73 Mandella

[73mandella]

Does anyone know where, within a reasonable distance from the Los Angeles area, I can get my 73 Mandella gelcoated and the interior flowcoated? I talked to Carson Brummett a few months ago and the guy he suggested was going to charge me about $9k.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

B&K Boats in Bellflower 562-925-7111, Talk with Kenny or Mark. Here are a couple they have done

 

[73mandella]

Thanks. They're not far from my house. I'll have to stop by tomorrow.

 

[msmeads]

after you see them post the prices. I would be interested to know as well.

Thanks

 

[73mandella]

No problem. Hopefully they will be open tomorrow.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

They will be there tell them Cliff sent you by, they are old school guys and know there stuff. If you go by take a look at the Cole that Mark just fixed, the boat got raked across a dock and gouged through three fades and pin stripes, all in all about 6 to 7 different colors, you cannot see where the repairs were made.

 

[73mandella]

Will do. Thanks.

 

[73mandella]

Went to B&K Boating today and spoke to Ken. We discussed re-gelcoating my boat and he recommended against doing so and recommended painting it instead. Ken said gelcoating on top of existing gelcoat makes it far less durable. To make the gelcoat last, he would have to remove all of the existing gelcoat first.

I asked what it might cost and he said he wanted to see the boat first. I am going to take it to his shop next week and will update the post when I get more information.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

I should have told you that, Kenny and Mark are really against redoing an entire boat in gel coat, repairs are Ok but they trust the paint more. They have a customer with a clean Vector who wanted the graphics off the dek and re-gelled, he insisted on it and it cracked first trip out, re did it twice both times taking a ton of gel off, the third time hit it with enamel and has not been back since. There are a lot of thoughts on this and just like many topics everyone has an opinion... Did you check out the patterson in the back?

 

[73mandella]

He had two in back: a crackerbox (Mr. Magoo) and the all-wood flat bottom. He said both were Pattersons. I believe he said the Patterson flat bottom was about 50 years old and had never been rigged. We talked over an hour and most of it was about the old flat bottoms.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Both the cracker and flat belong to the same guy and the flat has never been rigged it is awesome I looked at it for over 30 minutes just admiring the craftsman ship that went into the all wood boats and that thing is just too cool. Are you local? I am in Long Beach and we have a bunch of flats in my family... we should have 6 to 7 together the week of July 12 at Kings River. Where do you take the Mandella?
Cliff

 

[73mandella]

My son was saying the very same thing about workmanship on the flat bottom. I noticed that the glass was lifting from the deck. I am sure that will not be a problem for Ken.

I am local. I live in Bellflower about a half mile east of B&K Boats. We haven?t been boating for many years, but did most of our boating at Lake Elsinore and Perris. That was many years ago. Our summer vacations were in Clear Lake in northern California. In fact, my brother-in-law is up there right now. We?ve never been to Kings River.

The Mandella is in the process of being built. I brought it for $3k from a guy in Folsom about six months ago. It came with the V-drive and little else. The hull is in great shape and can be put together as it sits, but my wife wants the old style look with a red bottom and white top. I have a 454 Chevy that needs some work and then my brother-in-law will build the seats. He owns A-1 Canvas in Upland. I hope to have the boat together by early next year.

We are a Mandella family. My father-in-law bought his Mandella in 1963 and it is still in the family. My wife's cousin owns it now. The 63 Mandella was featured in a boating magazine a few years ago. My brother-in-law has a 24-foot Caribbean day cruiser, an outboard 20-foot step-deck Mandella, and a 20-foot long deck Mandella. Both of his Mandellas are project boats.

I have a few albums on my profile (73mandella) with all of our boats. The all red Mandella is the one I am working on. It looks great, but my wife wants a different look.

Richard

 

[rivergames]

He had two in back: a crackerbox (Mr. Magoo) and the all-wood flat bottom. He said both were Pattersons. I believe he said the Patterson flat bottom was about 50 years old and had never been rigged. We talked over an hour and most of it was about the old flat bottoms.

If you would have been there a month ago, you would have seen my patterson wood cracker.

I would definitely go to B&K. Let them take their time to do the job right the right time. Ken and Mark are great guys and you will be more than satisfied when you get your boat back.

 

[rivergames]

My son was saying the very same thing about workmanship on the flat bottom. I noticed that the glass was lifting from the deck. I am sure that will not be a problem for Ken.

I am local. I live in Bellflower about a half mile east of B&K Boats. We haven?t been boating for many years, but did most of our boating at Lake Elsinore and Perris. That was many years ago. Our summer vacations were in Clear Lake in northern California. In fact, my brother-in-law is up there right now. We?ve never been to Kings River.

