Dr. Ruth
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2019
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 7
Well I bought my 1st boat in 1971 and I currently own Nine! I grew up in the 50's and 60's on various flatbottoms at Bass Lake and The River from Temple Bar to Blythe. My years as a kid were spent on a Gold Metalflake 16' Flat with a Mercury 78A Race Pak and latter upgraded to a Merc 100. It was a ball even when flipped at Temple Bar. I did many an Easter and Thanksgiving on Parker Strip hitching a ride with my older friend whom owned the Miller Flat I would latter take off his hands. It was a boat I wish I owned today! It was an 18' wood deck Miller with a 392 Hemi and Velvet drive and Arko interior and it was built along side Wilt the Stilt's iconic boat. It was always the prettiest boat on the boat ramp or water but not the fastest with that Hemi and 3 blade Supercup. I would sell it in 74 to buy our 1st house and loose track of it. In 77 I had a friend whom worked at Spectra Marine doing rigging and Having Always drueling over a Cambell 24 V-Drive I just had to build a Day Cruiser I could still use at the river and go and do the Catalina Ski Race. Spectra was building a 24 and a 21 and tooling up for a 32 at the time but I sure did not want a Production Boat. I found out that Sonny Di Marco had splashed a Spectra 21 and changed the transom slightly and I ordered one of the 1st half dozen with just the strut and shaft log drilled in 77. I installed what I was told was the 1st Turbo 400 as guys were using Powerglides but not 400's and I even used all 3 forward gears with electric hold down for 1st. I built a mild mannered oval port 427 for it and used a used splitcase Casale I bought from Sonny for $400 that had run 20 passes in there Hydro. I finished the boat using SS hardware from Finishline Marine and I moved to Northern California using it a ton on the Sacto river. It was a pig but comfortable so I installed one of the 1st 150 hp shot Nitross systems that woke it UP! Moved to Phoenix AZ in 88 and found business got in the way of boating and sold it in the Valley in the early 90's. Got the bug again in 2011 and saw a Craigslist add in San Pedro for a Rare 9 Meter Larry Smith Scarab with twin LT-1's and TRS's. I bought that original owner boat for just $2500 and towed it to Phoenix where it sits on it's trailer covered in the dry heat. I lurk and buy collectible and unique cars and boats from Copart the largest auction company in the World and I bought a nice Sleekcraft Jr. Excutive 21 from them and a rare Sleekcraft 36 Commodore and a Howard 21 with a Dart Smallblock and just yesterday a 85 Hallet 270 Experimental. That's not all I also have a 55' Houseboat and a 27' Sailboat and a Sunfish so I am Certifiable!!!
Dr. Ruth
Dr. Ruth
