski boat, the 16’ Marauder. He made about 20 copies of this deep vee, 50 MPH boat design. Another boat was the Maltese Magnum Missile 16’, which was a tunnel hull boat. This boat was said to go 60 MPH with the same size outboard power as the Marauder. A production run of about 30 of these were made.

Magnum also introduced variations on the 27’ hull now. However, this was done under new company ownership. Don had sold his operating company to Apeco, keeping the building as a rental property. One of these variations was the sport deck model in 1968. The other, a cabin boat named the Sedan, came out the next year. A cabin style boat was needed for some racing classes in Europe. The 27’ Magnum Marine Sedan fit the bill for the best racing class there.

Another boat model was the Magnum 28’. This performance boat had a higher, rounded deck line primarily for more room in the cabin. It is a model without side cabin windows nor any deckhouse sides. It should have been a good seller but it was discontinued in 1979 after a six year production run.

It was in 1976 that Apeco sold Magnum Marine to Filippo Theodoli and his wife, Katrin.

They brought out the infamous Magnum 53′ in 1977. She was a two staterooms, wide-beamed, high performance yacht. This model re-directed Magnum Marine into a different kind of a boat company. New boat models were now powered by diesel engines. These new models were to be very high-style yachts that were eminently seaworthy in moderate seas with each having a good turn of speed.

first 53' Magnum Marine

Seabuddy thanks Magnum Marine for their photos and the last one shown here is his favorite shot of this brand.

Factory photo of a 44 footer running fast in rough seas

One of the top boats at the Classic Boat Show

It is not about twin engine outboards on a classic boat. It is about fine art on the water in seabuddy’s book. Ventuno is Italian for 21 I am told. To me, this boat looks like an early 1950s fiberglass outboard boat. But, she is still being finished and she was just a gleam in the mind of Gary Mac Norris in 2005.

frame work started

Construction started the following year as a chalk line on a shop garage floor. Gary, like most artists, knew what he wanted. He bent a thin flexible section of wood into a more defined outline. Then he made the wood framework. So the boat would come off the building frame, that was covered with visqueen.

beginning of composite hull balsa core

Now the hull was started over the framework. Sheets of balsa wood scribed into 21/2 inch square blocks and set on a cloth like backing was applied over the form. That balsa was shaped and sanded into the final contours of what Norris had imaged in his mind.

Then several layers of epoxy saturated fiberglass mat/cloth over that made the outside hull finish. Then, the boat was taken off its building frame and the epoxy fiberglass layup was put on the under (or the inside) of the hull.

twin Mercury outboard engines on 21' custom fiberglass runabout boat

Thus, this art boat is a composite boat. A boat hull and deck of a sandwich of epoxy resin, fiberglass cloth, and balsa wood. OH! And lots of custom tricks to get that super glossy smooth finish that stops everyone’s eye when they see the boat.

custom touch shows the levle of finish

There are lots of custom touches on this classic boat. The dash is machine water cut engine turned metal from the aluminum mock up Gary gave to an aircraft builder. No stock seats fit in the narrow cockpit that was in this art design, so four had to be bought and cut / narrowed to fit. One of the top three boats at the Tavares Classic Boat Show, IMO.

Hand made dash and Windshield

This model Lyman was only made for two model years, and this one is from the last year of production. She is a 1960 outboard Lyman 17’.

Nice restored wood Lyman outboard powered boat

This is Seabuddy’s favorite Lyman model for its balance of easy trailering, roomy cockpit, and plenty of power. Go smaller, to the 16 1/2 foot outboard Lyman and one is limited to a 60 horsepower engine. The next size up in the Lyman outboard powered line-up was the 18’ where most would choose twin 35-40 horsepower engines, which adds complication in systems, controls, and over-the-road towing weight.