The Mandella is in the process of being built. I brought it for $3k from a guy in Folsom about six months ago. It came with the V-drive and little else. The hull is in great shape and can be put together as it sits, but my wife wants the old style look with a red bottom and white top. I have a 454 Chevy that needs some work and then my brother-in-law will build the seats. He owns A-1 Canvas in Upland. I hope to have the boat together by early next year.

We are a Mandella family. My father-in-law bought his Mandella in 1963 and it is still in the family. My wife's cousin owns it now. The 63 Mandella was featured in a boating magazine a few years ago. My brother-in-law has a 24-foot Caribbean day cruiser, an outboard 20-foot step-deck Mandella, and a 20-foot long deck Mandella. Both of his Mandellas are project boats.

I have a few albums on my profile (73mandella) with all of our boats. The all red Mandella is the one I am working on. It looks great, but my wife wants a different look.

Richard

Rich, is your brother-in-laws name Lou?

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Rich, when you get that Mandella going we will have to get together, the wood decker (63 Spitfire) I posted a picture of is my dads, he has had it since 65 or so. Kings is a great place to run the flats, not too many people and good water all day during the week. If you guys take the boat to B&K I will probably run into you there, Ken is like family to me and I have my Spectra there right now, I try to work there evenings a few nights a week.
Cliff

 

[73mandella]

Rivergames:

Yes. Lou is my brother-in-law. But don?t hold that against me. I married into the family. He was part of the package (just kidding).

 

[RyanPartridge]

I love the SK Mandellas. I looked at a few before I found my boat.

I still want to build one someday.

 

[73mandella]

Cliff:

Sounds good to me. I like the idea of not too many people. I am not at all familiar with Kings River. What's the weather like out there? Where do you recommend staying?

 

[73mandella]

ryanpatridge:

I married into boating and it has been a great experience. I started going to boat drag races at Long Beach Marine Stadium and saw Mr. Ed make a pass at 202 mph in 1971. My first marathon race was at Lake Elsinore, Lou Brummett?s last race. Mandella, Rayson Craft, Aquacraft, Hondo, Sanger, Hallett, Howard, and Eliminator are the names I was most familiar with at the time. In fact, Eliminator was made in Huntington Park and rigged in Cudahy, where I lived. I went to the shop many times just to look at the boats. Those were good days.

While I like all of the boats, Mandella stuck with me: most likely because of the family connection. I also liked the fact that the hull was one of the strongest built at the time. Although I never met Lou Brummett, I met his wife, Nadine, many times at their shop in Pasadena.

There is an Eliminator flat bottom for sale (on eBay I think) for $1800. It is really tempting because of the history.

 

[73mandella]

1963 Mandella

 

[73mandella]

This was the article in the April 2000 issue of Hot Boat Magazine regarding the history of the family boat.

A Family Legacy
By Brian Davidson

This lovely piece of history was purchased from Lou Brummett in 1963 as a bare hull and trailer. The only items installed by Brummett were the strut, prop, and rudder through the hull. The boat was filmed in 8mm movies by Brummett and his crew, who are shown putting the boat together and installing it on the trailer so it can be transported to the new owner, Lou Valentine, Sr. of Southern California.

The boat was originally put together with a 1961 Lincoln engine (430 c.i.d.) with six carburetors, intended for use in a Mexican racing car. The original transmission was a Borg Warner C71, which was financed when Mrs. Valentine sold her piano.

From the early ?60s to the mid ?70s, the boat remained at Lake Elsinore, California, almost year-round and was used exclusively for skiing. In 1976, a tragic accident involving the boat soured the family on the boat, and it was sold to a close friend, Tom Blair. By 1983, Blair had decided to move to Arizona and asked the Valentines if they wanted the boat back before he left. Lou II immediately stepped up and purchased the boat. He then spent many hours rebuilding the Mandella, adding a completely new interior and new gelcoat trim, as well as a custom adjustable cavitation plate. He also upgraded the Lincoln to a 454 Chevrolet. In the ten years that Lou II owned the Mandella, he completed four different interiors and several engines.

By 1993, Lou?s family was in the market for a new daycruiser. Cousin Kenny announced that he would like to own the Mandella. He had, after all, used it his whole life and was one of the few family members not to own the boat.

Kenny and his family brought the Mandella in June of 1993, and since that day, the boat has been washed, waxed, and polished more than you can imagine.

The boat gets used frequently at Kenny?s old stomping grounds at Lake Elsinore, California. It runs great and looks even better.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Rich, the river is in the central Valley 40 miles south of Fresno right at 3.5 to 4 hours out of Bellflower straight up the 5 to 99. (I grew up in Bellflower) The weather is hot during the days but cools off at night. We stay at Lindys Landing 559-897-2885, there is also Royal Oaks and Riverland but both are a bit busier. I will take some pics next week and post them for you. Don't talk to ken about Kings River... he doesn't like the cold water and some times shallow water, he pulled the shaft out of a friends Howard wood decker in the early 70's and I was sitting next to him at all of 5 to 6 years old. My brother and 1 of my sisters were skiing and my brother comes walking up to the boat with the shaft complete with prop in his hads and asked him if he lost something... good times. Also the river bottom is sand, so if you do hit bottom not much damage.

