Sidewinder Boats

[Old Guy]

I used to have a '72 Sidewinder jet boat. It was the smoothest riding boat I ever rode in. I have seen the same (or looked the same) bottom on a few other boats and I have seen boats that looked very much like a copy of the complete boat with a different name. Does anybody (Old Rigger?) know who originated Sidewinder boats? Who copied who?
old

[BiggusJimbus]

Well,
While I was too young to know all the details, here's what I think I know about this.
My uncle, Jack VanEk who lived in Redding until sometime in the early eighties built boats for a guy named Jim Lloyd. In '70 or '71 (I was about 6), Jim gave my uncle a motor and pump to build into his own boat.
Jack has a large family (6 kids) and none of the Tahiti style boats they were building at the time were big enough. So, he took that 16' Tahiti mold, splashed it, lengthened it, widened it and updated the deck and knocked out the first sidewinder. That first boat had no windshield like the later ones did.
I'm going to ask my dad to scout around through his pictures to see if he has any pictures of this boat. I vaguely remember it as a 2 tone orange affair with a Ford 390 motor. I'll find out about those details as well.
What happened with the name and molds is unknown to me. I will have to ask Jack next time I see him, as I am now curious as to the facts as to how this all came about. I'll also ask him the name of Jim Lloyd's company. I know Jack, and his son John later worked for Marlin, which is why they moved on up to Oregon.
Anyway. Probably not as many answers as you would like, but a bit of heresay history can be interesting.
Jim.
[ July 03, 2003, 10:14 AM: Message edited by: BiggusJimbus ]

[Old Guy]

Thanks Jim, I had a feeling that there was a lot of splashing going on with somebody's hull design. I have always wondered where the design originated and where "it" went after that.
old

[old rigger]

great story jim.
old guy, that old bottom on the 16 Tahiti, and countless copys, originally was a glastron bottom. Dick Schuster and his first employee, Gil Gaska, took that Glastron bottom, cut it down and added the SK style deck. This was in 64. My dad started to work for Dick in 66. That sidewinder deck was also built for the 16 too, and there was a lawsuit over Schuster using it on the Tahiti.
Tahiti also had the larger 18 foot v-bottom with the wraparound windshield like Jim mentioned. I have pics of the first one, Tahitis first I mean, at the river at my dads place in 71 or 72. Great riding boat, lots of room. Wouldn't mind having one of those today. This one had all white tuck and roll interior and a 2 tone blue flake gel.

[BiggusJimbus]

I'm going to talk to my dad this week.
I am sure that there are picture of that boat around. I'll see if I can score them and scan them.
Maybe get a few details about all of this.
Jim.

[BiggusJimbus]

Double post.
That was odd.
[ July 03, 2003, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: BiggusJimbus ]

[BiggusJimbus]

Now,
Was Dick Schuster's company Bell Industries? Or was that a later (or earlier) owner of Tahiti?

[old rigger]

In a nut shell,
Dick sold Tahiti to Bell in the late 60's. He stayed on a president of the company and Bell put in place a bean counter named Groom to oversee things. Together they started Hawaiian through the back door of Tahiti. Originaly Hawaiians were called Tiki Boats and we even built 30 or 40 of them. A huge lawsuit followed the start up of Tiki forcing the name change and sending Groom off to prison. Dick stayed out of the joint. Later after the gas crunch of the late 70s and early 80s, Hawaiian went tits up along with alot of other shops.
Dick bought Sun Ray boats for his kids to have something to do. Never heard, or cared, what became of Groom.

[sidewound]

Cool Post. :D
I got one. eek!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/114Super_18_Jet.jpg
Doug sent me this. Thanks!!! :D I would also like any information on the rise and fall of this hull. From what I've accertained the last place they were built was north of me in Minnesota.
How bout some of you lurking sidewinder owners. SIDEWAZ? Doug? Frank? Any input?
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[Old Guy]

Great information guys. When I was restoring mine about 15 years ago, I wanted to get some new chrome nameplates 'cause the one's that were on it were both broken. As I recall (not always perfect), I was told that Sidewinder boats were being manufactured by Thompson Boat Co. I called them and was told that the nameplates had been replaced with vinyl decals so I didn't get any. I was also told that they were only making Sidewinder I/O's, no jets.
old

[oldphart]

Mine was a 74 Tahiti sidewinder that looked like the one in the brochure. Original colors were silver, red and blue large metalflake. boat was pictured in hot boat on the jet page in I think sept of 2000. Was destroyed in a theft shortly after pictures were taken. was the best riding boat I ever owned and did an honest 68 with a warm Olds. As it had new everything I looked for a hull for a couple of years but only found 17' outboards. I'd still like to find one in cali reasonable enough to build.

[Jake W]

My first jet was a Sidewinder1976 with a Berk JC and a 460 ford.I still use the pump and motor out of it.It was a great boat but very heavy you could do jumping jacks on the deck.Mine was like the one in the pic with the wind sheild.It was Yellow and black and the black had gold metal flake in it.It had 3 scalops on the front kinda of loked like a bat.so we called it the Bat boat.I ended up repainting it all new wireing, gages int,carpetand then ended up tradeing the hull and trailor for work and parts on my Tahiti.Taylor used the windsheild on their SS model.I all ways thought it was cool that the emblens on mine looked brand new.
Jake

[sidewound]

That's pretty weird that taylor had an SS model since my Sidewinder is the SS model.
SIDEWINDER SUPER
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[Jake W]

Taylors was called a Supper Sport and in my opinion the Taylor SS was a nicer looking boat,it has the SJ bottom witch looks better than thay deep entery hull the Sidewinder has.To me the best of the hideck hulls was the Starbuck 18 it had a wrap around windsheild and the hull was much nicer looking than the Sidewinder Taylor SS and Avenger hideck.What is funny is that Sidewinder sued Tahit for making a top similer to theirs when in fack they used Tahits bottom to make their boat in the first place.Go figure.If any of you guys have pics of these hulls please post them so we can see the similarites and diffrences I will try to find some.
Jake :D

[BiggusJimbus]

Jim Lloyd actually had a license deal with Tahiti to produce their boats.
The original Sidewinder WAS based on the 16 ft. Tahiti, but had some important differences.
Looks like that first one was made in about '69.
Jim.

