I was curious to know how many boats Hydrodyne (In all its different forms) manufactured over the 40 years or so it was around? Bev can you help me out? Daniel
Hydrodynes by Midwestern Industries ranged in size from a 15' Hotshot to a 43' Houseboat. We built Minesweeper Drones for the Navy, and a Black (hull) for Jackie Kennedy. We built a special race boat for Astronauts Gus Grissom and Gordon Cooper. We built Tri-hull, Tournament Skiers and of course the famous 20 & 24 Flattops. There are still some of these boats still around. Most of these boats were outboards or I-O's. Dad was not much of a fan of inboards. (That probably reflects back on his racing days). Ab got into the inboard market. And of course the 20' tow boats. Tom has some original Hydrodyne literature which I will try and scan and send to you.
That is great. I look forward to getting those scans and more info. I want to get as much stuff on the site as I can. You are a huge help! Thanks, Daniel
Jim, I believe they started building them in the mid 60's up thru the 70's. They build the Tournament Skier which was the workhorse. This was built as an outboard and I-O model. Set several record's in three-event skiing. They also built the Imperial. This was a fancy ski boat used more for family skiing. Most were I-O's Then brother Ab designed and started the 20' Hydrodyne. Bev
When I spoke with Tom Miller, He stated that between the years 1966, and 1978, about 3000 18 Footers were built. I wonder how many of them are still in use?