 

[73mandella]

Look forward to seeing the photos.

Four hours is not a bad drive at all, especially for clean smooth water.

 

[73mandella]

Ken, from B&K Boats, looked at the Mandella today. He said the boat was in good shape with only a couple minor dings that needed repair. He quoted me $4,500 for a two-tone paint job (red bottom and white top) with a contrasting trim. We discussed flow coating the interior, but that would not have accomplished what I wanted.

 

[73mandella]

The old days

 

[73mandella]

Cliff:

Thanks for hooking me up with Ken. He stopped by the house today and we talked about the Mandella again. I have to strip everything off the hull and I?ll most likely give it to him in about two weeks. He said he would have it for the better part of two months, which works out great for me.

Once we take the boat to his shop, I?ll most likely take the trailer to Competitive Trailers so we can get some work done on it and have it painted.

I am going to take some photos and post them to show the progress of the project.

Richard

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Richard, that's great, I'm glad that you guys were able to work out a good deal, and ken will do you right. I look forward to seeing the Mandella at the shop, if I ever get back there... I will be posting some pics of our Kings River trip in a few days, or as soon as I get the pics from my sister, we ended up with 5 flats and had a ball running around.

 

[94Nautique]

Richard, my dad owned the 63 Mandella inbetween Louie and Butch, do you know if Kenny still has it and is using it?

 

[73mandella]

Is this Marty or Robby? If so, Vicky says Hi! Do you have any photos of the boat when your parents owned it? I'd like to add them to my albums.

Yes. Ken and Stephanie still own the boat and use it frequentlly at Lake Elsinore. He is rebuilding the motor at this time and should have it running soon. If you want to get in touch wih Louie (Vicky's brother), you can call him at A1 Canvas in Upland (909-946-4127). IOt's his shop, but he only works there in the afternoon and on weekends.

Richard

 

[94Nautique]

Richard,

Great to hear from you, and btw this is Marty, please tell Vicky hi for me, its been forever (literally). I know we've got tons of old pictures and maybe even some old 8mm movies of the boat, in MaLu form. Mom moved out to Alabama, so I'll need to have her find the pics and scan them, but I've been wanting to get them done anyway. I'd be happy to have you add them to your albums, we've got to keep the classic's alive!

I'm out at Canyon Lake a lot, I've got my Nautique out there, so it would be great to one day stop by Elsinore (Ortega HWY has become my friend) and see the old Mandella when Kenny gets it back in the water. Had some really fun times with that boat.

PS: check this out and see if you guys recognize anyone: [video=youtube;sQ59TX6WJGs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ59TX6WJGs[/video]

Take care, Marty

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Richard, here are some pics of our trip to Kings river a few weeks ago, we ended up with 5 flatties in the group, Dad's 63 spit fire 401 buick, Brother in Laws 67 Hallet 428 SCJ, Cousins's 69 Eliminator 521 Ford (first trip out, halls the mail) Cousins 74 Sanger BBC and My 77 Sanger BBC. We are booked for next year July 10 to the 16th, get that Mandella done and come hang out with us.

 

[73mandella]

Marty:

When I told Vicky either you or your brother responded to my post on River Dave's, she immediately said it had to be you. So did Butch when I told him. How are you doing and how is everyone else? Are you the only one who stayed with boating? My guess, from the video clip, is that you guys ventured into cars. Vicky looked at the clip, but did not recognize anyone. Is the guy in yellow with the hat, glasses, and beard your dad?

We went boating religiously for many years, but slowed down when the boys (Ryan & Steve) graduated from high school. I haven?t had my boat (the yellow one) out in years.

The Mandella has always been a dream. Ryan found it on the Internet several months ago and we drove to Folsom to pick it up. We stripped almost everything out of the hull this week and it will probably go to the shop in a week or two for the paint job. It should take a couple months to get it done. The trailer will get painted at the same time. The motor, a 454 Chevy, will go in next week for some machine work and Ryan and his grandfather (Louie) will put it together. Steve wants to help, but does not have a much time on his hands.

I?ll post some pictures to show the progress of the project.

