T deck?

[major_justin]

My boat is supposed to be a 72 Hondo according to the tittle,,, but the guy i bought it from said it is a 72 hondo t deck... is the t deck part because of the cutout in the dash where the driver sits?

[PE 316]

EXACTLY!! The T-deck refers to the "cut-out" made in the deck @ the driver's side area to reduce the occurance of major leg injuries when being thrown from the boat at high speeds...

[major_justin]

SO is that a good hull design because i havent seen to many of them? and also do you know where i could find basic facts of my boat maybe factory settings etc... the guy i bought it from didnt know that much and i am in Afghanistan so all the reading material i could get aand print off would be great

[PE 316]

The T-deck Hondo (XH511-T) is regarded as the "forefather" of the modern flatbottom dragboat design. Is your boat a "runner-bottom?" (does it have three seperate cavitation plates?)

Looking at your photo, I imagine with the passenger seating arrangement and the carpet glued to the floor of the boat coupled with the fact it does NOT have a foot-operated cavitation pedal, this boat is most likely set-up as a "ski boat." I'm going to ASSume it has bronze underwater gear (Strut, Rudder & possibly a 3-blade Propellor)??

Can you post more pictures of your boat?? (particularly of the transome & cavitation plate, underwater running gear, and also a full side-view)

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. - Thank you for all you do to protect & preserve the freedom we all take for granted on a daily basis!!

[major_justin]

Yes to all but it has a 2 blade prop that the guy i bought it from painted it red
and is that "t deck" a good hull style? also at a low idle my folkes said it was "rough" but once opened up it was "smooth" is that normal? Im guessing he was talking maybe gears or the v-drive in general

I have to resign back up for the computer i will be back in about 20 min.... (sorry damn afgan computers)

[PE 316]

Yes to all but it has a 2 blade prop that the guy i bought it from painted it red
and is that "t deck" a good hull style? also at a low idle my folkes said it was "rough" but once opened up it was "smooth" is that normal? Im guessing he was talking maybe gears or the v-drive in general

If this truly is a T-deck Hondo, then your answer is a resounding YES!! Not only is it a good hull style, it was a GREAT hull design when it came from the mold in the early 70's. Is it still "great?" Only a complete and thorough examination of the hull can tell you it's condition today. I would highly recommend pulling up the carpet and examining the stringer condition of this boat. Hopefully the carpet was not added to "hide" a potential problem area...

The "rough idle" could possibly be due to the camshaft that is installed in the engine. If this is the case, it would be referred to as idle "loap" that then "smoothes-out" once the R.P.M.s are raised.

What engine is installed in this boat??

[Flatmvn]

Here is the profile of his boat. It is true Flat not a Runner.

http://www.v-driveboat.com/vweb/attachment.php?attachmentid=51&d=1206886189

[PE 316]

Louis (Flatmvn),

Thanks for the posting the picture.

------------------------------------------

Major Justin,

OBVIOUSLY this boat is set up as a "SKI BOAT" (as evidenced by the seating arrangement and motor placement). If kept in proper condition, I'm sure it will give you many years of recreational use enjoyment.

Not knowing the motor specs. I would assume that is a 70 - 80 mph (give or take) boat.

Looks GREAT!!! I'm sure you will enjoy the hell out of it!!

Mike

[major_justin]

The motor is a 454 built by ("motor magic" never heard of them ???? but they have their own custom valve covers so i figured they might be a good size shop) and the guy i bought it from said he never opened the motor and he was told that he was the second owner which would make me the 3rd. ITs got 2 cater 4's and my stepdad knows mechanics but not boats and he said he would pro-ject the motor built to be around 4-5k which is more than i paid for the boat.

[RiverRacer]

That is a real nice boat, looks like it was taken cared of well. It is definitely a ski boat as it sits, odds are the hardware is ski boat stuff also, but used as it was built for could give a lot of years of fun if maintained right!..

[V-Drive Video]

Judging by the holes in the side of the boat, I'm gonna go out on a limb and bet this thing is a sprint. Those wholes were probably water exits at one time.

Motor Magic is the late Larry Dalhoff. Does this boat have strakes under it?

Also, can you find some id numbers in the transom. Hondo didn't advertise or show up at the race track with a t-deck until 1973. The sprints weren't built until 1975.

Looks like a great boat all in all, how far forward is the v-drive measured from the inside of the transom?

:cool:

[FC-Pilot]

Good eye Jerry. I did not think about that. If it is then that thing has potential to be one heck of a boat.

Paul

Oh, by the way, welcome home Jerry.;):D

[Terrible toy]

Nice piece, I could be wrong but it doesn't look like a Hondo. It's not a runner bottom and the "T" deck is different then the Hondo's I've had. The boat pic attached is an 1981 T deck runner bottom Hondo. Your windshield seems higher and the dash under the steering column is dropped down. On my mine the dashes were straight across on the bottom. But, who cares it's a good looking boat that looks to be fast enough for some serious fun.

[FC-Pilot]

TT, You may be right that is may not be a Hondo, but Hondo did build a T-deck with a bottom for circle boat racing that was a true flat bottom (having the standard two cav plates). They actually had four strakes under them, but that is not something we can see from here so we are just taking guesses as to what it might be. The water exits out the side by the driver are readily seen on circle boats, hence V-drive Videos' comment. He also owns one so I am not about to question him. I guess we will all learn together.

