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19 Ft V Drive Spectra aka Eliminator Formula New purchase 1984

Gearheadgregg

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Hi all , had this made by Bob Leach (Eliminator boats) back when i was 23 years old..couple years ago lol, Removed the stock 454 from it and purchased a Ls7 from Paramount Chevy in a crate, # 3965774 code XCH, pulled a few Hall a fame Skiers around Lake Elsinore for practice back in the mid 1980.s ..Scary at times when hammered lol, sorry for the bad pic quality, some are at the factory at build.
 

SBMech

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Welcome and thanks for the Pics!

That's a very pretty ride you got, any current pics?
 

Gearheadgregg

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Gave it to Tom Stolarz Warlock Offshore boats in 1988 for trade, and last i heard it was sold in Long Beach by the circle at a boat dealer, Wife made me sell it after a scared her in it ! couple times :eek and myself and a few friends hahaha ,..But really this V Drive Sleeper was a surprise to many pickle fork jet boats on the River many times. Bottom pic on my post is shown with motor cover , removed the 2 660's and ran a 1050 Dominator carb with Bassett headers under cover also with through transom exhaust under water..Real sleeper you can't really see the Cav plates offplane,,Dam thing would jump out of the water when hammered 2nd to 3rd Gear ! Miss This boat ! Av gas only in the old Stillborn Ls7 maybe someone will see it and give me a lead :cool
 
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78Southwind

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Was hoping someone would recognize this boat, Would like to find it and purchase it back , Gave it to Tom Stolarz Warlock Offshore boats in 1988 for trade, and last i heard it was sold in Long Beach by the circle at a boat dealer, Wife made me sell it after a scared her in it ! couple times :eek and myself and a few friends hahaha ,..But really this V Drive Sleeper was a surprise to many pickle fork jet boats on the River many times. Bottom pic on my post is shown with motor cover , removed the 2 660's and ran a 1050 Dominator carb with Bassett headers under cover also with through transom exhaust under water..Real sleeper you can't really see the Cav plates offplane,,Dam thing would jump out of the water when hammered 2nd to 3rd Gear ! Miss This boat ! Av gas only in the old Stillborn Ls7 maybe someone will see it and give me a lead :cool

Have you spoken with Tom? He is in corona last I saw him.
 

Gearheadgregg

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Have you spoken with Tom? He is in corona last I saw him.
Last i heard he sold Warlock long time ago, after 28 years glad to see he is still around, and well i hope , been so long thought maybe a cold call like this to him would be a little Out there hahaha, few years ago on a internet search found a forum talking about a 19ft Eliminator Formula Vdrive and the mention of a Ls7 it was like a 14 year old thread that died with no more info, Thanks for the help
 

78Southwind

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Last i heard he sold Warlock long time ago, after 28 years glad to see he is still around, and well i hope , been so long thought maybe a cold call like this to him would be a little Out there hahaha, few years ago on a internet search found a forum talking about a 19ft Eliminator Formula Vdrive and the mention of a Ls7 it was like a 14 year old thread that died with no more info, Thanks for the help

I was over at Scott Schatz shop having some work done on my boat so I walk over to Tom's shop and showed him this thread. He looked at the pictures but said he didn't remember the boat. Sorry...wish I could have been some help.
 

Gearheadgregg

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Thanks 78Southwind, maybe some will identify this 19ft over time here on this thread . was just thinking ? He set up a whole seller dealer for the trade in of this boat, I took it directly to Long beach to drop off there after we negotiated price for trade, he may never seen it , Maybe this will look familiar if ya see him, OC Register. Greg
 

78Southwind

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If I remember right he said there was one he remembered with a twin turbo set-up that was white.
 

Merlin

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Hi all , had this made by Bob Leach (Eliminator boats) back when i was 23 years old..couple years ago lol, Removed the stock 454 from it and purchased a Ls7 from Paramount Chevy in a crate, # 3965774 code XCH, pulled a few Hall a fame Skiers around Lake Elsinore for practice back in the mid 1980.s ..Scary at times when hammered lol, sorry for the bad pic quality, some are at the factory at build.
Gearheadgregg, I know I'm bringing up an old thread... but I'm still trying to learn boats, history... Is this an eliminator or spectra? did one splash a mold off the other? How can you tell the difference, to my untrained eye they look Alike? How many of these v-drives were built?
 

SPECTRABRENT

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When Spectra went out of business in 1981, they sold the Spectra 19 molds to Jerry Gilbreath
He had Eliminator make his hulls. Eliminator also made some boats, they called it the Formula 19.
Eliminator also made a ski boat that looked like the Spectra 19 deck.
Gilbreath retooled the hull as a tunnel with an outboard setup to run enduros.

Brent
 

Merlin

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SPECTRABRENT, thank you for the info, pretty neat learning about these. would that make the one in this a post an Eliminator since its built in 1984? were there many v-drive Spectra's / Eliminators built?
 

SPECTRABRENT

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Yes, the boat in this post is a Eliminator Formula 19.
Spectra did make the Spectra 19 as a vdrive, I think Bob Teague did the first one, his GN boat.
They were used as Speed Ski boats, Edelbrock & Herbst had several as vdrives with big motors.
I do think Spectra made the Spectra 19 to be a jet boat.