This boat seems to have gloss rather than a semi-gloss white painted hull sides on its clinker built outboard. The natural wood stains and varnishes look spot on. Many Lyman owners prefer the gloss finish, so she should be easy to be sold if one wanted to so in the future. Here the seats, deck and other parts show, to me, the correct, or “as built”, finishes. Lyman mahogany filler stain with varnish over would be the proper choice. Lyman boats was also known for its use of ribbon striped (sometimes called tiger striped) mahogany veneered marine-grade plywood. That material grade is more expensive, but to seabuddy it is worth it.

nice, correct interior with lots of room

What is “clinker built”? It is the lapstrake construction style of planking. Each plank edge overlaps the other and they are clinched nailed to the ribs (plus, screwed to the frames) such that an edge is shown at each plank for its full length along the hull side that helps soften the ride. Also, these are flexible boats that can twist over the waves somewhat to give a better ride than most classic boat persons would expect. Get a ride in a Lyman to experience this for yourself.

Note, the trim tabs for low speed planning performance

Lyman Boats had their production peak in 1955, with over 5,000 boats produced in sizes from 13’ to 20’ in length. These 1950-1960 year Lyman boats were well built, light, long lasting wooden boats.

A classic fiberglass hot rod go-fast sport boat from the 1950s this time. She is one wild looking, curvaceous fiberglass catamaran powered by two “Tower of Power” six cylinder 100 horsepower Mercury Marine outboards. She is now fully restored and is ready to tear up the lakes of the nation’s waterways.

bow photo of Cat hull classic

Early fiberglass classic examples of hot boats are rare. Seabuddy has never before seen one of these boats before this year’s Sunnyland ACBS boat show. Let alone, a ready to blast off example of one restored with the power and set-up that matches the 1959 Mercury Marine test report specs. See my photo here from that report. She is not over-restored, just a late 1950s rig brought back to as first-sold condition by an expert fiberglass boat loving owner.

Note the classic dash and gauges

Mercury got 43.9 MPH out of this boat in their Lake X boat test report published in 1959 when loaded down for a four person weight loading. 46.9 MPH with only a driver on board. These performance numbers were after setting and propping the engines in the best position on the boat, including the tilt pin hole (no power trim on these classic engines). Remember, those Boat House Bulletins? Many boats were boat tested in fair, actuate boat tests using Mercury Outboard power that covered a broad spectrum of power boating.

twin tower of power Mercury Marine outboards

A Samoan boat model built by the South Seas Boat Company of Lake Helen, Florida is a 16’ 10” long fiberglass cat with a beam of 94”. Think of a boat-only weight of 728 lbs. To that, add the weight of the engines, rigging, fuel, gear, batteries, and passengers. This one heart stopping boat in my book!

1959 photo from mercury marine boat house report

Not! This a new boat built by Aristo Craft and powered by a new four stroke 40 horsepower Yamaha customized with a 1960 Evinrude Starflite Cowl. The boat is made with the old tooling and materials and in the old way. The motor is a modern one fitted with a hand crafted engine cover that matches the needs of a four stroke on its inside and shows the lines of an old vee block two stroke Evinrude on its  outside (public) shell.

underside showing Yamaha inside / classic Evinrude Starflite outside

An Aristo Craft Torpedo is a wood 13’ 9” by 5’ outboard fun dual cockpit classic ribbon grained mahogany runabout. It and its sister ship, the Typhoon, were made by the Atlanta Boat Works since about 1946. Wood boat construction was replaced by fiberglass boats around 1959.

Looks like an Evinrude Starflite Cowl hiding a new four stroke Yamaha outboard

Using the same boat building plant, the manufacturing tools were changed, the production lines were ajusted, and the boat models were completely changed. BTW, The famous fiberglass model was a 19 foot inboard outboard (I/O) model often shown with a hardtop. Seabuddy remembers those boat ads, too. It was a roomy family runabout, not a sportster runabout, which is what I would label the Torpedo model boat. Fiberglass boat production ended in 1980.

new Aristo Craft outboard boat powered by a four stroke Yamaha made to look like a evinrude

Now, Bill Turner, son of the company founder, Claude Turner, will make you a new one. He makes them one at a time.  His wood Torpedo updated only where the Coast Guard rules require changes. Your boat is built on the original jigs. And with the same aluminum hardware which is cast and hand polished to match what was done in 1956.

