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[CANADIAN ROGERS BONNIEVILLE TR]

:cry: HELP !!!
Really could use some much needed info up here in Canada. We have this 1978 Rogers Bonnieville TR and are trying to document it. It was yellow/orange, 6 gauges, and a 454 BBC pumping about 400 hp. What we are looking for are, how many TR's were made in 1978, any old pics from back then, old advertisements, brochures, owner's manuals, etc.
Any help would be a great help, as we are the only ones in Ontario with a Rogers, and one of the rare ones to have a jet. Also, any original parts, emblems, etc too.
Thanks
javacustoms@porchlight.ca

[victorfb]

well i have some good news and some bad news for ya. the good news is you have a very nice boat. my building partner has a yellow and orange 78 rogers bonneville TR. completely original. he purchased it from roger and had him make it exactly the same as the one on the brochure. ordered all the extras. he says he has the original paper work and the brochure somewere, but so far i havnt seen it. the bad news is that stuff you are asking for is impossible to find. i too have been looking for a rogers emblem for some time now. it may take a while but i know he has that paper work, just hasnt dug it out yet. when he does ill see if he will let me have it all copied. no way will he give it up. last year i was so close to getting him to sell me that boat but he changed his mind. ill keep workin it. maybe send me your address and ill keep it in my book so when he does find the stuff.
Roger wieman didnt knock out boats like most builders did. he left them in the molds for much longer. useually a week, compared to a day or less like some other builders. so im betting there are a very limited amount of 78 TR's. i think at the time he was building 3 other sized hulls aswell. your is the 19' correct? (hence the TR). the 18 and 19 were very popular at that time, and figuring he let each boat sit in the mold for a week, we can do an estemated calculation. as for the motor, you may have the 405 HP 454. that was one of the upgraded options. the pump should be a berkeley 12JG (split bowl) with an (A) cut impeller.
theres a guy on here that goes by "OldRigger", he has alot of info on these older boats as he has worked for many of the manufactures. his father worked with roger wieman and i believe he himself may have worked there for a short time aswell. rogers shop was in Bellflower, california. also if you go to "Roostwear" s web site he has an accumulation of brochures for many of the manufacturers posted.

[Heatseeker]

Vic's right. According to Old Rigger, who worked at Roger's thru the late 70's, Roger only sold 40-50 boats a year. Compare that to an outfit like Tahiti, who was popping out close to a thousand a year, and you can imagine the the difference in quality. That's not to say that Tahiti's are bad boats(because they are not), but IMO Roger's were better.
There are several guys running TR's as of late, myself included(mine was built in 79). I know of 5 or 6 that were just put together just in the last year.
Good luck finding some emblems. There are several of us who would love to find a pair or two.

[TRG]

i am in the middle of getting some made by a member of the HB boards, should know something in a week or so!