[Old Guy]

This was posted as a '78 Tahiti. I don't know who's it is, or when it was posted, but I saved it for some reason.
http://files.triton.net/old1/78tahiti.jpg
old

[Old Guy]

Then again, this was posted as a 1970 Sidewinder. I notice that the transom looks a little different from the '72 I had.
http://files.triton.net/old1/1970_sidewinder.jpg
Also noticed the steering wheel seems to be on the "correct" side. This one could be a 16' version.
old

[sidewound]

Hey Old,
The white boat with the blue trim, maybe possibly a Sidewinder. Tahiti, Cobrajet and another I can't think of right now have similar boats that I couldn't tell apart from mine. The guy at the local marina took in a cobrajet on trade and wanted to sell it to me. Said he'd take what he gave for it on trade. $2500. I told him I wanted some of the shit was smokin.
It looked exactly like mine except for these three details.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/114Sidewinder_super_008-med.jpg
Does anyone know if these three grooves were a trademark of the "SIDEWINDER" brand. I've never seen them on a similar hull without the Sidewinder name. I saw someone refer to them as scallops. Sure doesn't remind me of a BATBOAT! Maybe those were some different trademark details. I'd like to see some pictures of the scallops on the "BATBOAT". Just curious.
After trying to use the computor and then trying to come up with info on Sidewinder boats I came on a lotta wierd stuff. Who's the GURU? he he he
I am curious yellow! NOT!!! It's metalflake blue dude! HA!
Just stirrin it up to try to get some more OLD's to come forward. I always dig gettin info on this hull. Everybody boat on. Hopefully my project gets wet soon!
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[diggler]

Old Guy:
This was posted as a '78 Tahiti. I don't know who's it is, or when it was posted, but I saved it for some reason.
http://files.triton.net/old1/78tahiti.jpg
old Hey Old Guy, that's my boat you got there. It's actually a 1972 Tahiti. The post of the 1970 sidewinder is a picture I took last year at the Lost Isle.
there's multiple pics of my Tahiti at
http://groups.msn.com/DigglersPics/pictures

[Jake W]

Hey Sidewound.I was saying on my Sidewinder on the Deck of it it had 3 gellcoats pattrens that went to a point from the windsheild to the front that looked like a bat sign.My Sidewinder had the 3 indentations on the side of it I have never seen one with out it.And at my lake I have seen about 6 or 7 of them.I am not sure if you smoked a bowl wink befor you read my post BUT I WAS NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR BOAT AT ALL.Just the one I had.Mabey I misread your post ??? :confused: But I hope this clareafies some things I said.I have a whole stack of pics of the one I had but no scanner sorry.Mine was made in Wesconsion buy some one who loved their chopper gun.
Jake :D

[77468sleekcraft]

there was a sidewinder boat that was on blue lake in wa st this weekend,cool boat but it was a little beat ...he tryed to play but, well you know-----he got spanked ----oh yea 6 or 7 boat lengths ahead... :D

[Old Guy]

Hey Diggler
That's a nice looking boat you have there.
old

[sidewound]

Hey Jake,
No offense meant at all. I was just wondering if maybe you had a scallop desighn in the glass. I thought it might have had some other type of Sidewinder detail. The grooves ,slashes, scallops,whatever. I'm just curious about my boat and folke round here don't usually talk about em much. How'd you like yours?
Peace man :cool:
CESAR

[sidewound]

Jake P.S.
My boat was supposedly built in Palo Alto. According to the nameplates. It's a 72. They liked the chopperguns too.
I'm gonna start tellin lookielous the deck is a "Special Chopper Gun Deck". Here in Iowa they'll think that's ""DA SHIT"" he he he
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[Jake W]

I was not offended at all just having a little fun with you.I liked mine just fine it rode good turned good and handeled rough water very good.It was just not the style I wanted after a while.Watch the bawl stear on it though.And it was harder to dock than a more shallow v.
Jake :D

[old rigger]

there's at least 2 18 Tahiti's with the wrap around windshield right now on the boat traders web site. One's and outboard listed as a 20 footer and the other is a jet in Oklahoma with a cracked block. He still asking over 4 grand and it need a new block! Neither one of these have windshield anymore, man are they ugly with out them.
The early 16 Tahiti's with the sidewinder deck had the 3 little grooves on the side of the deck, but they were changed after a lawsuit.
I didn't know that sidewinders were chopper gun boats. That sucks.

[Jake W]

Old rigger only the decks are not the bottoms,and yes it does suck.
Jake

[bilgewiper]

Lets see if I can post a picture of my 1969 16' (actually 15'10" on center)Sidewinder 455 Berk JA. Bought from orginal owner in 1981 for $1100 (it was Metalflake green/blue with white racing stripe)restored it to this color combo and sold it for $3200 a year or two later. If I found another one today preferably with a Chevy I would buy it just to see if I could be young again like in that redickulous picture!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/82469_Sidewinder_400X.jpg

[sidewound]

Bilgewiper you rock.
We mailed some time ago and you sent me pictures of the yellow 16'. Very cool li'l skateboard. If anyone who reads this knows where one of these is at that could be had I'd sure appreciate a note. With some big power I'm bettin those gotta ROCK!!!
The other pics you sent me awhile back were awesome. Unfortunatly my box took a shit and I lost them. If you get a chance to send them to me again sometime I'd really appreaciate it. Still havn't got mine goin yet but I'm comin along. Thanks!
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR :D

[Old Guy]

When I was repairing the 3' crack in the bottom of my Sidewinder, I noticed that the lifting strakes were not parallel to the floor. At the time I had little for reference, but it seemed odd to me that if these things were for lift, why weren't they horizontal? Maybe even they should be tipped slightly so as to trap the water and force the lift. They weren't, they were tipped the other way so as to not trap the water. This was just one more useless bit of data to file in my already over filled head. I didn't like the fact that the deck and sides of the boat were full of waves and ripples. Someone told me that when the boat was built ('72) the demand was so high that they didn't wait long enough for the resin to cure before they pulled the parts off the plugs. They could sell whatever they offered. I dunno, I wasn't there. I have since wondered if all the "splash..widen..lengthen..haste..." resulted in the lifting strakes being slightly tipped by accident. The end result being an unusually smooth ride in any kind of water.
Unless you have had the oppertunity to compare, you just can't imagine what I'm talking about. I've been riding in boats for more than 50 years. This (the one I had) was by far the smoothest ride. Pretty fast also.
old

[bilgewiper]

Ok, this is the first of a 4 page test done by Trailer Boats in 1971. I am going to post it to see if it's readable or not, or if it's too big. Let me know if you want the rest posted.
Ethan
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/824Trailer_Boat_1971_Sidewinder_pagr-med.jpg

[old rigger]

bilgewiper,
I'd love to read the rest of the write up. Thanks for posting it, and the pics of your old 16.
You guys are makin me all misty eyed with all the stories about the old 16s, Tahiti, Sidewinder, it doesn't matter, they were all great riding little boats.
I had the 29th Tahiti built a few years ago that I restored. It was an outboard. I was looking for one that my dad rigged, but came across this one instead. Sold it a while back and wish I still had it now. Thing was built like a tank, the keel was 1 inch thick. No stress cracks anywhere, although the transom had rotted away because of no sealent at the transom eyes, but the floor was still rock solid. I know where there are 2 for sale right now in my neighborhood, buit they're both I/Os. Neither one built by my dad, which has no meaning to anyone but me, just sentimental value. You'd think after all those years of building 2-3 boats a day (per rigger) it'd be easier to find one of his. I'll keep looking, there are a ton of them out there for sale.

