Vintage Coast Guard Parker

[BoatCop]

A friend and old ship-mate of mine had some of his old slides converted. These are of the Coast Guard on the Colorado River, in Parker, ca 1974-'75. This was before I reported aboard (I was there '78-'81) and when the Spectras were brand new. The smaller boat was a 17', built by Miami Yacht Company. They came with a 350 CI inboard I/O.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

Kool trailers Thanks for all the CG does all over the world

 

[Dkahnjob]

I remember those coast guard Spectra's they were and still are very cool.

 

[wishiknew]

A friend and old ship-mate of mine had some of his old slides converted. These are of the Coast Guard on the Colorado River, in Parker, ca 1974-'75. This was before I reported aboard (I was there '78-'81) and when the Spectras were brand new. The smaller boat was a 17', built by Miami Yacht Company. They came with a 350 HP inboard I/O.

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Great pictures Thanks Alan

 

[Riverbottom]

I don't remember the windshields. Every so often they would have a Spectra cruising in Newport on a busy weekend.

 

[DLow]

Very cool pictures. Thanks for sharing. Dumb question… where was/is that lagoon at?

 

[grumpy88]

Very cool pictures

 

[grumpy88]

Very cool pictures. Thanks for sharing. Dumb question… where was/is that lagoon at?

River lodge i think

 

[HBCraig]

Super cool. That's as OG as you can get

 

[BoatCop]

Very cool pictures. Thanks for sharing. Dumb question… where was/is that lagoon at?

River lodge i think

Castle Rock Shores.

 

[SPECTRABRENT]

Those are great pictures!,,

 

[RodnJen]

I remember those Spectras as well. We had a trailer on the front row of The Sportsman at that time.

 

[SummitKarl]

very cool Alen

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Very cool.
I’d love to have that International TravelAll.

 

[MV Mike]

I remember getting pulled over with my Dad by a boat just like that ,they pulled me aboard took me back to the campsite ,I believe it was called.Kinders landing,dropping me off and saying your dads coming with us.
I must have been 8 or 9

 

[rivermobster]

Great pics. 74 was the first year I want to the river.

 

[RodnJen]

I remember getting pulled over with my Dad by a boat just like that ,they pulled me aboard took me back to the campsite ,I believe it was called.Kinders landing,dropping me off and saying your dads coming with us.
I must have been 8 or 9

Yup, then Riverland.

 

[LHC Kirby]

Very cool pictures......... Thanks

 

[RodnJen]

Great pics. 74 was the first year I want to the river.

You shouldn’t have waited until you were 30.

 

[instagator]

Great pics. I was around Parker those years, I must of been to drunk , can't remember coast guard, Sundance,3 tequila drinks for one served at the dock.
Even gave you nice plastic cups so you could take the drinks with you on the boat.

 

[bocco]

In one of those pics it looks like they are towing a boat at planeing speed while a guy was sitting on the bow with his feet dangling over the front of the boat.

 

[DaveH]

i love the pic of the boat being towed in, with the person bow riding with no life jacket

amazing how times have changed.

 

[Hardly Satisfied]

Love seeing these old pictures

 

[woodagain]

Towed the Coast Guard Spectra in at the Lower River once behind my flattie.
Some pretty cool young guys my age at the time. Whipped them up on plane and headed to launch ramp at maybe 30 mph.
Told me next time they would turn the siren and lights on so it would look like they were chasing me.
Fun times the 70’s

 

[RiverDave]

In one of those pics it looks like they are towing a boat at planeing speed while a guy was sitting on the bow with his feet dangling over the front of the boat.

i think it was a recovery of a sunk boat

 

[rivermobster]

You shouldn’t have waited until you were 30.

Dick. LoL

I think I was 16 at the time.

 

[ATKpilot]

I saw this boat the other day on Craigslist and thought I know the Coast Guard has some cool stuff so it's a legit Coast Guard boat? Weren't Solution Boats built by a Fireman?

 

[BoatCop]

I saw this boat the other day on Craigslist and thought I know the Coast Guard has some cool stuff so it's a legit Coast Guard boat? Weren't Solution Boats built by a Fireman?

