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Sundown Marine Daytona Info

DanG

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Last year my brother picked up this cool looking 1987 18’ Daytona. He’s finishing up the restore and the boat is looking awesome.

Based on the vin, it appears to have been built by Sundown Marine in Huntington Beach.

Anyone have any information/history on these boats, builder, etc. it’s definitely a unique hull design.

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Sharp Shooter

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Brian "Pops" Davidson and Bob Long owned/operated Sundown Marine. They were boat dealers for several manufacturers as well as creators/builders of Daytona boats.

Around 1980 they took ownership of the Biesemeyer flat bottom molds from Bill Moore who aquired them from Julian Pettingill. You'll notice your brother's outboard is the same design topside as a Biesemeyer circle flat. They're pretty cool! Unfortunately, many (not all) Daytona's suffer from floor delamination so take a close look at yours.

blackamerica2.jpg


This ad was from 1976 pre Daytona manufacturing.
SundownMarine76.jpg
 

DanG

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Brian "Pops" Davidson and Bob Long owned/operated Sundown Marine. They were boat dealers for several manufacturers as well as creators/builders of Daytona boats.

Around 1980 they took ownership of the Biesemeyer flat bottom molds from Bill Moore who aquired them from Julian Pettingill. You'll notice your brother's outboard is the same design topside as a Biesemeyer circle flat. They're pretty cool! Unfortunately, many (not all) Daytona's suffer from floor delamination so take a close look at yours.

View attachment 893582

This ad was from 1976 pre Daytona manufacturing.
View attachment 893581

Great info. Thank you sharp shooter. I will pass along and make sure he takes a close look at the floor.


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Community

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I had a 12' - great little boat with a Nissan o/b. Trailer sucked. Floor was good on it and gel held up pretty good after all the years....
 

Backlash

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How many boats ended up on the bottom of the ocean with those "Insurance" jobs?? 🤔😁
 

Mototrig

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Brian "Pops" Davidson and Bob Long owned/operated Sundown Marine. They were boat dealers for several manufacturers as well as creators/builders of Daytona boats.

Around 1980 they took ownership of the Biesemeyer flat bottom molds from Bill Moore who aquired them from Julian Pettingill. You'll notice your brother's outboard is the same design topside as a Biesemeyer circle flat. They're pretty cool! Unfortunately, many (not all) Daytona's suffer from floor delamination so take a close look at yours.

View attachment 893582

This ad was from 1976 pre Daytona manufacturing.
View attachment 893581
This AD makes me realize I missed out on some really cool years of boating.
 

Maw

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I remember walking into the showroom in the early 80's and seeing one of their boats rigged up with an outdrive coupled to a 350 ci Oldsmobile diesel motor. Couldn't imagine being a skier behind that thing, especially while trying to get up on plane. :p That motor must have been making all of 140 HP.
 

92 cole

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I knew both Bob Long and Brian Davidson and bought 2 19ft daytona jet 350 mini-cruisers from them. I worked at a family owned shop where sundown marine was a customer of ours'e . I loved my 19ft cruisers and worked great. They were spectra splashes and the the out boards were a biesmeyer splash. FWIW they did put out a pretty good product . I still wish I had my old 19ft cruiser . I could run all week-end on a tank of gas. Not a fast boat boat but worked VERY well for my needs a that time. Bob Long was a VERY good driver in the K-Boats But I could go on about history but this was back in the late 70's early 80's. Mark
 

92 cole

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Hey shooter! Do you have a shot of the old K-14 boat, the Hobbit which Bob drove and did very well in???
 

mbrown2

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I remember passing by there going to the beach as a kid....crazy to just see flatbottoms and jets with over the transom heads sitting there for sell.....you pass by a boat dealer these days and there NOTHING that looks cool....Wake boats and Pontoons and that's about it...
 

jetboatperformance

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Good Info as Usual Sharpshooter , they also made several small boats including jets and Whackers , I have two 16's both converted to Jets , one was a "test boat" That Aggressor Jets R&D (which We now own) Aggressor used one for testing on the 4.3 v6/Junior jet drive program . We rigged it with a 408 Windsor stroker , mine (was formally an OB) now has an SBC , love that Bieser look






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RVR SWPR

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Must of been late 1980s Sundown opened dealership in Fillmore,Ca.Good location on the 126.Aggressive,the dealership was well stocked.
 

