Mine is a flat deck not an Awesome. I bought it in Dec 99. I'll look when I get home tonight and see if I can find the pictures of Doctor Daves Awesome in St Joe Mi. He had a pair of 588ci Blower motors I think went around 850hp and raised the X dimension on the TRS drives about 2". Boat ran 82-83. I think he finally sold it and is drag racing a Nova now. He is a master at tuning in TRS drives. He did both of mine.

hey bouyhunter .. got them off Sean's site thuderboat alley looks like late 70's, but it doesn't really say (or I missed it ).

There's also some shots and literature of the 35' Awesome for ya there too

The Mistress had a flat deck that was only a little higher than the rubrail. It came with two variations of the windshield. The big windshield was made of aluminum framing and came to a big v in the front. The smaller windshield, or sport as they called it, was made of plastic and was much lower, only a windscreen effect. It too came to a v in front. The sides of both extended back the length of the cockpit.

Both windshield products were made by American Marine who was in Fort Lauderdale, but is now further up the coast in Florida.

The Awesome was the same hull with a deck that was raised all around about 3 inches above the rubrail line. This boat had the same windshields as options that the Mistress did.

The fairing came from the race boats of the time and were incorporated onto the flat deck of the Mistress to achieve that race boat look.

Thanks for the history lesson TB Any idea on the 7000# weight of the 35' Mistress on that Cig Specs brocheur (sp?) Does sound very 'light'

Thanks for the compliment Russ. I prefer the fairing over the windshield but that just a personal preference.

Chart is right about the wave crushing. There is a difference of night and day between the Mistress and my Top Gun. The Mistress just seems more balanced and solid.

I couldn't find the pic of Dave's boat.

Bouyhunter what size truck do you have ? The first year I had it I pulled with a Chevy Z/71. Once I put the load leveler on it it wasn't to bad. I pulled 3 hour to Cincy and put in alot.

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm a good ways out to making a buy, but I'm starting my shopping and info gathering now. Just want to make sure I buy what I really want. That way I'll never feel the need to shop for another boat...right?
Doug, my truck is just an old '96 Chevy 1500 with a 5.7 - hasn't even turned 50K mileage yet though.
njgr8 - Thanks for the link, I'll start digging into it.

I keep searching the ones for sale, and have been investigating the T-boat alley site.
njgr8ful, the dash on yours looks different than others I've seen, any info?

Does anyone have an update on the weight of these?? If I need to, I'll modify the truck (replace, makes it sound better to the wife saying modify...).
Is a mid 80's Mistress too old to race? I've always wanted to do it - and age is creeping up on me if I intend to make serious run.

Mine is old school for sure.Some of the gauges have been swapped out. But prolly needs attention. I don't want to go completely new school.

The section you're probably referring to is the wedge added above the compass?? I'm not sure and don't have much history, as Bud at Cigarette could find no file for my '85 It may have been an afterthought but it is done very well and I can't tell.

I would say race away if the hull is dry and sound and the power is right, sounds like some fun

I'm still waiting on Top Banana for a possible answer on the Mistress' weight SPECS.

You have to put everything into perspective from the 70's.

They didn't have the most accurate way of determining true weights back then. Usually a truck scale with the trailer and then boat and trailer.

Then again Don always had a knack for telling it like it was.

At a race in California he was racing a 'banana boat" a little 27 foot single engine boat with a 7 foot beam. Everyone else was claiming speeds in the 70s and 80s, but Don said his boat actually only ran in the 60's. Well, the race started and when it was over the boat that ran in the 60's won, and all the faster boats finished behind it.

I know that my own race boat was built from fiberglass, no kevlar and as a bare hull and deck ready to be rigged, it weighed 3800 lbs for a 38 foot boat.

If someone out there has one now and would give us the true weight, that would be more reliable than the figures from the 70's brochure.

njgr8, yes, the "wedge" is what I was wondering about. It looks factory, I just haven't seen that on any others.

TB - are you saying that Don was playing a bluff? or that it was better in rough water?