[bilgewiper]

Ok, here is page two
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/824Trailer_Boat_1971_Sidewinder_pag2-med.jpg

[bilgewiper]

Page 3
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/824Trailer_Boat_1971_Sidewinder_pag3-med.jpg

[bilgewiper]

Page 4.........hey, Old Rigger just want to say thanks for all your posting you do on this board and others...you help keep the spirit alive! I have even been known to do a search or two on this board for posts made by you so I would be sure to get "good reading"!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/824Trailer_Boat_1971_Sidewinder_pag4-med.jpg

[diggler]

old rigger:
bilgewiper,
I was looking for one that my dad rigged, but came across this one instead.
Neither one built by my dad, which has no meaning to anyone but me, just sentimental value. You'd think after all those years of building 2-3 boats a day (per rigger) it'd be easier to find one of his. I'll keep looking, there are a ton of them out there for sale. Old Rigger, we were able to verify a while back that your dad had actually rigged my boat. After all the time and effort I spent restoring the boat, it was pretty damn cool to have an original tie to its past. If you can make it to Tower Park III this year, I'll be there. Just for kicks, here's that nameplate again with your dad's initials....
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/142MVC-143F-med.JPG
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/142Me_in_the_boat-med.JPG

[sidewound]

Hey Old.
Somebody mailed me today.
Original owner of a 16' bubbledeck lives in MI.
That's one o' them skateboard thingies. Interesting. I wanna see some pics.
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[mickeyfinn]

I used to have a 18 foot sidewinder set up for an outboard. It was a decent hull. Had a chrysler inline 6 120 hp engine and would run mid 40's. Ran it for about 7 or 8 years and then sank it when it was pulled backwards and filled up with water. The engine was trashed.

[bilgewiper]

ok, mickeyfinn........there has to be a story behing why the boat was pulled backwards....what gives?

[Old Guy]

I'm pretty sure I know what happened to Sidewinder. I have no idea what happened to the molds. Does anybody (Old Rigger) know what happened to Tahiti and the molds? I'm not too old to have a belly full of fire, I'm just too old to do anything about it. I just feel bad watchin something real good just die. I keep thinking that maybe if I talk about enough, maybe one of you young bucks will pick it up and do something with it.

[squeek]

[/QUOTE] I was told that Sidewinder boats were being manufactured by Thompson Boat Co. I called them and was told that the nameplates had been replaced with vinyl decals so I didn't get any. I was also told that they were only making Sidewinder I/O's, no jets.
old [/qb][/QUOTE]
I believe that Sidewinders were built in Peshtigo, WI in the early '80's at the Thompson shop on the north side of town. Their product was nothing like the Palo Alto boats...just the name. All boatbuilding stopped sometime in the late '80's and the building is now some type of industrial/retailer business. Never heard what happened to the principles
[ July 11, 2003, 10:44 PM: Message edited by: squeek ]

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

YOU GUYS DID AN AWSOME THREAD HERE!! MY 72 18 FT SIDEWINDER (W/ BBC 454, JG BERKELEY PUMP) STILL LURKS ON BOSTON HARBOR. I BOUGHT THE BOAT FROM A GUY IN MASS. WHO RAN IT ON A LAKE IN MAINE. IT RUNS PISSER IN THE HARBOR, EVEN FOR A LAKE BOAT!. THIS WINTER I R AND R'D THE ENGINE TO PAINT IT, REWIRED THE WHOLE BOAT WITH ANCOR MARINE GRADE WIRE, BUTTS, SHRINK TUBING, AND WENT TO MSD SUPER CONDUCTOR WIRES, AND BOSCH PLATINUM 2 PLUGS. I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH MY LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORY!...BILL.

[sidewound]

Anybody wanna splash my hull? he he he Might be lawsuits tho! wink
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[sidewound]

Maybe someone in here can tell me how to get the new winshield into the frame. It BLOWS!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/114fhgjk-med.jpg
It really don't wanna go. I started a topic on it and could sure use some help.
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[old rigger]

Diggler,
that boat of yours turned out really nice, you did a great job.When is the TPIII this year? I don't think we're going but if we do, I love a ride in your Tahiti.
old guy,
in the mid to late 90's there was somebody building 16 Tahiti's again here in so cal somewhere. Most, if not all were I/Os. I never looked at the hulls up close so I don't know what kind of shape the molds were in, but it was nice to see that boat being built again. The used the Tahiti name too.
Hard to say what happened to all those old molds. There several sets just for the 16 alone. The original 16 jet and out board. A few years later the I/O mold, which was the most popular. Then the one with the sidewinder deck and even later(after we were long gone from shop) a bubble deck. That's a good looking boat too even though you wouldn't think so, combining the curves of a bubble with that angular hull, but it worked. On most of those boats at Tahiti and Hawaiian we had 2 or 3 sets of molds for each boat. Never thought of it before but we didn't have the 16, any 16, at Hawaiian.

[diggler]

old rigger:
Diggler,
that boat of yours turned out really nice, you did a great job.When is the TPIII this year? I don't think we're going but if we do, I love a ride in your Tahiti.
TPIII is August 22nd to the 24th and is going to be held at Tower Park marina in the Delta.
Check out http://www.laidbackboaters.com/id4.htm for more info. It would be great to see you there. Last year, we had multitudes of boats show up.

[77cobra jet]

hello guys, this is my first post but i just thought i would let some of you guys know what i found today. i though it was a sidewinder because it had the 3 scallops on the side but it turned out to be a 1973 cobra jet. it even had the original chrome side emblems with it still. i just thought i would let yall know that it obviously is not a side winder trademark.

[sidewound]

Thatnks diggler. The dude across the street from me has a 75 cobrajet for sale and it has no scallops. I'm assuming the one you saw must've been Pre-Lawsuit. he he he Thanks
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[572Daytona]

So how many colors did they come in? I remember them as a kid as the baddest boats on Coldwater Lake, MI in the early 70's. After seeing them I knew I just had to get a jet someday. I remember blue, purple, green, silver and copper versions of them, all metal flake of course. I was always partial to the blue and the purple.

[squeek]

I ordered a new Sidewinder that was delivered in May of 1971. As I remember, the dealer (Russ Avery-Kalamazoo, MI) had a color chart of gel-coat metalflake swatches on which there must have been 50+ colors. Racing stripes could be specified in any contrasting metalflake color or solid colors (such as black or white). It would not surprise me if no two Sidewinders produced were identical. The boat was delivered with the pump suction piece hull cutout loose in the engine bay so that the thickness of the hull material could be seen by the purchaser. As I remember, it was about 7/8".
[ July 17, 2003, 09:33 PM: Message edited by: squeek ]

[mickeyfinn]

bilgewiper:
ok, mickeyfinn........there has to be a story behing why the boat was pulled backwards....what gives? Yep a story...about an idiot. We were having a get together with a bunch of folks from work. One of the guys was having problems with his boat and I was trying to teach his stepdaughter to ski. She tried and didn't make it and I circled around to talk to her and let her know what she was doing wrong. Tow rope still behind me. Her stepfater was idling out not looking where he was going. He was actually in the back of the boat messing with a fuel can (no one by the steering wheel). His lower unit caught my rope and pulled mine backwards. Water came over transom and filled up the boat...to the bottom in 40 feet. Not a good day..

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

HI SIDEWOUND, I'M LOOKING TO REPLACE MY WINDSHIELD ON MY SIDEWINDER, ANY VENDERS YOU KNOW OF, OR DID YOU MAKE THE PART YOUR SELF?...THANKS, BILL.