74 spectra20 v-drive

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That is a cool looking boat! Sun Down was the happening place man, I walked in the doors in 74' with my Dad to help measure a 19' Sanger flat. A family friend had just bought it and they we setting it up to his specs but he wanted my Dad to build the trailer. My Dad was building trailers out of our garage for Bill Gaylord and one offs for friends. Its a great story because all I did was stand at the tip of this boat and hold onto a string while my brother and Dad measured. That day at 6 years old I fell in love with the bubble deck and I have not wanted another flat my entire life, I got my first bubble deck at 25 and still have one today. The guys at Sundown called the to be owner and really tried to talk him out of having a back yard trailer under this boat, $13K in 74 was a lot of coin. When he showed up to get the boat they looked at the trailer and told him the boat would not fit, he said put the boat on the trailer, next thing they were asking for my Dads phone number, that trailer is still under the same boat and my cousin owns it today.
 

Sharp Shooter

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Hey shooter! Do you have a shot of the old K-14 boat, the Hobbit which Bob drove and did very well in???

I’m guessing you’re referring to the white with purple Sanger that Bob drove. Truth be told, there like 7 of these boats. Owner Chuck Boyd was sponsored by Sanger back then and they went through many hulls. Bob drove many boats back then and Chuck also had many drivers. Not sure if this is Bob (possibly) but I’m at work right now so I don’t have access to all of my photos.

4CBCBC37-2A49-455E-BDDB-885FC2C16C0D.jpeg
 

92 cole

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FWIW back in that day my father and I had a auto parts -machine shop on Beach blvd just 1/2 mile (if that) down from Sundown Marine. Were I built engines and rebuilt carbs. I saw the black and Hobbit many times. I know more about that operation than I care to remember or share. Bob Long was a very good shoe in the K-boats and I will leave it at that other than the fact that him and Brian were both retired HBPD P.D. M
 
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I may regret asking this, but what's behind the name "the Black America" sprint boat ?
 

guest hs

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I’m guessing you’re referring to the white with purple Sanger that Bob drove. Truth be told, there like 7 of these boats. Owner Chuck Boyd was sponsored by Sanger back then and they went through many hulls. Bob drove many boats back then and Chuck also had many drivers. Not sure if this is Bob (possibly) but I’m at work right now so I don’t have access to all of my photos.

View attachment 894286
K14 would be The Hobbit that particular one in the pic is a Sanger
 

Jshainesiii

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Hey man. That’s my dad old boat. He built it from scratch in ‘87 just before I was born. Was the first boat I ever was in at 1 month old. I have original build sheets and bunch of pictures from when it was going through the stages of build.
I recently saw this thing in Lakewood and didn’t have any interior in it. Looks killer

I picked up a Daytona Sprint yesterday actually.
 

RiverDave

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I bought one and am getting ready to restore it right now and have a bad ass little boat for the lower river / upper river. I think mine is a 16? Looks similar to the first post, not nearly as nice though.. For 5K though I wasn't expecting much, and it came with a 2.5 150 that is perfect.

RD
 

dykzeulb

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I just picked this up from my dad, had been parked in his barn here in Missouri for 27 years, under cover. Spent this year throwing in a new 350, and a B&M blower rebuild.

I was told this was a 87 Sundown Marine Daytona, but having a hard time digging up more info. Dad and us kids hauled this from California when we moved in the early 90s.

I couldn't believe how well it cleaned up, today I was able to take the family out and enjoy some time with the kiddos. What a blast and a good feeling to have it out!

Bonus points to the person that can tell me what type of steering wheel this is, as the center cap was broken down and crumbled in the void.

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TCHB

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i would stop by the shop and talk to Bob All the time. The last time I saw him was at a girls softball game.
 
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