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Not a "Solutions", whatever the hell that is.

Those boats were built as "Custom Craft" by Roberts Marine in Lake Elsinore. We got them new in 1979. Pieces of shit. IF you tried to turn right, they would bank slightly right and then whip around to the left and swap ends. I was driving one of them, with 9 hours on the engine, when oil pressure dropped to zero and the crankshaft broke in two before I could shut it down. Right above Rock Island at Holiday Harbor. We had to drop the anchor to avoid going onto the Island, before the Station could launch and send the 18' Spectra jet to rescue us and tow it in. Date was October 27th 1979. I remember it, because it was my wedding day.

They were laid up really heavy and could barely hit 40 MPH with the 454s. Not exactly what I would describe as "chase fast boats", especially since somewhere, the engine was changed to a 327.

After we closed the Parker Station in 1981, they were given to Recruiting to tow in parades and show kids how cool the Coast Guard was. They were used to patrol in the 1984 Olympics, which I think was the only time they hit the water after Parker closed down. In 1996, this one was stored in San Diego and I was assigned to survey (scrap) it before sending it to Military Surplus. It was trashed, with the engine seized, rusted and unserviceable. It also had a two axle trailer, which was also sometime swapped to a single axle trailer. Don't know whatever happened to the second one.

Here's some pics when it was new. (The guys with no shirts were the builder and an employee, NOT any USCG personnel)

 

[BoatCop]

Very cool.
I’d love to have that International TravelAll.

That thing was beat. No A/C. 6 cyl, 3 speed on the column, couldn't retrieve the 24' boats without cooking the clutch.

We dumped it for a brand new '80 Dodge Dually. I drove it once from the Queen Mary, Long Beach to Parker in under 3 1/2 hours. On a FRIDAY afternoon.

 

[Wolskis]

Were the whites for photo ops or did you have to wear them while on duty?

 

[BoatCop]

Were the whites for photo ops or did you have to wear them while on duty?

These pics were taken around the time the CG was shifting from the old "Donald Duck" Navy type uniforms to what we affectionately call the "Bus Driver" uniforms we have now. For a while, either one was authorized. The guys in Whites were Reserves that hadn't been issued the new duds yet. They were in Parker for training on the new boats.

And yes, we had to wear either the Whites or the "tropical" dress uniforms while on patrol. In the later uniforms, that meant dark blue dress slacks, either the issued wool gaberdine or double knit polyester (we got the double knits real quick), and short sleeve cotton shirts, with ribbons and name tags. We did have Federal Maritime Law Enforcement badges for a while, but a new Commandant, who was more into traditional Search and Rescue stuff and "image", pulled them. At least they let us wear sneakers or boat shoes. Even with how much we whined, they wouldn't let us wear shorts.

 

[wishiknew]

I remember getting pulled over with my Dad by a boat just like that ,they pulled me aboard took me back to the campsite ,I believe it was called.Kinders landing,dropping me off and saying your dads coming with us.
I must have been 8 or 9

Rut roh

 

[lantz]

River lodge i think

Castle Rock Shores.

 

[SBIS P-14]

Good Morning, my name is Phil Stine. Coast Guard company Oscar/Bravo 121, Alameda. Oct 1978. Any chance we were there the same time?

 

[BoatCop]

Good Morning, my name is Phil Stine. Coast Guard company Oscar/Bravo 121, Alameda. Oct 1978. Any chance we were there the same time?

I was Bravo 100, Feb-Apr 1975. Around October '78 I was stationed at the BOSDET in Channel Islands/Lake Mead, but was TAD in Yorktown at National Boating Safety School for most of Sept and all of Oct '78.

 

[BoatCop]

Towed the Coast Guard Spectra in at the Lower River once behind my flattie.
Some pretty cool young guys my age at the time. Whipped them up on plane and headed to launch ramp at maybe 30 mph.
Told me next time they would turn the siren and lights on so it would look like they were chasing me.
Fun times the 70’s

That could have been me. We were down there just south of Blythe, new guy driving and he committed the cardinal sin of backing off the throttle going over a sandbar. Not only were we high and dry, but we smoked the Jabsco impeller and lost cooling. (the Hardin 454s had closed cooling systems). Got towed back to Blythe Marina. As soon as we got back to Parker we pulled the Jabsco pump and re-plumbed the system to get cooling off of the jet pump.