Paul

[V-Drive Video]

The dash looks just like mine and many sprints had the old style tack on the dash like this one. Also, Hondo sold many uncapped boats...

The plate is probably 1 piece. :)

[Terrible toy]

How come I don't know all this about Hondo?:confused: I was a factory driver for Hondo and didn't know they ever made roundy round boats or sold parts of hulls. Was this in the Peggy and Irv era or the Irv Brendella era or the Mike, Irv and Jamie "Three Rivers" era???

[Terrible toy]

Who's Art Anderson?

Just kidding, one of the nicest guy I've never met.;)

[V-Drive Video]

How come I don't know all this about Hondo?:confused: I was a factory driver for Hondo and didn't know they ever made roundy round boats or sold parts of hulls. Was this in the Peggy and Irv era or the Irv Brendella era or the Mike, Irv and Jamie "Three Rivers" era???

The sprint was 1975 and later.

http://www.v-drivevideo.com/pictures/albums/b/normal_v-drive_ads_007.jpg

http://www.v-drivevideo.com/pictures/albums/2/Vintage_ads_3.jpg

http://www.v-drivevideo.com/pictures/albums/2/XH511T_001.jpg

[Terrible toy]

That boat looks an awful lot like JM's boat. I stand corrected...

My feeble excuse is that I was ignorant of Hondo history prior to 1978.

I bought my first drag boat from Irv Brendel, a Brendella 2" runner deal in 1978 when it was just him making them out of Three Rivers. A year later Mike had joined his Dad and were making Hondos in Three Rivers. That's when they offered me a boat and I raced for them for three years. I don't remember seeing any, or hearing them talk about circle boats during that time.

The pictures of Mike driving the K boat are interesting. They may be some of the last boats he drove. He had badly injured a leg in a drag boat accident. It must have not been too long after those pics. By the time I met him in 1979 he was completely healed.

[V-Drive Video]

That boat looks an awful lot like JM's boat. I stand corrected...

My feeble excuse is that I was ignorant of Hondo history prior to 1978.

I bought my first drag boat from Irv Brendel, a Brendella 2" runner deal in 1978 when it was just him making them out of Three Rivers. A year later Mike had joined his Dad and were making Hondos in Three Rivers. That's when they offered me a boat and I raced for them for three years. I don't remember seeing any, or hearing them talk about circle boats during that time.

The pictures of Mike driving the K boat are interesting. They may be some of the last boats he drove. He had badly injured a leg in a drag boat accident. It must have not been too long after those pics. By the time I met him in 1979 he was completely healed.

I heard the leg injury was in the K-X. The v-drive let go and the driveline came free and messed up his leg. I wasn't there that's just what I've heard...

[major_justin]

ALright bear with me boys..... My step dad is measuring the top of v-drive to the transom and i will post them as soon as i get them and what are the strakes you talk about? yeah i know damn rookies!!! thanks guys and i will post all the pics i have in the pic folder might help some.... and the water hole on the side still shoots water out and it is a single solid cav plate

Thanks guys

[RiverRacer]

Who's Art Anderson?

Just kidding, one of the nicest guy I've never met.;)

I heard he's an a$$hole!..:D Thanks for the compliment Bill!..:cool:

[V-Drive Video]

ALright bear with me boys..... My step dad is measuring the top of v-drive to the transom and i will post them as soon as i get them and what are the strakes you talk about? yeah i know damn rookies!!! thanks guys and i will post all the pics i have in the pic folder might help some.... and the water hole on the side still shoots water out and it is a single solid cav plate

Thanks guys

I looked at the pics and I still can't tell which bottom you have. The v-drive appears to be forward probably going through a 12 degree strut.

Look for a hull ID number stamped back here in the transom area, you may not find it.

http://www.v-driveboat.com/vweb/picture.php?albumid=39&pictureid=247

[Terrible toy]

I heard the leg injury was in the K-X. The v-drive let go and the driveline came free and messed up his leg. I wasn't there that's just what I've heard...

You could be right. Mike was telling me about the accident and I believe he said it happened at Mission Bay in San Diego (don't quote me on this as I seem to be on a roll messing up facts) He and I were at a drag race there when he was telling me this and I could have jumped to conclusions.

Where ever it happened it was serious. He has a football sized scar on his right thigh. It's a miracle the safety guys got him stabilized and to a hospital so quickly.

Mission Bay was not my favorite place to race. They ran the boats from close to shore out into the middle of the bay (where all the rough water is) You weren't allowed to drive back so everyone had to wait for the whole class to be run and then be towed back. In comp flat we had 30 boats out there. Would have made a great U Tube video... 30 guys in chute jackets all sitting on the noses of their boats paddling into the wind like the devil was chasing them.:D:D

[FC-Pilot]

This boat has two strakes on the bottom of it. They are the ribs that are raised up (being that the boat is up-side-down right now).
http://www.v-driveboat.com/vweb/picture.php?albumid=57&pictureid=249

If yours is a sprint it should have four of them on the bottom. If it is not it will be fairly flat across the bottom.

Paul

[V-Drive Video]

Major Justin has informed me that his boat is a 4 strake bottom boat. This as well as his hin shows it to be a 74 sprint. :)

[FC-Pilot]

Well that settles it then. That should be a fun boat either way, but if he decides to change some things up he could really have one heck of a hot rod on his hands.

Paul