The detailing is perfect down to the Decals and hardware

World Record Run for Evinrude OMC Outboard Motors

Starflite III, the race boat, powered by a Starflite II, the OMC Evinrude outboard motor is shown setting a new World outboard Speed Record of 122.97 MPH is shown in this photo.

Starflite was the OMC Evinrude name for its 50 Horsepower V-4. In 1960 this engine was made lighter in weight and bigger in its displacement. Now as an 89.46 cubic inch V-4 engine, the next generation top-of-the-line OMC outboard was rated at 75 HP and named Starflite II.

Hu Entrop made a new race boat, Starflite III, a 14 foot long 3 point Hydroplane. At Lake Havasu, AZ in September 1960 he upped his OMC ( his prior Starflite Too had gone 114 MPH) and  Mercury Marine records (his and Burt Ross’s record in another Ted Jones Hydroplane).

Note, it has been suggested that Ralph Evinrude personally contributed with some of his own money to help Entrop with his two Evinrude boats and this round of record setting. Once the next boat came along a racing budget was inbedded within the company.

While the OMC racing effort used a bigger displacement engine than Mercury Marine (89.46 for the Evinrude, 59.4 for the Mercury), they used a pump gas and outboard oil mix to power the engine. He also used stock spark plugs in the motor. Hu did use megaphone exhaust stacks and a almost custom-made racing lower unit. Naturally, the since the starter was removed to save weight, someone had to hand coil a rope around the flywheel and do a rapid pull of that rope to get the engine to turn over (start). The lower unit had no gear set, the engine started in forward gear.

Setting the record on Lake Washington in RX 3

This photo shows a stock Mercury Marine Mark 75 H which was then modified by Charlie Strang to run on alcohol on this Hu Entrop built race boat to set the world outboard speed record on June 7,1958.

In the 1950s, the horsepower and all out speed race came to America via a battle between OMC’s Evinrude and Mercury outboard motors. OMC introduced the V-block engine to outboards with their 50 horsepower V4 “Fat Fifty”. Mercury came out with its in-line 6 cylinder Mark 75 which developed 60 horsepower. Charlie Strang was the father of this Mercury engine.

Carl Kiekhaefer commissioned Ted Jones to design a smaller, lighter Hydroplane like his Slo-Mo-Shun and Miss Thriftway designs that were winning all the Gold Cups in the 1950s. Ted designed this racer. From that design, Hubert Entrop built the race boat RX-3.

Strang modified a Mercury Marine Mark 75 outboard engine and its lower unit to a racing one. Charlie’s modified engine made 83 horsepower at 7,500 rpm, rather than the stock 60 HP at 5,500 rpm. Charlie was the chief designer for Mercury at this time.

After this racing engine and boat did not break any records at Lake X in Florida, Hu Entrop took it to his home state of Washington, where his day job was building aircraft models for Boeing’s wind tunnel work. Also, from Washington state was Jack Leek who functioned as the mechanic for the record attempts. On Lake Washington, in June of 1958, the APBA timed this record breaker at a two-way average speed of 107.821 mph.

This was a new, world record and the first American soil world outboard top speed record since 1937. In fact, it was about 30 mph faster than the old USA only standing record.

OK, they said that they had a good boat show when interviewed. It is easy to question such a statement (particularly from a boat dealer), except the head of the company is being quoted as saying it, not a salesman. That adds weight to the statement, in my book.

Second, Boston Whaler is having a very good sales rate month over month this year versus the prior year in another interview.

Now, here is the real conformation to seabuddy. They are hiring folks for some management slots and second shift production workers. They are running ads to hire workers!

What is selling?