[sidewound]

Hey Bill,
Hope you check back on this thread. I got my
(bug dodger) from L&L marine. It may be at www.specialtymarine.com (http://www.specialtymarine.com) Maybe not check L&L marine. been awhile. The # I got is 714-777-5505
Anehiem. Ask for the windshield dude. I think his name is Mark. They are pricey tho! The boat looks like a floatin turd without it tho. Hope this helps ya.
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[Tahiti Owner]

WINDSHIELD??????? What's a windshield???? I call em' "sunglasses"

[pops1]

old rigger:
great story jim.
old guy, that old bottom on the 16 Tahiti, and countless copys, originally was a glastron bottom. Dick Schuster and his first employee, Gil Gaska, took that Glastron bottom, cut it down and added the SK style deck. This was in 64. My dad started to work for Dick in 66. That sidewinder deck was also built for the 16 too, and there was a lawsuit over Schuster using it on the Tahiti.
It is my understanding that the first Tahiti was a approved splash of the Wyman Hull produced by Rogers father(Rogers Custom Boats)-Wyman Hulls
Both sold the Jet Boats at Lakewood & Artesia Blvd's in the city of Bellflower in the 60s. Was Shuster (later Hawaiian Boats)not the accountant for Tahiti.

[pops1]

pops1:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by old rigger:
[qb] great story jim.
old guy, that old bottom on the 16 Tahiti, and countless copys, originally was a glastron bottom. Dick Schuster and his first employee, Gil Gaska, took that Glastron bottom, cut it down and added the SK style deck. This was in 64. My dad started to work for Dick in 66. That sidewinder deck was also built for the 16 too, and there was a lawsuit over Schuster using it on the Tahiti.
It is my understanding that the first Tahiti was a approved splash of the Wyman Hull produced by Rogers father(Rogers Custom Boats)-Wyman Hulls
Both sold the Jet Boats at Lakewood & Artesia Blvd's in the city of Bellflower in the 60s.
Was Shuster (later Hawaiian Boats)not the accountant for Tahiti and later moved over to the 605 freeway location under another boat name which stacked the boats sitting on the transom by the 100s.
Then next time he shows up was a block from my plant in Hunington Beach under Hawaiian Boats.
The Hull sure has a Glastron look to it!

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

SIDEWOUND, I CALLED BOB AT L AND L MARINE ABOUT THE WINDSHIELD. HE SAYS $585. PLUS $35. TO BOX IT AND ABOUT $135. TO GET IT TO THE BOSTON AREA. THIS GUY LET IT SLIP THAT HE GETS THE WINDSHIELD FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE...HUUUUM, MAYBE THERE IS A BETTER PRICE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE?!?! AGAIN THANKS MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP FINDING THIS RASCAL!...BILL.
PS DID YOU FIGURE OUT A GOOD WAY TO GET IT BACK INTO THE ORIGIONAL CHANNELING?

[sidewound]

Tahiti Owner:
WINDSHIELD??????? What's a windshield???? I call em' "sunglasses" T O that made me laugh! At 45 I decided a windshield was finally OK on my 7th Harley and I guess the boat thing just followed along. Can't have bugs in my teeth me dental hygenist would have a fit! he he he
B S More than happy to help. That dude at L&L led me on a wild goosechase that he was the only guy in the "ENTIRE WORLD" that made these windshields. Swore he'd been doin it himself for 25 years. "Go Fido, sniff out the real source of this plexi and expose this imposter" I've had several other requests from people lookin for these.
Big P.S. MY 455 FINALLY FIRED TONIGHT! Gettin close!
Peace Man :cool:
CESAR

[old rigger]

pops1:
pops1:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by old rigger:
[qb] great story jim.
old guy, that old bottom on the 16 Tahiti, and countless copys, originally was a glastron bottom. Dick Schuster and his first employee, Gil Gaska, took that Glastron bottom, cut it down and added the SK style deck. This was in 64. My dad started to work for Dick in 66. That sidewinder deck was also built for the 16 too, and there was a lawsuit over Schuster using it on the Tahiti.
It is my understanding that the first Tahiti was a approved splash of the Wyman Hull produced by Rogers father(Rogers Custom Boats)-Wyman Hulls
Both sold the Jet Boats at Lakewood & Artesia Blvd's in the city of Bellflower in the 60s.
Was Shuster (later Hawaiian Boats)not the accountant for Tahiti and later moved over to the 605 freeway location under another boat name which stacked the boats sitting on the transom by the 100s.
Then next time he shows up was a block from my plant in Hunington Beach under Hawaiian Boats.
The Hull sure has a Glastron look to it! pops1
Nope, the first Tahiti was a glastron bottom. Rogers dad used the Tahiti for his own line of boats, Weiman Custom Boats. Of course he was in the boat biz long before that, selling wood boats and English bikes, BSAs I think. Roger went to school with my mom and lived down the street from her when they were kids. He was a hell raiser in the neighborhood on those bikes....so the story goes. Roger started his deal after being in the service and working out of the boat biz for a while. Schuster and Roger built the very first V bottomed jet, a Tahiti, that Roger raced under the Tahiti name.
Schuster was the founder of Tahiti and after he sold out to Bell inc, he stayed on as President. That's when the move to the shop off the 605 was made. (Schuster owned ALL the properties that the buildings were on by the way. Hell, he may still own them for all I know.) That's also after the big fire in the shop of Romona st, where Competive trailers is now.
Jerry Groom was put in place by Bell as the bean counter for Tahiti. He and Schuster together started Hawaiian. Jerry went to prison over the deal.
The 2 buildings we were in at Huntington Beach, on Container ln, were the last of 3 buildings Hawaiian was in.
That rack where we stored the boats at Tahiti held about 50 boats, and they were stacked on their bottoms, like on a trailer. We shipped them on their tansoms on the big trailers we had. 6 boats to a trailer. Basically Dick built boats to fill that rack duing the Winter months. This way he kept everyone working during the slow season, kept everyone happy. Come May, and a customer wanted a boat, if he wanted it right now, chances were that there was something close to what he wanted on that rack. If not, he could place an order. When I was about 15 or so, one of my jobs was to pull boats off that rack with the forklift. That lift had some huge long forks on it that were padded, and would slip right under the hull and place it on a dolly. Kinda scarey the first time I did it. At least I didn't drop a boat! They were all fully rigged and upholstered too.
[ July 21, 2003, 08:29 PM: Message edited by: old rigger ]

[Jake W]

Old Rigger I have read these stories over and over and every time they get better.I can think of at least 4 professionals in the boat trade you have Schooled in the who built what bottom first.I love it.
Jake :D

[Old Guy]

When I started this thread I thought it might be interesting. Quite a while back, I started cutting and pasting every time one of the "old timers" had something to add to the "'70's jet boat saga". I just put them in a Word.doc and at present it's about 30 pages. I'm sure that some is redundant, I just copy and paste. I find the history very interesting. That is a pathetic under statement, however, I don't know of a proper way to express my appreciation other than to say "Thank you very much"
old

[BiggusJimbus]

[/qb][/QUOTE]pops1
Nope, the first Tahiti was a glastron bottom. Rogers dad used the Tahiti for his own line of boats, Weiman Custom Boats. Of course he was in the boat biz long before that, selling wood boats and English bikes, BSAs I think. Roger went to school with my mom and lived down the street from her when they were kids. He was a hell raiser in the neighborhood on those bikes....so the story goes. Roger started his deal after being in the service and working out of the boat biz for a while. Schuster and Roger built the very first V bottomed jet, a Tahiti, that Roger raced under the Tahiti name.
[/QB][/QUOTE]
Now, there's another interesting connection...
Back in the 60's (I believe), My uncle, Jack VanEk had a BSA dealership he ran or owned in redding.
More questions for Jack next time I see him. I'll try and score some pictures of that boat he built as well.

