1976 Tournament

Discussion in 'Hydrodyne® Boats' started by Fuelburner64, Jun 10, 2016.

  1. Fuelburner64

    Fuelburner64 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2015
    Messages:
    28
    Location:
    Northern Indiana
    Boat Model and Year:
    1976 Tournament Skier
    I am new to the forum and would like to get as much info as I can about my boat. It was custom built and was originally a dual throttle boat with only 3 seats. We removed the second throttle and had a new seat made to match the original back to back seat. My family is the second owner and has had the boat since 1984. The boat was never really used when we got it so it was in great condition and still is. The boat has a Chevy 350 with a Volvo 280 I/O. The engine is a replacement because the original owner did not drain it one year resulting in a cracked block. From the tip of the bow to the transom it measures just over 20 ft. Most boats like this are listed as an 18 ft. Would mine be considered an 18 even though it measures a tick over 20?
     

    Attached Files:

    Keneva likes this.
  2. dynebob1

    dynebob1 Boat of the Month

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2006
    Messages:
    557
    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, Illinois
    Boat Model and Year:
    1998 18 OB RUA- 250XS.and 1997 Twin Rig /225 optis
    Yours is an 18.
    The 20 footers are totally different looking. (see attached)
     

    Attached Files:

    • 003.JPG
      003.JPG
      File size:
      1.7 MB
      Views:
      38
  3. Fuelburner64

    Fuelburner64 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2015
    Messages:
    28
    Location:
    Northern Indiana
    Boat Model and Year:
    1976 Tournament Skier
    I have always considered it an 18 because it looks like all the other tournament skiers of the day, but when you put a tape measure on it it is just over 20 from bow to the end of the engine hatch. Thanks for the reply!
     
  4. dynebob1

    dynebob1 Boat of the Month

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2006
    Messages:
    557
    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, Illinois
    Boat Model and Year:
    1998 18 OB RUA- 250XS.and 1997 Twin Rig /225 optis
    Here's a picture of my 18 footer. One of the repops from the late 1990's (1999)
    It's powered by a Mercury 250XS
     

    Attached Files:

  5. jim

    jim Hydrodyne 18 Specialist

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2006
    Messages:
    2,321
    Location:
    FL
    Boat Model and Year:
    77 Dyne 18 I/O converted to Outboard
    Hey Bob, it seems like we have been through this scenario before. There must be some defective tape measures out there.
     
  6. Fuelburner64

    Fuelburner64 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2015
    Messages:
    28
    Location:
    Northern Indiana
    Boat Model and Year:
    1976 Tournament Skier
    I invite anyone to come over and measure it yourself, you can even bring your own tape measure. Not trying to be a pain, but tape measures are pretty simple tools.....it measures over 20 ft. This is why I posed the question about the boat.
     
  7. kevinb

    kevinb Elite Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2006
    Messages:
    459
    Location:
    Brookfield, WI
    Boat Model and Year:
    1985 HD 20' I/O 350 (Yep I/O Boat #2 of maybe7?)
    Ski Team:
    NA
    Duel throttle spikes an interest. my 75 i/o had the same configuration for Flat kite flying (fell out of the sky at stall speeds so I am told) so the second throttle was added for the spotter to keep the person on the kite up in the air. Really cool to hear that there was another around. My 18 Tournament skier was listed here in the classifieds a while back and based on your pics, IMHO an 18 is what you have. Here is the link to the sale. Should mention that my 18 also had a third speedo fo the spotter as well which remained active after I de-activated the second throttle.

    http://www.hydrodyners.com/forum/in...drodyne-18-i-o-tournament-skier-amazing.1420/

    To complement Bob's comments, I currently have a Hydrodyne 20 i/o and have never actually put a tape on it because I do not question that it is what it is. As you can see, there is a lot more room in the 20 i/o. The 18 i/o is a great boat and kinda wish I could of kept both. A Pic of the Hydrodyne 20 i/o is attached.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jun 11, 2016
  8. Fuelburner64

    Fuelburner64 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2015
    Messages:
    28
    Location:
    Northern Indiana
    Boat Model and Year:
    1976 Tournament Skier
    I have always considered our boat an 18 because it looks like all the others, but I never put a tape on it until now. It does not really matter at the end of the day because my family has had this boat for 32 years and it will always stay here at home and be passed down. A little about the boat: This was originally built for the Culver Military Academy for use on the lake. Some alumni decided they needed a dedicated ski boat and had this one custom built for them. They never really used it much so it mostly sat in storage until it was purchased by my step-dad. I will get some more pics posted soon. It originally had a throttle for the rearward facing seat but we removed that. It can be a bit scary when someone else can operate a throttle on a busy lake and they are looking backwards. It also blocked where the larger seat needed to go to make it a four seater.
     
  9. kevinb

    kevinb Elite Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2006
    Messages:
    459
    Location:
    Brookfield, WI
    Boat Model and Year:
    1985 HD 20' I/O 350 (Yep I/O Boat #2 of maybe7?)
    Ski Team:
    NA
    Hey Fuelburner:

    You have what looks to be a really nice boat and no disrespect to its roots, its a Hydrodyne 18 no doubt but if you go back through the posts on this site, you will find that there was some controversy regarding the transition from the 18 to the 20. It is really not worth re-hashing but there were a couple 3 i/o boats that were transitional from the 18 to the 20 which were hard to distinguish. I think that the outboards were pretty obvious. Definitely hang on to your boat, it has a really nice history and some unique features.

    I took out the spotters throttle cable on my 18 after the first year of ownership for the same reasons you cite, even if accidental, you do not want a bad ending to a day on the water because you lost control of the boat speed. Did provide the cable to the buyer (new owner) but don't think he will be trying to figure out how to get it back in service ( the second throttle good idea for kites, but bad idea for everything else).

    Going to shake down the 20 today as the temps will be in the low 90's :~)

    Welcome to the web-site BTW!

    Kevin-
     
  10. Fuelburner64

    Fuelburner64 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2015
    Messages:
    28
    Location:
    Northern Indiana
    Boat Model and Year:
    1976 Tournament Skier
    Thank you very much! I will get some more pics of the boat and post them. There used to be two tournament skiers on our lake but years ago the only other one was traded in and upgraded so now this one is the only one left. They are unique boats and I have spent many days in this one over the years. This one has dark blue carpet for quite the patriotic 1976 theme. I need to find one emblem for the side because my parents took this to a local marina to be buffed and gone over and they lost one emblem so now I need to find another. I may post on here to see if anybody has one I can buy. If I can't find be I will probably get one cut on a water jet out of aluminum to match. I appreciate your comments....thanks! If you are ever in Northern Indiana be sure and swing by.....we can take her out for a cruise.
     

Share This Page