Sentimental story to follow... not much of a build thread yet. Or the slowest build thread ever
My grandfather passed away in April and my grandmother has been clearing house to say. He was a body man and painter for 40 Yeats and taught the welding classes at the local community college. He was the kind of man who could make anything run if you gave him the idea.
From my childhood there has always been the same boat in the family. My grandfathers jet boat. This is the boat I learned to ski behind and have more memories of him then I care to admit.
I've always told my grandmother I didn't want the boat to leave the family. Well it hasn't left the family. She signed the title over to me last week while I was in MI for my sisters wedding.
The boat is a 1973 Kona. 18 ft socal drag boat. The plan is to keep it original as I can. It has the original gauges and period correct interior. I plan on cleaning up the wiring and chasing some gremlins. The most has always had a hesitation from the carb that I hope to sort out. Other then that its going to be a gas guzzling cruiser.
I have the original paper work from when my grandfather bought it. When he got it there was no motor but the documents showed this boat came from the factory with a Keith black built 392 hemi blower motor. He spent 2 years trying to find one before he gave up and did the standard swap at the time. The boat has a 455 olds motor with a marine cam and slightly milled heads and some balancing work done. The boat in its hay day would run mid 50s... not scary fast but enough to blast a 150 ft rooster tail.
More pictures cause I am super excited about this!
So the boat had not been in the water for the past five years. My grandfather's health wouldn't allow it and we respected that it was his boat and it wouldn't have been the same with out him.
Well I felt like in memory of my grandfather I needed to see if I could get the boat started and water tested. Lots of tinkering I got it to fire. Headed to a little local lake the next morning with my brother and my mother to test it out.
It floats and goes! Left the key to mess with the jetovator or trim on the pump and the battery died. I suppose that's the welcome to boat ownership. The battery is probably 15 yrs old so I will accept it!
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4
My grandfather passed away in April and my grandmother has been clearing house to say. He was a body man and painter for 40 Yeats and taught the welding classes at the local community college. He was the kind of man who could make anything run if you gave him the idea.
From my childhood there has always been the same boat in the family. My grandfathers jet boat. This is the boat I learned to ski behind and have more memories of him then I care to admit.
I've always told my grandmother I didn't want the boat to leave the family. Well it hasn't left the family. She signed the title over to me last week while I was in MI for my sisters wedding.
The boat is a 1973 Kona. 18 ft socal drag boat. The plan is to keep it original as I can. It has the original gauges and period correct interior. I plan on cleaning up the wiring and chasing some gremlins. The most has always had a hesitation from the carb that I hope to sort out. Other then that its going to be a gas guzzling cruiser.
I have the original paper work from when my grandfather bought it. When he got it there was no motor but the documents showed this boat came from the factory with a Keith black built 392 hemi blower motor. He spent 2 years trying to find one before he gave up and did the standard swap at the time. The boat has a 455 olds motor with a marine cam and slightly milled heads and some balancing work done. The boat in its hay day would run mid 50s... not scary fast but enough to blast a 150 ft rooster tail.
More pictures cause I am super excited about this!
So the boat had not been in the water for the past five years. My grandfather's health wouldn't allow it and we respected that it was his boat and it wouldn't have been the same with out him.
Well I felt like in memory of my grandfather I needed to see if I could get the boat started and water tested. Lots of tinkering I got it to fire. Headed to a little local lake the next morning with my brother and my mother to test it out.
It floats and goes! Left the key to mess with the jetovator or trim on the pump and the battery died. I suppose that's the welcome to boat ownership. The battery is probably 15 yrs old so I will accept it!
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4