 

[94Nautique]

Richard,

Thats great to hear you're doing the project with your boys and with "Uncle Louie" as we used to call him 40 years ago! I hope to one day do a project boat with my boys, Ryan (you guys have great taste in names!) and Griffin. Of the famly, I'm the only one still boating, I've been skiing a lot for the 15 years or so, and just got my 8 year old daugher up on skis yesterday! The boys tried it too on the boom, got real close will up next time. The 3 year old Griffin could be the best of the three. On my RDP profile is a link for a barefoot video I did right before we sold our place up in San Mateo. I've currently got a '94 Ski Nautique which tecnically is a flat bottom, but is no v-drive. Would love to get a Mandella or a Rayson Craft one day and build an "old man's boat." We'll see. BTA, the car video I linked was from way back in the early or mid '70's and at 20 seconds that's Butch on the right and my dad on the left. Anyway, tell everyone I said HI and we'll have to have an Elsinore reunion one day when you and Kenny get your boats together and I'll bring ski boat.

 

[73mandella]

Hey Marty, when you said "old man's boat" did you actually mean a "real man's boat"?

I agree with the Rayson Craft, but I like their 20' GN hull better than their flatbottom. A few years ago I found a bare hull (no holes) for $6k. I would not trade my my Mandella, but would like to have had the Rayson Craft too.

 

[73mandella]

Cliff:

Great photos. The boats are beautiful.

I noticed the campsites. Does the place have cabins or other accommodations? I do not have a trailer and my wife does not like to camp in a tent. Also, does the river widen at any point or is it a relatively narrow?

Richard

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

No Cabins but there are a few places in town that will bring trailers out to you, we had a friend do that. Cost was (I THINK) $100 a night plus $100 to drop off.

As far as the river goes, those are the wide spots The pics of all 5 together are in a lagoon and most parts a bit wider than the shot of the boats running.

 

[94Nautique]

Richard,

Hehehe, yes actually you have to be a real man to make it to being an old man, especially when you spend a lot of time behind the wheel of an older marathon hull. I mean, c'mon where are the Elsinore 500's, Salton Sea 500's of the world these days? Those guys had balls! Keep the classics alive, and drive 'em like you stole 'em!

 

[Skyskier]

Richard,

Hehehe, yes actually you have to be a real man to make it to being an old man, especially when you spend a lot of time behind the wheel of an older marathon hull. I mean, c'mon where are the Elsinore 500's, Salton Sea 500's of the world these days? Those guys had balls! Keep the classics alive, and drive 'em like you stole 'em!

they don't build 'em like these anymore .............we hit just about EVERY marathon race back in the day except for miami :thumbsup.......The Salton City 500 WAS the coolest

 

[73mandella]

Cliff:

Nice to meet you the other day. I'm still having trouble getting the rudder out of the Mandella, so I could not get the boat to B&K last weekend. I don't think the rudder has been out since the boat was built. I guess that is what happens when you have a 37-year-old boat.

 

[73mandella]

73 Mandella Restoration

The Mandella finally made it to B&K Boat Repairs today for minor repairs and painting. It shoudl look a lot different in two months.

 

[73mandella]

73 Mandella Restoration photos

 

[73mandella]

73 Mandella project

 

[94Nautique]

Richard, are you guys going with the white deck or keeping the full red?

 

[73mandella]

Yes. Vicky picked out the colors. Ken, at B&K Boat Repairs, showed me a very dark red that looks great. Vicky also wants a dark blue stripe around the deck. The interior will bew white. It should look great.

 

[73mandella]

I should never try to do two things at one time. Multi-tasking is not where I excel. The boat will have a white deck, red bottom, and one blue stripe around the deck. I think (hope) I got it right this time.

 

[73mandella]

This is what it should look like, minus the design on the deck.

 

[94Nautique]

Richard,
That will look great!

 

[AzMandella]

Here are a few shots of my 66' Mandella Short Deck. This boat might be for sale at the end of the season.

 

[73mandella]

I have seen pictures of this boat before. It is a great looking Mandella! I will look for it if and when you finally decide to let go of the boat. I especially like the colors because my other boat is yellow and gray with dark brown trim.

I noticed you have a Ford in it. I have a 460 Ford in my 1977 Caribbean (jet), but the Mandella will have a 454 Chevy with a Velvet Drive. I also noticed that the engine is set much farther forward than the Chevy in my cousin?s 63 Mandella. Does that help the ride or is there another reason?

 

[AzMandella]

I have seen pictures of this boat before. It is a great looking Mandella! I will look for it if and when you finally decide to let go of the boat. I especially like the colors because my other boat is yellow and gray with dark brown trim.

I noticed you have a Ford in it. I have a 460 Ford in my 1977 Caribbean (jet), but the Mandella will have a 454 Chevy with a Velvet Drive. I also noticed that the engine is set much farther forward than the Chevy in my cousin?s 63 Mandella. Does that help the ride or is there another reason?

Yeah it's a Ford 514. It turns around 6800 - 7000 RPM. H beam rods, JE 12 to 1 pistons. Full Crower Roller valve train and Trick Flow heads with a minor port job. As far as engine location it seems to be in the same location as the other shortdecks I have seen and Eddie's Inboard & Marine here in Tucson has been building them for over 40 yrs.