[Old Guy]

FWD
Hey, I only have a work computer and am not allowed to join forms
but can surf the net at breaks.
I believe it was in '69 that I was up at Trinity( outside of
Redding) with my family ( I was 9 years old at the time) and there was a
really big thunder storm- hail, lightning, the works.
A couple of hours later our whole group went to dinner at a resort
on the lake. I walked out on the lawn and looked out at the lake- no wind,
no clouds, but the lightning had started 79 forest fires(a ranger told us
this the next week). They were mainly snags on the points and the smoke was
going straght up; you could pick out most of the points (even when you
couldn't see the point behind a ridge) because of the smoke.
The water was absolute glass from shore to shore. Suddenly I heard
and then saw a gold metalflake boat shoot out from the marina( the
restaurant sits up above the lake) and start doing figure-8's on the glass-
it looked like white snow pouring from the back of the boat. I'd never seen
a boat pull turns like this and was utterly fascinated by it.
Later as we walked back to the dock to head back to camp we passed
the boat on it's trailer. I looked back and asked "where's the prop?" My Dad
said " it's a different type of drive".
Since then I've been into jets- my Dad bought a used (9 hrs ) deep
19' family boat that was a blast about 5 years later. Now I've got a CVX-20
and get sweaty palms every time I look at it.
I kind of wonder if that was the original Sidewinder- I remember
thinking that any boat with the wrap around windshield was a Sidewinder but
know now that a number of companies splashed 'em. If you want you can put
this on the HB site. Have a good one.
EAsmussen@d11.uscg.mil

[BiggusJimbus]

Man,
That blows me away...
The first boat was gold and orange. And it could very well have been at Trinity in '69. His boat did not have the windshield.
Now, I really have to get those pictures. My dad says that all he has is old Super 8 movies. I've got to get my hands on that stuff.
I could very well have been at Trinity at that time. I would have been about 5 yrs. old. There would have been another old Biesmeyer based flatbottom, blue metalflake (at that time, parking it under Redding Oak trees eventually killed the original gelcoat), that belonged to my dad, and later to me. It was a VERY early jet boat. Built by Roger Whipp and Jack VanEk in Redding...
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/795boat1.jpg
It had a 289 and Berkeley jet. Had the Interceptor exhaust manifolds. Fun boat. You could take it up to full speed and just spin the wheel ans slide sideways for what seemed like forever.
Gotta find pictures of Rogers boat too. He had a purple boat just like it, with a big old Buick motor in it and some real nice cav plates on the back. Now it's Caltrans Orange. I don't know if it gets to the lake anymore, but I bet it's not far from seaworthy.
[ July 21, 2003, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: BiggusJimbus ]

[77cobra jet]

while siting on the throne thunbing through boating world(may,2003)i came across a bit of info from where some guy had asked about sidewinder boats. i will retype the editors response to the guy here word for word for all to see.
Contributing Editor Lee Wangstad responds: Sidewinder Boats got its start in Palo Alto,Ca. but by 1969 the company had moved up the road to Los Altos. Sidewinder built a whole line of sporting boats available with either I/O, outboard or jet power. With hulls designed by world record holder Ken Baker, performance was the main theme of the line. The Sidewinder 18 could be ordered with anywhere from 50 hp in outboard all the way up to a whopping 600 hp in jet configuration. In 1972, its listed location was Anderson,Ca., and it was moving into the family boat market with a couple of tri-hull and open-bow deep vee models. In 1974, Thompson Boats of Peshtigo,Wisconsin,bought the molds and the rights to the Sidewinder name and produced boats up until the late 1980's.
just thought yall might like this bit of tidbit info that i ran across. john

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

THESE STORIES GIVE ME GOOSE BUMPS!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!...BILL.

[old rigger]

Old Guy:
I'm sure that some is redundant.
old Jake, old guy,
glad you like the info. I get a kick out of trying to remember certain things and throwing it up here. I know I repeat myself alot about the Tahiti/Hawaiian/Rogers/Advantage deal, but the brain cells aren't what they used to be! Must of been all the resin and acetone fumes through the years. Still love the smell of resin.
Pops1,
last night I was thinking about that shop off the 605 and you're right about storing boats on their transom too. I'd forgotten about that. Those were the unrigged outboards. Thre weren't many of them but they were there.
biggus jim,
Rogers dads was in the bike biz back into the 50's too. Maybe even before that. I'll ask Roger about that next time I talk to him. I remember him telling me that his dad raced bikes too. Elsinore grand prix and the Catilina race, stuff like that back then.
You have to get that pic of that beezer to 'Stab and Steer' here on the boards. He hangs out over in the v-drive section, and is just finishing the restoration of a beezer with a 409 chevy for power. I know he'd love to see that pic. A family that lived down the street when I was a kid had a 59-60 or so beezer outboard that they had bought new. Maybe 15 feet long. All black. One of their sons still has the boat. Very cool boats those were/are.

[BiggusJimbus]

I'll dig up more pics of that boat. I ran it for 6 or 7 years, mostly on Shasta starting about '82.
I think that the molds are still in a building up on Rogers property in Redding.
That story of Trinity gave me goose bumps too. Weird.
I'm also fairly certain that the plant where Jack, and later his son John worked was in Anderson. So, I could see the link there with what the magazine editor said.

[old rigger]

BiggusJimbus:
I'll dig up more pics of that boat. I ran it for 6 or 7 years, mostly on Shasta starting about '82.
I think that the molds are still in a building up on Rogers property in Redding.
Biggus,
the molds for that beezer still exist? Now that's something. Was yours a 16 footer? I'd like to see those and check out what kind of shape they're in, just out of curosity.

[BiggusJimbus]

Yes, mine was the 16 foot.
I don't know that they are actually the Biesmeyer molds, but they are certainly splashed from them.
Let me make a couple phone calls to find out whether they are still around. They would be in possession of Roger Whipp in Redding.
Let me see what's up.

[sidewound]

I just posted this cause i wanted to see what it was like after BIGGUS got # 69

[Old Guy]

It looks like Sidewinder Boats did a lot of moving. It also looks like they haven't been out of business for very long. Also looks like (if the info in this link is correct) the manufacturing facility ended up about 120 miles from where I live in Michigan.
http://www.fiberglassics.com/thompson/history1.htm
Right now I'm very involved in getting a new pole barn (read small machine shop) constructed across the street and it would be foolish to wander off. When things settle down a bit, the wife and I are going to make a little road trip to see if there is more to the story of Sidewinder Boats.