When the crew from San Diego had the 18' jet and patrolled the lower river, somebody stole the boat and trailer from the Blythe motel they were staying at. Found the trailer at Mayflower and the boat on a sandbar near Cibola. High and dry on a sandbar with the engine overheated and seized. The Chief in San Diego said "Fuck that River" and had the Commanding Officer send the Jet to us at Parker, and gave us the responsibility for the Lower River. San Diego got the 24' Spectra from Long Beach and concentrated on San Diego, Mission Bay and Oceanside, as the mission down there was shifting to drug interdiction. We also had the shop, tools and ability to rebuild the seized engine. We found an L88 manifold at a junkyard, ported the heads, and bored the engine 30 over. While the stock Hardin engines put out a respectable 425 HP, we dyno'd this one at 580. After break-in we ran the boat through the traps at Blue Water during a NJBA event at 78 MPH.

 

[SBIS P-14]

I was Bravo 100, Feb-Apr 1975. Around October '78 I was stationed at the BOSDET in Channel Islands/Lake Mead, but was TAD in Yorktown at National Boating Safety School for most of Sept and all of Oct '78.

I remembered choice to go to Parker out of boot. instead went to SAR unit Mackinaw Island. Icebreaker duty in the winter.
Always wondered what I missed on that river duty back in the late 70s.. Must have been crazy....

 

[BoatCop]

I remembered choice to go to Parker out of boot. instead went to SAR unit Mackinaw Island. Icebreaker duty in the winter.
Always wondered what I missed on that river duty back in the late 70s.. Must have been crazy....

Best duty ever. I had just gotten off the Burton Island, planned on getting out, so was put at Station San Francisco, for the little time I had left. The Commanding Officer of the Boating Safety Team (CWO4 Bosun) called me and asked if I wanted to go to the River. (Helped that he was my Cousin) I said hell yes, reenlisted for 3 years and a $6,000 bonus. I was MK2, made 1st Class there. After Parker they waved a $24,000 bonus at me for 6 years. I was now married with 2 kids, so took it. I went to New Jersey, EPO on a 65' Tug. Then to Hawaii on the Air Station, made Chief (had to extend a few months) and went to Munro , then EPO on the Point Stuart in San Diego. What was supposed to be a 4 and out hitch, turned into 13 years, and I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay or go. I got a call from the Sheriff in Parker. He had been a Boating Deputy that we worked with when I was there in the '70s. He asked if I wanted a job on the River. I decided to get out (stayed Reserve) and take it. Retired 27 years later as a Lieutenant, Supervisor of the Boating Division. Retired USCG Reserve in 2002. MKCS w/28 years.

 

[SBIS P-14]

Best duty ever. I had just gotten off the Burton Island, planned on getting out, so was put at Station San Francisco, for the little time I had left. The Commanding Officer of the Boating Safety Team (CWO4 Bosun) called me and asked if I wanted to go to the River. (Helped that he was my Cousin) I said hell yes, reenlisted for 3 years and a $6,000 bonus. I was MK2, made 1st Class there. After Parker they waved a $24,000 bonus at me for 6 years. I was now married with 2 kids, so took it. I went to New Jersey, EPO on a 65' Tug. Then to Hawaii on the Air Station, made Chief (had to extend a few months) and went to Munro , then EPO on the Point Stuart in San Diego. What was supposed to be a 4 and out hitch, turned into 13 years, and I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay or go. I got a call from the Sheriff in Parker. He had been a Boating Deputy that we worked with when I was there in the '70s. He asked if I wanted a job on the River. I decided to get out (stayed Reserve) and take it. Retired 27 years later as a Lieutenant, Supervisor of the Boating Division. Retired USCG Reserve in 2002. MKCS w/28 years.

That is one helluva a life Chief. what a great story. Best of luck to you. Semper Paratus

 

[boatnam2]

79 solution jet boat used by the US Coast Guard - boats - by owner -...

