1965 turbine thunderbird - Page 12

fastdonzi · 07-10-2010, 04:09 PM

There's allways http://www.turbinemarine.com/video_WB.html

But your Kids Inheritance will suffer

JAMESP7453 · 07-11-2010, 12:46 AM

We would be able to help you install those engines. give me a call. Jim 520-245-2849. www.principlepropulsionsystems.com

1965 thunderbird · 07-11-2010, 08:33 PM

I have second thoughts about installing a single t-53-l-13, verse's a pair of P&W's. Should I hold out for a pair of pratt&whitney's? Maybe I could trade my t-53 for some older pt-6's. Anybody have any thoughts on that?

scanshift · 08-26-2010, 09:27 PM

When is the rematch my friend! For those who don't know the details of the 1966 Sam Griffith memorial race (Miami to Bimini and Back) it came down to Thunderbird and Jerry Langer's #10, the first magnum ever built.

I rebuilt Langer's #10 a couple years back, still have it down here in Miami. It came in second to thunderbird, but thunderbird was disqualified and Langer's #10 was declared the winner.

Here is a Time magazine link to the race along with a pic of #10 after hurricane wilma trashed it. The boat battered against a seawall for hours after it broke loose and still never sank. I picked the boat up after wilma when the owner was going to dispose of it.

An interesting design, built for some serious offshore battering. The thickest hand laid glass hull you will ever see, overbuilt beyond belief. The hull was still structurally solid as a rock. Everything else on the boat was completely trashed and it took a couple guys 6 months to redo it.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...5214-2,00.html

Here is a pic of #10 in 2008, back in bimini 42 years after she won the race. Note the vise grip that was used for steering after the wheel broke in rough seas heading over.

Black Tornado · 08-27-2010, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scanshift

When is the rematch my friend! For those who don't know the details of the 1966 Sam Griffith memorial race (Miami to Bimini and Back) it came down to Thunderbird and Jerry Langer's #10, the first magnum ever built.

I rebuilt Langer's #10 a couple years back, still have it down here in Miami. It came in second to thunderbird, but thunderbird was disqualified and Langer's #10 was declared the winner.

Here is a Time magazine link to the race along with a pic of #10 after hurricane wilma trashed it. The boat battered against a seawall for hours after it broke loose and still never sank. I picked the boat up after wilma when the owner was going to dispose of it.

An interesting design, built for some serious offshore battering. The thickest hand laid glass hull you will ever see, overbuilt beyond belief. The hull was still structurally solid as a rock. Everything else on the boat was completely trashed and it took a couple guys 6 months to redo it.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...5214-2,00.html

Here is a pic of #10 in 2008, back in bimini 42 years after she won the race. Note the vise grip that was used for steering after the wheel broke in rough seas heading over.

scanshift, first congratulations for having saved a historic boat of this sport.
But I think you're doing a bit of confusion between two boats of Jerry Langer.
In 1966 the Sam Griffith Memorial Langer with a pair of outboards came second after more than two hours from Jim Wynne Thunderbird turbines after a hard race with rough sea where the two came only to finish with Don Aronow third.
Then Wynne was disqualified even if the victory remained to him anyway. Controversial history.
But Langer was not on your Magnum, but with a smaller Deaco 20' with Davey Wilson.
With your Magnum 28' Langer races the year after in 1967 gaining a sixth place at the Miami-Nassau.
Have you a complete picture of the boat today?

1966 - Deaco 20'

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1967 - Magnum 28'

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scanshift · 09-02-2010, 09:47 PM

I just took this pic. Thanks for the background. The prior owner somehow confused the 1966 #10 with the 1967 #10.

Was this the Bahamas 500 mile race that your picture was of?
If you get ever get down this way, I would like to meet you. Thanks.

BROWNIE · 09-03-2010, 08:36 AM

Tornado, you are very close. The co-driver was Barry Cordingley. When the ballast tank broke, he crawled under the canvas deck, and rode "spread eagle" on top of the broken tank. Side note: The manufacturer of the boat was a bunch of Cuban boatbuilders who worked evenings to start their boat company. The company name, Deaco, is short for Dea cojones, which translates "By the sweat of my balls".

Jolley · 09-03-2010, 11:23 AM

Awesome story. I hope you will finish this project the way you wanted to in the beginning. Keep up the good work. Will Mike Stancolm sell you his P&W Turbines?

Black Tornado · 09-07-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BROWNIE

Tornado, you are very close. The co-driver was Barry Cordingley. When the ballast tank broke, he crawled under the canvas deck, and rode "spread eagle" on top of the broken tank. Side note: The manufacturer of the boat was a bunch of Cuban boatbuilders who worked evenings to start their boat company. The company name, Deaco, is short for Dea cojones, which translates "By the sweat of my balls".

Here is another curious story behind the names of boats and brands, as in the case of Donzi and Magnum.
Think when I was young( and very naive)I thought it was all serious.
However, for a bath-thub Titanic style the name could not be serious.

1965 thunderbird · 11-09-2010, 08:55 PM

I just ran across some walter 601B's which are a very close copy of pt-6's. They are 760 hp each and seem to be bullet proof with easier maintainance. Any thoughts on using these verses the pt-6? GE has bought the rights to the walter turbines and are installing them in place of pt-6's.