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

This is great, the plot is getting thicker by the minute! Break out the pop corn! PLEASE keep up the digging on the mystery of the sidewinder!
My sidewinder story goes like this. I was 11 or so, out on Candlewood lake (goes thru 7 towns near Danbury, Conn.), with my favorate (late) uncle Paul. He pointed to this boat streaking accross the lake, and said "see that boat,...it's a sidewinder,...that would go by us like we were in reverse!"(and he always had century boats that I think all of them would do a minimum of 50 mph!
Maybe by next summer all of us sidewinder owners could get together half way between california and boston and show everyone what 30 year old boats can still do!!!...Bill.

[sidewound]

Here's a bit of onfo on sidewinders. THANKS DOUG!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/114Super_Specs.jpg
How come the jets and IO's don't have a transom height? he he he!!!!!!!!!! When mines in the water the above water transom height is questionable at best. NO BACKY UPPY!!!!!
I've got some pics of sidewinders from all over. Anyone wanna start a pic thread?
Hope this post stirs some more memories and Biggus I'd love to see some of your pics.
DIG CLAW SCRATCH FINDEM!!!!
COOL THREAD OLD GUY!
PEACE MAN!!!! :cool: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CESAR's

[sidewinder]

THIS THREAD IS AWESOME!!!!! I have been a fan of Sidewinders since I saw my first one back in '69. It was a brown and gold 18' SS and my cousin still owns it--a totally unmolested original. I have a '71 18' SS with the 455 Olds and Berk jet. Sidewound, did you get that pic thread going? If so let me know, I have more images from the 1971 catalog I will share, plus a couple pics of Sidewinders from my area. AWESOME!!!

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

i just drove a thousand miles(vacation) and one of the first things i do is to go online to this forum to get the newest/old sidewinder info!!...i have to learn how to get the pictures of my boat(she is named II INTENSE) into the media section!...bill.
ps...remember... monday is one hell of a way to spend 1/7 th of your life!!...bill.

[BiggusJimbus]

Hey OldRigger,
Just got a call from Roger Whipp. Man, that guy sounds great. He's up there in years, but still loves all things mechanical. He's building another Hot Rod for Boneville. He had built one back in the late '60s called the Red Head. ( http://www.ugofadini.com/redheadstory.html ).
Apparently, he and my uncle shared some space in a downtown redding location where my uncle sold BSA's and Roger ran a speed shop.
Sadly, the Biesmeyer mold is a victim of progress. When the city came along and split his property in two, the molds were too heavy to move and seemingly of no value to anybody, so they were destroyed by the contracter.
I'm going to pay him a visit in a couple of weeks on my next trip to Shasta and see if I can come up with some historical pics of the Biesmeyers and hopefully, Jack's Sidewinder (It was the first, I am now certain). See what other good stuff I can find to post.
He still has his old Biesmeyer which has not been in the water for 2 or 3 years that he would be willing to part with for the right money. I'll bring back some pics for everybody.
I don't know what it is, but checking out all this stuff really gets me amped up. I love boats.
Jimbus.

[Taylor LP]

Sidewound,
The reason only the O/B's have a transon height listed is because you need that info to spec the engine out, i.e. 20 1/2" transom = 20" shaft. The spec indicates the measurement between the bottom of the transom cutout and the bottom of the hull.

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

HAS ANYONE OUT THERE DISCOVERED A CHEAPER PLACE TO GET A WINDSHIELD MADE OTHER THAN L AND L? DOES ANYONE KNOW WHOS MOLDS THEY USE TO MAKE THE OLD SIDEWINDER WINDSHIELDS? I DON'T BIT*H ABOUT SOMEONE MAKING A BUCK, BUT TO GET A WINDSHILED TO BOSTON FROM THERE IS JUST SHORT OF $800.! FOR THAT MUCH SCRATCH I WILL HAVE TO LOOK THROUGH THE CRACKS IN MINE FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER!...BILL.

[sidewound]

Hey Bill,
That's the ONLY place I could find one. Let me know if you do better. Good Luck.
P.S. the motor goes back in mine again today.
(9th time)
Peace man :cool:
CESAR
[ October 01, 2003, 07:09 PM: Message edited by: sidewound ]

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

I HOPE WE CAN GET THE NEWEST PICTURES WHEN YOU HAVE THAT ENGINE BACK IN!!...BILL.

[fujimo]

new to boards guys cool posts,i remeber boats as kid. hey 572daytona i grew up on private lake about 20 miles from coldwater lake. my brother lives in coldwater.

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER SIDEWINDER PICTURES? I'LL TRY TO GET SOME THIS WEEKEND AND POST THEM...BILL.

[CobraSS]

Does anyone know how I can get in touch with Ken Baker, past president and founder of Sidewinder Marine in California?

[Old Guy]

Wow...I thought this thread was dead. I guess I might as well add a little more that I ran across.
Sidewinder - History
A Brief History
By Dan Milford - April 6, 2004
The Sidewinder trademark (for boats) was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 6, 1969, under the name of Los Altos Marine Incorporated, located at 4898 El Camino Real, Los Altos, California. In their 1969 model full colour brochure, Sidewinder Boats claimed to be the world's largest designer/producer of V-bottom ski boats, with manufacturing facilities in California and Canada. Built for speed, Sidewinders were designed for the ultimate in racing, skiing, and personal pleasure. World record holder, Ken Baker, had designed two high performance hulls - the famous V bottom and the new tunnel. These hulls were multi-laminated and assembled by hand. Variety and choice were the order of the day with standard and deluxe versions, thirty-two colour combinations, and power plants from outboard through inboard-outboard and jet available. Appointed with choices of metalflake trim, racing stripes, tuck and roll wrap around vinyl seating, and colour keyed all weather carpeting, these stylish, powerful, and manoeuvrable boats turned heads at many a beach. (In fact they still do!)
Models available in 1969 were the V- bottom, low profile (Lo Pro) designs in 16 and 18 ft. lengths. Both could be had in the Deluxe version (16 ft. at 750 lb. and 18 ft. at 900 lb.) or the "stripped down" (100 lb. lighter) Standard versions. They could be had in outboard (135 hp max for the16 and 150 hp max for the 18), inboard/outboard (140 hp max for the 16 and 225 hp max for the 18) or jet drive (350 hp max for the 16 and 500 hp max for the 18 - although text in the brochure claims up to 600 horsepower was available!) Engines up to 455 cu. in. could be had. The tunnel model version, used predominately for racing, was available in either a 15 ft. or 17 ft. length, and could be custom built for single, double and triple outboard engine classes.
The revolutionary Super Sidewinder 16/18 ft. design was filed for a patent (by Ken Baker and Ronald Plescia) in the US on October 17, 1969 and granted patent on November 3, 1970 (Patent Number 219,118). Subsequent patent designs were filed and granted for the 14 ft. Super, XL deep-vee, and XL Tri-hull.
In 1970, Sidewinder relocated from Los Altos, up the road to 3545 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. In 1970 and '71 boats were also manufactured in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Meanwhile Sidewinders were being manufactured under the Cobra name, by California Fiberglass Limited in British Columbia, Canada.
In 1971, Ken Baker, president of Sidewinder Marine, Inc. in Palo Alto, California was in litigation over a lawsuit filed by Sidewinder Marine against twenty manufacturers, who had copied the revolutionary Super Sidewinder design, first produced in 1970. Imitators included Marlin, Tahiti, Wriedt, and Taylor. In 1971/72 production moved from Palo Alto to Anderson, CA. and by July 1972, at least four manufacturers had admitted infringement on the Sidewinder design patents. About 1971 Canadian Sidewinder production moved to Ontario, where, by 1972, they were manufactured as Sidewinders - not Cobras, by California Glass Marine.
In 1974 the Thompson Boat Company purchased manufacturing rights for Sidewinder boats and continued to manufacture them under the Sidewinder banner at Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Later Sidewinders (by this time only the 16 and 18 ft. Super models) were built by Thompson in St. Charles, Michigan and finally in Swan Creek, Michigan.
In Canada the last Sidewinders were made in the late 1980's and California Glass Marine folded in the early '90's. The last US Sidewinder (the 18SS) appeared in the 1990 Thompson Boat Company brochure. Thompson met its demise in September 2002, when the assets were sold in a liquidation auction.

