Old vintage coolest boat ever........

I have always wanted an older boat especially a wooden boat. I think they are just gorgeous all fixed up. I have found a diamond in the ruff. It is currently on ebay and has an awesome 354 Hemi in it. It has a lot of high dollar early hemi original parts. I'm sure this thing will go beyond what I'd spend for one due to the engine. This thing is what I would buy to cruise in back then.

Mike P, here's your next project.........................................

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11567750919...Bk9SR4SnzIa9YQ

Copied from the description for later viewing.

1957 Century Coronado 21' with

Rare 354 Hemi

1957 354 Hemi Dual Quad

For parts or restoration

Dual point distributor

Adjustable rocker arms

Selling entire engine, boat and trailer. Sold on bill of sale.

The 354 is a rare motor in itself, that's why I bought it! Just have too many projects. It needs a good home!

Call Greg for more details and to arrange pick-up 330-352-6710

On Jan-23-23 at 10:18:51 PST, seller added the following information:
The engine can be used in a car, just change the crank. Parted out the engine parts are worth more $. Carbs and intake worth $1200-1800, Dual point distributor $ 250, original adjustable rocker arms assemblies, $1800-$2000, valve covers seen for $800-1200$, Heads pair $800-$1200, short block $1200-$2000, exhaust manifolds, drive assembly, miscellaneous parts...

B.O.A.T. =
Bust, Out, Another, Thousand...... LOL
Pretty cool with the hemi tho'..

Neat old boat! I've had a few boats over the years, mostly just fishing boats but I did have one jet boat many moons ago, seems it made a giant hole in the water that I was continuously trying to fill with money!!! It was a learning experience, however, I did learn that some lakes have a speed limit! It was an expensive adventure! LOL It would be fun to do up an old wooden one, even if you didn't get on the project right away that old Hemi would sure be neat to have!

I agree, that Hemi would be cool in there. A thick poly clear cover would be neat over it too. Maybe even have some slots for heat transfer cut into it.

Ohhh lots of potential here! But (as had been alluded to) it will take a “boat-load” of money to restore this ol’ gal to her former glory. I grew up in the San Bernardino Mountains and had a lot of friends who had property on Lake Arrowhead. In the fifties and sixties there were still a fair number of wooden boats with Chris Craft being the boat of choice for the wealthy. They were beautiful, stable in the weather and fairly fast. Mac’s Ski School used them to pull learning skiers.

Love the seller’s description and claims to what the parts are worth – Ha! In perfect condition maybe but as is the case with all things used, they’re worth what someone is willing to pay you for them. In the case of this boat, I’d be pulling that engine and completely refurbishing/rebuilding which could be $10K. The boat itself will consume at least $25K and probably more. To bring this one back one should budget $50K and be pleased if there’s any change. That said, I sure hope someone restores it as it would eb a crying shame to lose her.

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Originally Posted by glennsexton

Ohhh lots of potential here! But (as had been alluded to) it will take a “boat-load” of money to restore this ol’ gal to her former glory. I grew up in the San Bernardino Mountains and had a lot of friends who had property on Lake Arrowhead. In the fifties and sixties there were still a fair number of wooden boats with Chris Craft being the boat of choice for the wealthy. They were beautiful, stable in the weather and fairly fast. Mac’s Ski School used them to pull learning skiers.

Love the seller’s description and claims to what the parts are worth – Ha! In perfect condition maybe but as is the case with all things used, they’re worth what someone is willing to pay you for them. In the case of this boat, I’d be pulling that engine and completely refurbishing/rebuilding which could be $10K. The boat itself will consume at least $25K and probably more. To bring this one back one should budget $50K and be pleased if there’s any change. That said, I sure hope someone restores it as it would eb a crying shame to lose her.

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My thoughts exactly.

I see $30,000 in hull repairs and I've only looked at 5 pictures.


Bill S.

It only got bid up to $1825. I'm surprised. That would be a steal of a deal on the engine. The reserve wasn't met and I bet that was high.

My guess would be the reserve was real high.......................he kept throwing the word rare in the ad..........often that means overpriced.

boat engines that have sat for years tend to be toast. the cylinders that were open will have a ton of corrosion in them.

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Originally Posted by shine

boat engines that have sat for years tend to be toast. the cylinders that were open will have a ton of corrosion in them.

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Especially if they have seen any salt water time.

That would be a neat project Ryan.

I was never into boats that much, but I came across one of these on E Bay years ago. If I could find (afford) one I’d sure grab it. Wouldn’t care if it ran, heck wouldn’t even care if it floated…..but I’d sure drag it around with my 57 Plymouth A LOT :D


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b578d03e_z.jpgboat by M Patterson, on Flickr



Speaking of boats I came across this on You Tube a while back. Long story short Lakes Mead and Powell are drying up and several boats are now out of the water. This one (V8 powered jet boat) sank 30 years ago and was under over 100 feet of water.

Some guys drug it out and actually got it running and floating again.

The recovery is on this guys channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqesgLNUe4Q

and getting it running again is on this guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY0s61QKL6s&t=139s

there are several videos but it’s kind of neat.



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A guy I follow on Instagram went with them on the recovery. They even tracked down the original owners and gave it back to them after they got it running from what he shared. Pretty cool story but bad deal the lake is dried up that bad.

Cool videos of the old Jet Boat, Mike! I watched them find it, then pull it out with 'Mater and trash the diff in their tow vehicle.... Gotta go watch the cleanup & rebuild now. Kewl!

I watched all the videos last night. The motor wasn't even frozen! So they started it up!! They also took the original owner for a ride / let him drive it and then offered it back to him as it was still registered in his name. Didn't say if he wanted it tho'.. When it was sinking in a storm, passersby ( other boaters ) refused to stop and help!

What an unbelievable story! That was crazy no one would stop and help them during the time of it going down. It is amazing everything was in such good shape. I can't believe all the aluminum pieces weren't corroded to powder let alone think the engine wasn't a ball of rust. There must not be much iron in that water over that 30yrs. :LOL: I'm sure the lack of oxygen is what preserved it all.

lack of oxygen for sure! and like horse theft, abandoning a boater in distress would get you hung here in New England! With small children to boot!

Wow - I watched all of the videos and it brought tears to my eyes! The fact that it sat for 30 years underwater and there was anything left is amazing and the restoration was done so very well (keeping it period correct) it's like it never went down and has aged gracefully.

I'm really curious about what the owner does with it. I'm sure they have a lot of good memories of it, but it was also probably one of the worst and scariest days of their lives.

Don't know if anybody came across this when they looked up the videos,
but here's a 2 minuet clip of it when the lake first dropped enough for it to be visible. It was posted about a year before the boat was retrieved.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcI8orbD17s


Years ago I heard of a HEMI powered jet boat that went down in Lake Mead.....who knows :D



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I looked at the Fab Rats Facebook page to see if there was any update, and it looks like Merlin's post about showing it to the owners was on 31 December '22, only a month ago. The wife didn't seem to want any part of it which is not too surprising, but their son who was a toddler when it went down seemed stoked about it. I wondered if perhaps he might chat with dad and keep it in the family.
Keep us in the look, Mike!!

They never really said anything other than they gave them the option to own it. I got the impression the original owners didn't get it back but who knows. I've had conversations before with Merlin about his cummins powered jet boat. He's been looking for a decent boat for me. He said they are few and far between even out there.