I didn't think the 20's were made until some years later, in the early 80's. Or was the grace period a number of years?
The 20 did not arrive until 1983. Here is one of the first Advertisements put out; http://www.hydrodyners.com/images/1983adhydro20bw.jpg Daniel
I think what Ab was alluding to is that the failure of the coast guard to allow big power on the 18 as a certification set the stage for the 20 which is not regulated by the CG as far as HP limitations. The teams needed big pulling power and Crosby could not provide it with the 18. The boats were used with big power on them, but their days were apparently numbered. The history of the 18 is full of twists and turns which makes it even more interesting. The boats were built by two different companies. The design of the 20 occurred after Crosby Marine went out of business. jim
I am sure that they felt the irony that they could take an 18 and put any size I/O in it and be in compliance. There is no rule or formula for the size of an engine for an 18 foot I/O. The outboard companies helped the situation by later rating their motors at the prop shaft instead of at the crank shaft, but it was not enough. jim
When I was doing my research on HP rating for my renovation, I read something from the USCG that said that the HP ratings for outboards had more to do with weight than HP. Due to the fact that the motor sits up high off of the boat, a heavy motor on a smaller boat (less than 20 ft) tends to make the boat want to roll over when it is in a "swamped" condition. The USCG standards require that a boat be able to maintain "nuetral boyancy" - and remain rightside-up - when filled with water - i.e., the boat must stay floating just below the surface of the water, rightside-up. The bigger, heavier outboards on the smaller, lighter boats would tend to cause the boat to roll upside down under a nuetral boyancy condition. Since I/Os have a lower C.O.G., this tendency did not exist for I/Os. I also read that the USCG does not determine what HP limit a boat has - rather, the manufacturer decides. The USCG merely requires that the boat pass certain tests related to performance and boyancy with the highest approved HP installed. The other thing that has arguably made HP somewhat irrelevant for purposes of capacity ratings is the introduction of "power trim." With power trim, the operator can usually trim the boat to an unsafe condition at WOT on a boat equipped with an engine that is at or near the HP limit for that model of boat. In other words, if you wished to set a HP limit that would be safe at all trim positions, runabouts under 20' would be seriously underpowered. My two cents based on the research I have done... Markbano
OK,, more on the HIN question. I just got off the phone with Tom Miller. He is aware of the capacity plates that were put beside the throttle controls, but those serial no.'s (to the best of his memory) should match the HIN on the transom. The serial no. on my boat (AO730560) wasn't a number that Tom was familiar with and Tom said that the capacity plates on the sides were not known for keeping a readable number. More interestingly, Tom said it was quite possible that some of the 73/74 boats may have went out the door without HIN numbers on the transom as this was a time of transition. I know I was testing Tom's memory by asking him to think back 35 years. He seemed like a real gentleman and I appreciated him taking the time to talk with me. Kevin
Tom is a good guy to deal with, and his memory is amazingly good. Unfortuanately, it sounds like he was not able to answer all of your questions, but got you some of the info you needed and wanted.
RR, I concur. Part of the mystery is determining wether or not the serial no.'s were printed on the capacity plates and then later etched on as the paint/ink faded. If so, then a digit or two may have gone M.I.A. Does anyone know if these boats would have been sold with a "title" back in '74 or just a bill of sale? Thanks, Kevin
When I purchased my old 70s 18' from Heckel's Marine in Eagle River, WI the boat came with a bill of sale only, and nothing in regards to a title or bill of sale for the Hydrodyne trailer. When I bought my new 18' back in 2000 it came with a title (from Indiana), which when registered then in WI came back with a identification type of card (like a driver's license style). I had the choice of registering the boat here in IL, or at the summer home in WI. Here in IL they require you register the trailer also (which would have been a nightmare), in which you receive license plates and a sticker to be mounted on the rear. I looked at that as being another "money maker" for a state that is already ridiculous in their pricing for their license plate renewals. This trailer plate sticker fee needs to be renewed every year. For the registration numbers on the boat, the sticker fees in WI are alot less, and not only that but you get an extra year more out of the fee. If I recall correctly, WI's stickers are good for 3 years, and IL's stickers are good for only 2. I got harassed by the police here in IL when trailering the boat a couple of times. I got pulled over I think twice over the years, and when they would approach the truck they would just glance at the registration numbers on the boat, saw that it was registered in WI, and asked no questions and had me on my way. Both of these times the cop was driving immediately behind me. Interesting question for us on here, especially the members in other states.
