Reply With QuotePost some pictures of it, front back and side. I have a Hondo and might ba able to help.
Hey everyone. Being new to all this, I was just wondering if anybody has any info on Hondo boats.
But getting info north of the border is a little like pulling teeth. So Im hoping all of you can help.
My story begins five years ago when I was searching through our local auto trader when low
and behold I spoted my pride and joy. I was not and am still not to sure what kind of boat it is.
It was mostly complete, but needed a lot of TLC ... mostly just to clean it up. After the first year
of driving it without changing it, I realized it needed a lot more than just to be cleaned up. The
engine was left with water in it over a winter which caused some serious cracks in the block which
I remedied by changing the block. Unfortunately, the 4-bolt main block (which is what the LS6 454's
came with) was beyond repair. The shop in which I worked, had a couple of 2-bolt main blocks. I
purchased one and totally rebuilt the engine which now measures 468 with a steel crank, polished
rods, windage tray, full floating piston pins, 10 1/2 to 1 pistons, and the original 990 casting heads
with a minor bowl blend and 5 angle valve job. This year, I hope to change the intake manifold to
an offenhouser dual port manifold. I run a Chevy EFI system and Glenwood water-cooled exhaust.
I also run a 22% overdrive castle v-drive. The boat has been pretty much turnkey since the day I
built the engine. I'm not too sure of the top speed, but with a 12 x 15 3-blade, my rpm is around
5500. The boat has got no markings indicating what it is, and I do know that California Marine in
the early days used Hondo moulds to make his boats. As near as I can find out and from what I
have seen from pictures in Hot Boat and other v-drive sites, it looks like an older Hondo. The closest
one that I can compare it to that I've seen is the Chelsea v-drive on the Hot Boat on-line website or
in one of the back issues ... not sure which one - I'll have to look it up. So if anyone out there has
any information on Hondo boats or can tell me what the hell this thing is before it drives me crazy
from people asking about it, it would be muchly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you.
Post some pictures of it, front back and side. I have a Hondo and might ba able to help.
I'm with Kurtis, post some pics........I have a Hondo flat deck and I may be able to offer an opinion.
I'll have a friend who owns a 1976 Hondo T-deck Sprint get on this forum to try and help you out. They are great boats. wink
Are there any marks on the transom above the plates? If not take areal good look sometimes they are bondo'd over and if you plan repaintig start scapping because those letters and numbers will tell you the year,race,ski or circle boat it is.
If you're talking about California Marine that used to be in Vancouver they are still around, now in Richmond, B.C. He used to market a lot of stuff as Catalina but he and his dad were around a long time before I was interested in performance boats. Could be wrong but I think the late great Ray O'Hara was a Hondo dealer too, out of Port Moody, B.C.
Still a few Hondos in our drag boat club, the FVDBA.
Mine is a 70's heavy hull T-deck runner bottom----blown 468--was 1998 SDBA Blown Gas Flatbottom high point boat---
Hondo Boat Company was started by Irv Brendel in the early 60s in Southern California. The company was named after Irv's dog, Hondo. Irv had a boat dealer called Sepulveda Boat Dock in the San Fernando Valley, and marketed Alex Fragoso made fiberglass covered wooden SK type hulls under the name Brendella. When all fiberglass hulls started taking over the market, Alex Fragoso built a few and then quit manufacturing them. Irv then needed a new line of boats to sell, and he started building the Hondo all fiberglass hulls. Hondo flatbottoms were very competitive in drag racing, holding several world records for a time. Then Irv was divorced by his wife Peggy Ann, who wound up with Hondo Boats, which she ran with their son Mike for a while. The hulls were very well made and many are still haunting local lakes in search of an informal race.
Hondokid, call Dave about Hondo boats at california marine , ph; 604-278 1880 .He's open tuesday to saturday ,from 9.30 till 4.00 .He'll be on vacation from monday on. Yes, Ray O'Hara used to be a dealer in the seventies and used to race BAH.
Irv then moved to Three Rivers and continued making the boats here. He bought a bar on the river called Rumors. It was a great place and he was a great guy!
[ August 07, 2002, 06:02 PM: Message edited by: Lumpy ]
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