Note the triple power in this outboard powered center console boat

The most frequent long lead time model (sometimes a up to three year wait) is the 370 Outrage. This is a 37’ 6” long center console with triples (as most outboard 37’ boats are) for 900 horsepower. The beam is 11’ 6”.

Cruising speed is best at 4,500 RPM for a fuel burn rate of 34-35 GPH. Speed is just somewhat slower at 31-33 MPH at that rpm. WOT delivers 50 MPH and the boat burns gas at the rate of 86-88 GPH at those speeds.

special seating at the front of the Center Console

The twin engine boat that is hard to get is the 26’10” by 9’ beam 270 Vantage. Here it is a 4,000 RPM cruise for 30 MPH and 16-17 GPH. 47 MPH is WOT while burning through your gas at 47 GPH.

Note the blunt bow which makes for a roomy head to port

For a single outboard powered boat the hot Whaler is the 230 Vantage. This is a 23’ 2” with a legal with no permit trailering beam of 8’ 6”. Top speed here is 43-44 MPH at a 30 GPH. 4,000 RPM cuts fuel burn back to 10 GPH at a speed of 26 MPH.

seabuddy thanks Boston Whaler for these photos.

Hydra-Sports will offer their new 2013 Center Console Fishing Boat with 4 outboards, with a total horsepower of 1,400. Four 350 Yamaha V-8s. This boat can also come with four Mercury Verado engines and they have tested this model fighting fisherman with just three outboards.

New Hydra-Sports 42 at speed

This four outboard engines on a 42 foot center console is not for top speed or cruising speed numbers, it is for 0-30 MPH acceleration, pep when fighting a fish, snappy acceleration, get up and go. Prop diameter limitations, reduction gear ratios, and less engine torque down lo low on the RPM scale cause quality boat builders to mount many outboards as boat weight adds up.

Tuna door on the Hydra-Sports 42 Center Console fish boat

This Hydra Sport should weigh in at 12 tons. That heft demands multiple outboards. Four Yamaha V-8 outboards offer 1,300 cubic inches of displacement which is about the best indication of low end, out-of-the-hole grunt as one can get without knowing the actual torque ratings of an engine. Four 300 Horsepower Mercury Verado engines only offer 632 cubic inches. Try a boat rigged with both power set-ups and feel for yourself the difference all those extra cubic inches of the V-8 outboards do to make a peppy boat.

The seating is for three wide straight across behind the center console

This center console has a beam of 12 foot 2 inches and a 23 degree deep vee bottom. Fuel capacity is 630 gallons. Tops speed is 59-61 mph. Seating is comfortable and generous. This is a true center console with a wider than legal trailer width without a special permit.

fighting fish in the 2013 Hydra Sports 42 Center Console

Photos by Hydra-Sports.

New product for 2013. It allows for the boater to control or move any tow, three, or four big engine outboard powered boat in any direction via the joystick. It allows for no stress in docking and maneuvering around the marina and in other tight areas, all when it is less than ideal for wind, current, or traffic conditions.

Think easy boat handling while being more quiet within the cockpit. It offers better control than bow or stern thrusters. This is proportional steering and throttle control in one fingertip. It includes Smart Craft digital throttle and shift (DTS) with electra – hydraulic steering. This is an all Mercury made system. And it is baked by the full single source Mercury warranty.

With a joy stick equipped boat, a boat owner can move his craft sideways or at any angle. Make the boat rotate on its own axis with a twist of the joy stick.

Speed up the power to fight for perfect control in special conditions, like a windy day. It is proportional control of thrust and speed. It includes an enhanced docking mode. It allows for long low speeds within no-wake harbors. It is packaged with Smart Craft and DTS (digital throttle and shift).

Joystick Piloting for outboards mates to either 250 HP or 300 HP Verado engines by Mercury Marine.

Expect to see boats in the water and ready for a sea trial test ride at the 2013 Miami Boat Show. More info here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWOuwktmDlI