Reply With QuoteMake sure to get some pics, have one of them be just the id number.
Alright fellas, this is what I have. It is a '74 Universal Eagle jet boat that was my grandpaws. He bought it in late '78 or early '79 and is the 3rd owner I believe. Philip Percival built the boat in Memphis, Tennessee according tot he sticker. It is a wood framed boat with hand laid fiberglass all over and it heavy. Powered by a 455 Olds with a Berkely jet.
My grandpaw is dead now and has been dead since '92, the last time the boat saw sunlight was July of '92 until yesterday. I pulled it out of the barn and cleanbed up on it alittle and looked it over. It is in pieces because in that last outing he blew the motor, but got it rebuilt, stuck it back i nthe boat then he passed. Everything is there except the seats and seat frames ( they got hauled off or burned or soemthing ) but it is all in the floor wrapped in plastic.
I have been told by my uncle that Philip Percival built 1 boat a year from '68 to '78 or somewhere along those years. He was a woodworker by trade but built 1 boat a year as a hobby. All the boat he built were similar but the '73, '74 and '75 were identical. He says that at one time Jeryy Lee Lewis the famous country singer had the '75, because my gpop and this Philip Percival guy talked o nthe phoen about this boat and that Philip told my gpop.
Basically I would just like any info out there on this boat or any of the uinversal Eagles. I really want to get in touch with Mr. Percival, but I cannot find that name anywhere in my searches. I have old pictures fro mthe lake and stuff on what the seats look like but someone is always sitting i nthem so it's hard to tell. The little 1x4 braces are still i nthe bottom of the boat but that's it. My uncle says the seats were redone in the mid '80s and new frames were built but the woodworker had the old ones to go off of and said it was still really hard to do. Appreciate any help. FYI - the first the letter in the ID # are UML.
Make sure to get some pics, have one of them be just the id number.
i just e-mailed this page to a good jet boater friend of mine who lives in memphis. he`ll get back to me if he knows anything about the man.
74squirt, i`m just courious. where are you?
I have been told by my uncle that Philip Percival built 1 boat a year from '68 to '78 or somewhere along those years. He was a woodworker by trade but built 1 boat a year as a hobby. All the boat he built were similar but the '73, '74 and '75 were identical.Phil was originally a carpenter but later became a fine boat designer and tooling expert. The U Eagle was a southwind bottom with a deck designed by Phil when he went back to Memphis. The company was not in business very long and the mold ended up at SleekCraft as a "Sportster" (if I remmember correctly).
The one boat a year thing is not accurate.
Phil lives in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Find him there and ask your ?s.
CS
First off, sorry for the late response. Thank you all for the help.
I have pics I could email to someone to post them. I took afew pics when I drug it out and after I cleaned it up some. Now it's on it's way back i nthe barn for now.
Clockstart, thanks for the corrections. My uncle doesn't know htat much, but he said this boat was really rare, that that weren't alot made, is this correct? I don't know anything about it really so I am just going by what I have been told and what I see. I had no idea the man would still be living, but I will have to look him up and ask him some questions.
Mr. Till, I am in southwest Arkansas, close to Texarkana.
Jack McClure wrote a long post on Banderlog a couple years back that talked about Phil Percival building Southwind boats, and having a hand in Liberty boats (which had a bottom splashed from a Hornet). He also talked about racing with Phil Percival and some of the companies that splashed Phil's boats.
Brian
Jack McClure wrote a long post on Banderlog a couple years back that talked about Phil Percival building Southwind boats, and having a hand in Liberty boats (which had a bottom splashed from a Hornet). He also talked about racing with Phil Percival and some of the companies that splashed Phil's boats.
Brian
brian, that story was on the old rjb board, along with pics from back in the early 70s. there was one pic of phil percival, and others, helping jack refuel at one of the parker marathons.
i miss the rjb board :cry:
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