[nruesga]

I have been looking for information about this boat, and I notice that you guys know a lot more than me about this, I'm new in this boating deal, so I'll appreciate your help.
I got this boat from a friend that had it for a lot of years, the boat is in very decent condition (i have to work on the seats and the carpet on the floor) it has a 1971 jhonson outboard engine (115 HP) and I tell you what, it runs smooth like silk. I like it but I wanna know more about it, please guide me.
any little thing will help.

[Old Guy]

If you want info about Weiman boats, you might want to start a new thread asking about Weiman boats. That would probably catch the eye of those who know about them.
old

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

See Span Section, Have 1 For Sale On Bay #4642065772

[painterdan32]

SIDEWOUND, I CALLED BOB AT L AND L MARINE ABOUT THE WINDSHIELD. HE SAYS $585. PLUS $35. TO BOX IT AND ABOUT $135. TO GET IT TO THE BOSTON AREA. THIS GUY LET IT SLIP THAT HE GETS THE WINDSHIELD FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE...HUUUUM, MAYBE THERE IS A BETTER PRICE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE?!?! AGAIN THANKS MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP FINDING THIS RASCAL!...BILL.
PS DID YOU FIGURE OUT A GOOD WAY TO GET IT BACK INTO THE ORIGIONAL CHANNELING?
Try getting one from Thompson boats.

[painterdan32]

Wow...I thought this thread was dead. I guess I might as well add a little more that I ran across.
Sidewinder - History
A Brief History
By Dan Milford - April 6, 2004
The Sidewinder trademark (for boats) was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 6, 1969, under the name of Los Altos Marine Incorporated, located at 4898 El Camino Real, Los Altos, California. In their 1969 model full colour brochure, Sidewinder Boats claimed to be the world's largest designer/producer of V-bottom ski boats, with manufacturing facilities in California and Canada. Built for speed, Sidewinders were designed for the ultimate in racing, skiing, and personal pleasure. World record holder, Ken Baker, had designed two high performance hulls - the famous V bottom and the new tunnel. These hulls were multi-laminated and assembled by hand. Variety and choice were the order of the day with standard and deluxe versions, thirty-two colour combinations, and power plants from outboard through inboard-outboard and jet available. Appointed with choices of metalflake trim, racing stripes, tuck and roll wrap around vinyl seating, and colour keyed all weather carpeting, these stylish, powerful, and manoeuvrable boats turned heads at many a beach. (In fact they still do!)
Models available in 1969 were the V- bottom, low profile (Lo Pro) designs in 16 and 18 ft. lengths. Both could be had in the Deluxe version (16 ft. at 750 lb. and 18 ft. at 900 lb.) or the "stripped down" (100 lb. lighter) Standard versions. They could be had in outboard (135 hp max for the16 and 150 hp max for the 18), inboard/outboard (140 hp max for the 16 and 225 hp max for the 18) or jet drive (350 hp max for the 16 and 500 hp max for the 18 - although text in the brochure claims up to 600 horsepower was available!) Engines up to 455 cu. in. could be had. The tunnel model version, used predominately for racing, was available in either a 15 ft. or 17 ft. length, and could be custom built for single, double and triple outboard engine classes.
The revolutionary Super Sidewinder 16/18 ft. design was filed for a patent (by Ken Baker and Ronald Plescia) in the US on October 17, 1969 and granted patent on November 3, 1970 (Patent Number 219,118). Subsequent patent designs were filed and granted for the 14 ft. Super, XL deep-vee, and XL Tri-hull.
In 1970, Sidewinder relocated from Los Altos, up the road to 3545 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. In 1970 and '71 boats were also manufactured in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Meanwhile Sidewinders were being manufactured under the Cobra name, by California Fiberglass Limited in British Columbia, Canada.
In 1971, Ken Baker, president of Sidewinder Marine, Inc. in Palo Alto, California was in litigation over a lawsuit filed by Sidewinder Marine against twenty manufacturers, who had copied the revolutionary Super Sidewinder design, first produced in 1970. Imitators included Marlin, Tahiti, Wriedt, and Taylor. In 1971/72 production moved from Palo Alto to Anderson, CA. and by July 1972, at least four manufacturers had admitted infringement on the Sidewinder design patents. About 1971 Canadian Sidewinder production moved to Ontario, where, by 1972, they were manufactured as Sidewinders - not Cobras, by California Glass Marine.
In 1974 the Thompson Boat Company purchased manufacturing rights for Sidewinder boats and continued to manufacture them under the Sidewinder banner at Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Later Sidewinders (by this time only the 16 and 18 ft. Super models) were built by Thompson in St. Charles, Michigan and finally in Swan Creek, Michigan.
In Canada the last Sidewinders were made in the late 1980's and California Glass Marine folded in the early '90's. The last US Sidewinder (the 18SS) appeared in the 1990 Thompson Boat Company brochure. Thompson met its demise in September 2002, when the assets were sold in a liquidation auction.
The sticker in my 1972 Sidewinder says it's from palo Alto Ca. ... But made by Las Vegas Boats. Ever heard of this? I'll get a photo posted tomorrow. Max HP was rated at 390 I believe if I'm correct. Thanks for your help earlier this winter. You too Sidewound.

[sidewinder]

I've heard of Las Vegas boats. Back in the 1970's there was a unique (at least to my area) tri-hull boat powered by a 455 Olds/Berkeley jet combo. It was a bow rider and ran quite well. It was made by Las Vegas boats. I believe it was purchased from out local Sidewinder dealer, so maybe there is some kind of relationship there. I can say that I've never seen another.