Was used by the US Coast Guard to chase a fast boats at the Barker Dam If you’re interested text me

inlandempire.craigslist.org

 

[SBIS P-14]

79 solution jet boat used by the US Coast Guard - boats - by owner -...

Was used by the US Coast Guard to chase a fast boats at the Barker Dam If you’re interested text me

inlandempire.craigslist.org

Im alittle skep·ti·cal....

 

[SBIS P-14]

my dream boat

 

[ATKpilot]

Im alittle skep·ti·cal....

See my post #27...BoatCop schooled me...not in a bad way, very interesting, see above

 

[Moabifam5]

Always wondered what your background was Alan, thanks for the History lesson, very interesting..

 

[SBIS P-14]

See my post #27...BoatCop schooled me...not in a bad way, very interesting, see above

Stand Corrected.

 

[BoatCop]

my dream boat
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I was searching for stuff and this popped back up. I ran a 30' just like that in Gloucester City, NJ (Philadelphia), along with the old 40's. When the 41's came out, we were in heaven, after running these old boats. Even went to Baltimore for a tour of the 41' "assembly line" at Curtis Bay, and even brought two brand new 41's back to Gloucester, via Chesapeake Bay, C&D Canal, and the Delaware River.


Here's a story for you, about Station Mackinac Island. My Great Uncle, John Arndt Anderson, was a Surfman in the USLSS around the turn of the century, 1900s. He was mainly a Surfman at Station Marquette, and even installed the first engine in a 34' surfboat, that was the first motor lifeboat in the service. He later was promoted to Keeper at Two Heart Station. When the USLSS was drawn into the brand new Coast Guard in 1915, he was assigned to be the first Commanding Officer at Station Mackinac Island. He stayed there until he retired, went back to Marquette in 1923, and passed away 2 years later. Life was hard for Surfman back in those days.

 

[4Waters]

I was searching for stuff and this popped back up. I ran a 30' just like that in Gloucester City, NJ (Philadelphia), along with the old 40's. When the 41's came out, we were in heaven, after running these old boats. Even went to Baltimore for a tour of the 41' "assembly line" at Curtis Bay, and even brought two brand new 41's back to Gloucester, via Chesapeake Bay, C&D Canal, and the Delaware River.


Here's a story for you, about Station Mackinac Island. My Great Uncle, John Arndt Anderson, was a Surfman in the USLSS around the turn of the century, 1900s. He was mainly a Surfman at Station Marquette, and even installed the first engine in a 34' surfboat, that was the first motor lifeboat in the service. He later was promoted to Keeper at Two Heart Station. When the USLSS was drawn into the brand new Coast Guard in 1915, he was assigned to be the first Commanding Officer at Station Mackinac Island. He stayed there until he retired, went back to Marquette in 2023, and passed away 2 years later. Life was hard for Surfman back in those days.

2023?

 

[Outdrive1]

I want this

 

[rrrr]

2023?

Try 1923. Makes more sense, doesn't it?

 

[beerrun]

I was searching for stuff and this popped back up. I ran a 30' just like that in Gloucester City, NJ (Philadelphia), along with the old 40's. When the 41's came out, we were in heaven, after running these old boats. Even went to Baltimore for a tour of the 41' "assembly line" at Curtis Bay, and even brought two brand new 41's back to Gloucester, via Chesapeake Bay, C&D Canal, and the Delaware River.


Here's a story for you, about Station Mackinac Island. My Great Uncle, John Arndt Anderson, was a Surfman in the USLSS around the turn of the century, 1900s. He was mainly a Surfman at Station Marquette, and even installed the first engine in a 34' surfboat, that was the first motor lifeboat in the service. He later was promoted to Keeper at Two Heart Station. When the USLSS was drawn into the brand new Coast Guard in 1915, he was assigned to be the first Commanding Officer at Station Mackinac Island. He stayed there until he retired, went back to Marquette in 2023, and passed away 2 years later. Life was hard for Surfman back in those days.

Have you read the book CG 41332? Its about the 41 sinking at Cape D. I knew about the Cape D sinking no details but knew about it when I got there but didn't know they lost two others with fatalities