Brent
 

Merlin

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wow, that's pretty cool to know these were used as gn boats. i'll have to look at some old pics of the Edelbrock boats now. im guessing they handle pretty well. (I have a miller 20 v-drive cruiser, it has a lot more "v" in the bottom. these boats really have my attention. im guessing Eliminator still used the same bottom mold as the spectra jet, just rigged with v-drive gear?
 

SPECTRABRENT

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I don’t think Eliminator changed the bottom, I am sure Teague, Eldelbrock & Herbst had lots of bottom work on their vdrive Spectra 19’s.

FYI- Spectra sold a set of Spectra 20 molds to Miller Boats.

Brent
 

Merlin

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wow, had no idea. Just became friends with John Miller's daughter, she was actually in havasu for the 4th me and my misses. pretty neat hearing her stories, about her dad and uncle and grand pa building boats (and having a miller ride in our miller, lol). mine is a 20 open bow. has more of a sanger bubble deck look (didn't mean to get off topic with the Miller).

so, the big names mentioned, is this something they would when the boat is being built in the mold, or after popped? the more I look at them, it looks like eliminator even carried the deck design into the ski boats there building as well. such a clean line, that even carries well into todays times. I've seen in a few post someone is still popping hulls out of the molds. that's incredible. I'm sure there's been quite a few, but would love to know how many of these spectra made as v-drives, as well as how many eliminator made. is there any clear distinction between the eliminator and the spectra, or were they pretty much exact copies? quality difference? what would this boat run these days? continued thanks on "enlightening me".
 

SPECTRABRENT

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I would say both the Eliminator & Spectra 19 came from the same mold.
If I remember back in the late 1980's or early 1990's Caribbean made a Spectra 19 hull.

Brent
 

Gearheadgregg

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Gearheadgregg, I know I'm bringing up an old thread... but I'm still trying to learn boats, history... Is this an eliminator or spectra? did one splash a mold off the other? How can you tell the difference, to my untrained eye they look Alike? How many of these v-drives were built?
Bob Leach had purchased the Spectra mold at that time . And renamed it Formula ..It was sold as a jet boat .He did a Vidrive for us ..back then . boat still got loose but steady at high speed . Pulled Marsha Fitzgerald Hall of fame speed skier many times at Lake Elsinore back in the mid 1980's funny thing is i found it TODAY !!! After 3 years of posting this ..Now we are in the market for a 30+ ft 2 bed that we can put in the Bay in the North East ..i will put the link below of this Boat for sale ..Not many V drives were made . i would say this is very Rare http://www.skirace.net/marsha-fitzgerald-us-hall-of-fame-inductee
 
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Merlin

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Gearheadgregg,

Thanks for the info. I just made a deal with the current owner Steve. We are going to pick it up Sunday morning. I will post pics once I get it home. Coming to Lompoc, ca to keep a 20' miller v-drive company. Will most likely be used at lake naciemento, lake Havasu city, and Parker.
 

Gearheadgregg

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19 Ft Spectra /Gilbreath Marine https://www.powerboatlistings.com/view/36915
DSC_0016.jpg
 

Gearheadgregg

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Merlin that boat has had some of the best owners !!! I think i have a Nat in my eye ....So nice to see again ..Just WOW ! This is about the only good thing about Internet is stories like this hands down . Old V-Drives never get Old ..Just Faster .....Best of luck and in the future maybe a video please , Greg
 

Merlin

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Merlin that boat has had some of the best owners !!! I think i have a Nat in my eye ....So nice to see again ..Just WOW ! This is about the only good thing about Internet is stories like this hands down . Old V-Drives never get Old ..Just Faster .....Best of luck and in the future maybe a video please , Greg

It's so nice knowing the "complete" history of both of my v-drives now. When I was in Lake Havasu a few weeks ago, I stopped by Connelly Marine. Dave Connelly came out and within 30 seconds said "I Remember riggin this boat for eliminator back in the 80's. That alone was probably the coolest moment of my boating life. He looked it over and complimented on how clean it is. When I mentioned engine internals, he smiled and said she's a nice little sleeper. We talked props, gears, etc. definitely a cool conversation.
 

Gearheadgregg

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Awesome ! I always had the cover hiding the motor after i removed the tunnel ram. The pictures above shows it with the first run of the Bassett thru transom exhaust that just came out at the time John Bassett was murdered. Nice and quite trolling the river waiting for Pickle Fork Jet boat Victims . Take off in 2nd hammer it in 3 and hang on !! Dave and Bob Connelly are the best in the business, still friends on FB . We hung out with Dave at Lake Elsinore in the mid 1980's he brought his Flat bottom Day Cruiser (Strictly Business) Blown Alcohol GN boat testing for the GN World Record, Made in Parker AZ in the day, I had a home in Canyon Lake and a house in Lake Elsinore ...this boat pulled a lot of professional Speed Skiers practicing there in the High speed zone . Thats why it has the trans cooler/Oil Cooler added . Greg
 
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