Question for Tahiti Guru?

[71tahiti]

Newby here... I have a 71 tahiti Torino. Does anyone have any knowledge about this model? Emblem on side of boat says Tahiti torino made by Dick Shuster boat co. Bellflower Ca. I have had this boat since the mid 80's but have never seen another one. Recently I saw pictures of a 1972 Beechcraft sidewinder. It is EXACTLY like my boat!!!! lol I saw multiple pics that make me positive thqt it is the same model. The driver is on the right side of the boat. IE left foot gas pedal. Was that mold sold to beechcraft? Was that the last yr that the torino was made? This boat has alot of centimental value to me and ITS A BLAST TO DRIVE. 455 OLDS Berk 12J-C pump. Any information about this boat or hull would be appreciated... Thanks Les

[old rigger]

do a search here on the boards for tahiti torino and you should find the info you need. Sidewinder built that deck, on a Tahiti bottom which is really a Glastron bottom, and everyone copied it. The guy that started Sidewinder at one time worked for Glastron, was also Dick Schusters brother in law. When he went out on his own, schuster gave him a bottom to get started with. He then turned around and sued Schuster and about 20 other buiders for patent infringment, and won.
We made the little 16 and the longer 18 too. Here's the first 18 out of the mold, we had it at the river. Me at the wheel, 15 or 16 years old and my friends. Parker strip, 1971.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/flyin-t/Tarino1.jpg

[maxwedge]

That's Parker?! Where's all the other people, boats, and stuff on the shoreline? Awesome pic.

[71tahiti]

Rigger... My boat has the steering on the right side of the boat.??? Did Tahiti drop that model? That sidewinder sure looked like a carbon copy. Is it a very fast hull? Thanks for the Knowledge.

[Cas]

do you have any pictures of your boat? side view, interior view with dash, rear view?

[OKIE-JET]

Nice pic OR. some of my best memories have that familiar haze on them.:)

[old rigger]

71 tahiti,
tahiti never stopped building the Torino until the sales petered out. Can you post up some shots of you hull, it'd make things much easier. lol
okie-jet & maxwedge, yep...lots of great memories from the river. He's a shot for ya, this was Bullhead in '61. My folks and I in our first boat. We're on the beach at what would later become Laughlin, across the river is Bullhead. We had a little trailer at the Wagon Wheel trailer park. The park is still there in what now is referred to as old bullhead. No casinos then, cept for the tiny original place Don Laughlin had, no powerplant, hell hardly any boats. :) It was great. We moved to Parker in 71, although we spent many weekends camping at Rivers Lodge in the 60s to vist our friends that had places down on the strip.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/flyin-t/thumper1.jpg

[71tahiti]

I am in the process of getting some pics.... SORRY I know questions without pics is difficult. puter challenged:(