[Nicked prop]

In the mid-70's my dad began looking for a jet drive after my mom had a near miss with the outboard. A fellow in nearby Bountiful UT was cranking out sidewinder splashes one at a time. I think he was a one man operation and did everything himself, including upholstery. I think they were all chopper and not very thick. They had a scallop rather than the three gills just aft of the rear windshield mount. He pop riveted an insignia that said "Apollo" in that area. They had no floor and stringers that terminated just forward of the motor.
My dad found a used one and traded the whacker for it. It had a 427 Ford with 2X4 manifold. It was rigged like a disaster--3/8 steel plate bolted to a car bell housing for a rear mount, same thing up front. Hose fittings were not barb type but threaded and meant to have another fitting threaded on rather than have a hose clamped on an then safety wired to the fitting itself. Battery had no hold down and just sat behind one of the rear seats. And on and on. After a hose slipped off in the middle of the lake, my dad improved on the original rigging somewhat. My brother still has the boat and it's now running a 428 crank. Somewhere along the way my dad traded the 2X4 set up for Hilborn fuel injection but never did get it set up. My brother put an Edelbrock Performer on it (wouldn't have been my choice).
I rode in the boat several years ago after not having done so for a lot of years. Man does that hull ever flex and twist as the boat crosses wakes! Frankly, the structural strength of that hull scares the hell out of me now that I know more than I did 30 years ago when my dad bought the boat.

[RealityBoatCo]

Who owns the name Sidewinder now? Did it just get liquidated into oblivion at the Thomson sale? Did someone buy it?

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

On my 72 sidewinder I thought the tag said 410 horse power, but I could be wrong.

[Zaairman]

Wow...why the hell didn't I see this thread earlier? :)

[maxwedge]

Wow...why the hell didn't I see this thread earlier? :)
Mostly because it was started back in the year 2003:D It is a great thread though.

[Old Guy]

Who owns the name Sidewinder now? Did it just get liquidated into oblivion at the Thomson sale? Did someone buy it?
This is what the United States Patent and Trademark Office has on it.
Word Mark SIDEWINDER
Goods and Services (EXPIRED) IC 012. US 019. G & S: BOATS. FIRST USE: 19670900. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19670900
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Design Search Code
Serial Number 72315938
Filing Date January 6, 1969
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Registration Number 0879392
Registration Date October 28, 1969
Owner (REGISTRANT) LOS ALTOS MARINE, INC. CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 4898 EL CAMINO REAL LOS ALTOS CALIFORNIA 94022
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 15.
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
old

[71tahiti]

My 71 tahiti torino looks exactly like a 72 beechcraft sidewinder. BIG DIFFERENCE my tahiti is right side drive. GAS ON LEFT FOOT The beechcraft sidewinder is the only one that I have seen that is like this. Mine says built by Dick Schuster boat co. Belleflower Ca. I dont have the original windshield and figured I would never find one. I am used to it not having one. MUCH easier to access the nose of the boat ect.. Does anyone know why My model is right side driver? Thanks so much for the History of this HULL. I have wondered about its history since the early 80's, when I got the boat. Originally had orange metal flake.

[Cas]

Tahiti,
Right hand or left hand didn't really matter much to the boat builders. Most jets were left but there were many on the right side with a hand throttle.
There were also many people that would order their boats with the right side steering just cuz that's what they were used to.

[Zaairman]

My 71 tahiti torino looks exactly like a 72 beechcraft sidewinder. BIG DIFFERENCE my tahiti is right side drive. GAS ON LEFT FOOT The beechcraft sidewinder is the only one that I have seen that is like this. Mine says built by Dick Schuster boat co. Belleflower Ca. I dont have the original windshield and figured I would never find one. I am used to it not having one. MUCH easier to access the nose of the boat ect.. Does anyone know why My model is right side driver? Thanks so much for the History of this HULL. I have wondered about its history since the early 80's, when I got the boat. Originally had orange metal flake.
Tahiti Torino = Sidewinder Clone. Everything is the same except for dash and seating arrangements.

[71tahiti]

would they have had 2 different (right & left) molds?? seems like a waste of resources to have both. OLD GUY do you have any info on this? I am in the process of replacing my floor. My hull looks like it was hand laid. I add somemore glass and some nida-core to stiffin it up some. I am using nida-core on the floor, I should be saving some weight. Does a droop snoop work well on this hull? "old guy @ Berkeley" 12 yrs ago told me to run an A2 impeller. It runs ok with it but its a basic 455. Crane 272 adv cam.. 4500 Thanks for any info.....

[Old Guy]

would they have had 2 different (right & left) molds?? seems like a waste of resources to have both. OLD GUY do you have any info on this? I am in the process of replacing my floor. My hull looks like it was hand laid. I add somemore glass and some nida-core to stiffin it up some. I am using nida-core on the floor, I should be saving some weight. Does a droop snoop work well on this hull? "old guy @ Berkeley" 12 yrs ago told me to run an A2 impeller. It runs ok with it but its a basic 455. Crane 272 adv cam.. 4500 Thanks for any info.....
I ran one season with a Place diverter and a droop. Next season I removed the droop. Much better WITHOUT the droop. Diverter made a huge difference.
old

[maxwedge]

Lots of additional info on Sidewinders and similar hulls at the Sidewinder site here. http://realityboatco.com/sidewindertalk/YaBB.pl
Everbody I've ever talked to says not to run a droop on this hull.

[My Man's Sportin' Wood]

Our first boat was a 1970 Sidewinder (I suspect with the lighter layup because the floor was so thin you could feel the water ripples through it :jawdrop: ) with a 455 in it. That was a fun boat! Sold it to my brother when we got the Hallett and he let it go to hell. :( I'll try to scan some pics to post.

[71tahiti]

Yes the diverter makes a huge difference. 1st yr I had it I had no diverter... Like driving a lunch pale with a big block!!!!! I just have never seen another tahiti that was right side drive. Maybe my hull was slated for an I/O? The original title had the purchase price in 71 at 6200.00. That was alota cheese in 71. I have a twin big block offshore style boat(86 cobalt 269 condurre') and its very fun on big water, BUT there is nothing like the acceleration of the jet drive. Having your foot on a big block thats only turning an alt and a pump. NOW THATS RESPONSIVE!!!!! Tahiti was my 1st boat(love) so it would be very hard to sell her. She is getting some TLC this spring!!! These forums have been VERY helpful getting more knowledge about my boat. I will have pics soon.

[Zaairman]

Yes the diverter makes a huge difference. 1st yr I had it I had no diverter... Like driving a lunch pale with a big block!!!!! I just have never seen another tahiti that was right side drive. Maybe my hull was slated for an I/O? The original title had the purchase price in 71 at 6200.00. That was alota cheese in 71. I have a twin big block offshore style boat(86 cobalt 269 condurre') and its very fun on big water, BUT there is nothing like the acceleration of the jet drive. Having your foot on a big block thats only turning an alt and a pump. NOW THATS RESPONSIVE!!!!! Tahiti was my 1st boat(love) so it would be very hard to sell her. She is getting some TLC this spring!!! These forums have been VERY helpful getting more knowledge about my boat. I will have pics soon.
Every Tahiti Torino/Sidewinder clone I have ever seen is right hand drive.