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Barnfind classic....Guess my new/old boat

KillerBee

Member
With the weather getting warmer and summer in full swing I got the itch for a boat.
I've grown up with boats over the years but haven't had one of my own for years.
I would like to teach my 8 year old daughter to water ski before she gets too old so the time is now.
So I run it past the wifegod who isn't really a boat person and she said go for it.

Being the old man I am I am partial to the cool metalflake muscle speed boats of the 70's and 80's. Checkmate, Baja etc....
So I put some feelers out looking for a nice speed/ski boat for an affordable price.
I looked at a lot of beat up tubs, overpriced newer boats, and nice ones on the other side of the country and really had given up finding anything I wanted or could afford.
Then I get a call from a buddy who says he has found the perfect boat for me right in my back yard.:cheers:
It is owned by a 70 plus year old guy who lives on a private lake near me and the boat has been sitting in a building since new and is MINT!
So obviously it's worth a look.
So I call the owner, a very nice gentleman who invites me over to look at the boat and take it out on the lake for a ride.
The story on the boat is he bought it new 22 years ago, he special ordered it to his liking.
His son was a competition waterskier and ramp jumper who worked at our now closed local Sea World and they needed a nice ski boat to practice with on their lake.
They used the boat for two years then upgraded to a Mastercraft inboard ski boat.
The owner still really liked his custom ordered boat so he decided to hang on to it and put it in his pole building for safe keeping taking it out once or twice a year just to keep it running.
Well 20 years later the son is married and moved away and the owner is cruising the lake in a pontoon boat and his health is getting bad. Ironically the seller is retired from the company I work for and we really hit it off, he told me he wasn't going to sell the boat to anyone he felt would abuse it and he was happy his baby was getting a good home and gave me an great deal on it :thumb:
So here is my new money pit.
The boat is perfect inside and out and runs like new. Even the wifegod is excited about getting out on the water and my 8 year old is ready to be the captain.

Anyone wanna guess what brand boat it is?
boat1.jpg
Perfect interior.
boatinterior.jpg
Perfect dash, just like a brand new boat. See the bimini top on the floor, it is original and has NEVER been used or even out of it's sleeved cover!
boatdash.jpg
 
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Engine is a 4.3 with four barrel carb 205hp with Alpha 1 outdrive.
I love these classic metalflake muscleboats.
The boat will feel right at home in my garage...as soon as I make some room.

challengergarage.jpg
 
Congrats on the barn find! :thumb: Great metal flake color combo.

Looks like in one of the side pix that he left it sitting in the water? Or is that water line just a dirty lake after a test ride?

And did you say Sea World is closed??? :(
 
Congrats on the barn find! :thumb: Great metal flake color combo.

Looks like in one of the side pix that he left it sitting in the water? Or is that water line just a dirty lake after a test ride?

And did you say Sea World is closed??? :(

The Sea World in N.E. Ohio has been closed for years now. I miss it.

Yes the marks on the side are just from dirty water from our test ride, and road grime sticking to it from towing the boat home. I wiped it down after I took the pics.
 
Good old Sea World,I would have to vist that place every yr when I was a kid and SENT to Cleveland to vist the wierd relatives for the week!Geauge Lake, Aurora OH.The corny waterski shows was my favorite!

p.s. Is that an 8 3/4 rear end in the pic! NIce Rides:cheers:
 
Good old Sea World,I would have to vist that place every yr when I was a kid and SENT to Cleveland to vist the wierd relatives for the week!Geauge Lake, Aurora OH.The corny waterski shows was my favorite!

p.s. Is that an 8 3/4 rear end in the pic! NIce Rides:cheers:

Yes the rear end is an 8 3/4 and in front of that is a Dana 60 rear end.
I got a garage full of parts(junk).
 
Thanks guys :thumb:

I hope nobody minds if I ask a question or two while tinkering with my new boat.
This is an awesome forum and there's a ton of knowledable people here and I've got a LOT to learn.
 
Hey man, nice find, cool looking boat! But i gotta say too, Mopar guy too Mopar guy, ya gotta couple great lookin Challengers there!! I'm a die hard Mopar only guy too, i have '68 383 Charger, a '69 Charger with a 440 (origionally a 318 car, no R/T), and my dad has a '67 fast back first gen Charger 383 4-barrel car, and you'll like this since it looks your an E-body guy, a Hemi-Orange '70 440 'Cuda (origionally a 340 car)!!! Mopar muscle cars muscle boats, doesn't get much better than that...now if i could just figure out how to get a Hemi in my Checkmate...:devil:!! Nice boat, nice cars, congrats on the find bud!
 
sweet boat. i hear ya about the room thing. im looking to go with a bigger boat and have to part with a few cars. ill take the plum crazy 71 challenger r/t if you need space :). love to metal flake. nice original baot.
 
Thanks for all the kinds words.:bigthumb:

Because of the boat the old Mopars got neglected quite a bit this summer:sssh:

I've owned the orange Challenger 30 years now, I bought it when I was 15, it was my first car. I painted it in my parents garage at age 17.
It's currently running a fairly close to stock 440 Sixpack engine with Hemi 4 speed transmission. It's had quite a number of small and bick block engines in it over the years, from mild to wild.
Drove it to high school, took it on countless dates, to my prom, to college, to my wedding, and now I cruise around with my kids and sneak it off to the racetrack once in awhile.
I think I've got my money's worth out of it.:D

I do tinker with a Chebbie once in awhile too.
This one is an original 1969 L71 427 435hp tri power.
Found in a barn with 36k original miles.
Original GM parts over the counter L88 flares and Hooker headers/sidepipes.
Built and tuned in the early 70's by an upcoming speed shop in Columbus Ohio owned by a fella by the name of Jeg's Coughlin.:thumb:
5196832-passengerrear.jpg

challistrip.jpg
 
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