Help with 1976 Mirage ID
 

I'm looking at buying another boat to work on over the next few years.... and restore. I found a 1976 Mirage and after talking to the current owner he had also did some digging and was told the boat was the the old race Mirage "Lil Rhino". It currently was set up with staggered small blocks. I just dont have alot of knowledge about some of these old race boats and would love to hear someones input or opinion
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The only thing I thought was off after looking at photos of Lil Rhino is it doesn't seem to have a cuddy and this Mirage does

Race boats
 

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Mirage race boats were built very different than the pleasure edition.
No finished off cabin.
Most, even if not staggered had the long engine hatch to the back of the race bolster.

I throttled Gazpacho for a year, great rough water boat. I also had a pleasure edition Mirage.
I'll try and find a pic of it.

My pleasure mirage
 

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Current owner was told by someone on facebook that it could be Lil Rhino, but I don't believe there was any proof, just speculation. I'd be pretty thorough with researching for some verifiable proof before buying! That boat sat outside uncovered for years, and would be a years long restore! If you do purchase it, good luck with the restore, those old Mirages were great!

I appreciate it. I have the hull ID .....idk if that does any good

This one looks alot like the M793 in the photos. Whats confusing is it doesn't have any hatches like pleasure boat would and the back is full of braces in the engine cradle like race boats would of had. I just have no idea if it was a race boat.....and if it was which one. Would love to find out then it would be worth restoring just to save the history part or it in my eyes.....

The hull ID reads CDB which is Mirage then 29004 so from what ive looked into its a 29ft and #4 made.....

Almost positive this boat is not Lil Rhino. It only has two air vents Lil Rhino had three and the dash layout is different also. [ATTACH=CONFIG]565149[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]565150[/ATTACH]

Yeah I noticed that too. Does anyone know how many Mirage race boats there were in 1976? Fairly certain it's got to be some sort of race boat with a fully unfinished Cuddy as well

Any more photos of the interior

These are some I screenshot when it was for sale on FB. If I remember correctly the interior of the cabin was grey carpet. [ATTACH=CONFIG]565154[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]565155[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]565156[/ATTACH]

That is a cool find I would love it.

I have more pics of the boat I'll post later when I'm off the road from work. Just trying to find out more about it before I pull the trigger.

But you already have one.! You can restore this one and I will buy yours.

I've watched other members here on OSO that have bought boats that are basket cases and pulled the deck cut old stringers and the transom out and rebuilt it all from there. "Why" Because they love that classic and no one will tell them otherwise regardless of what it will cost that old girl will be back on the water.
The cost you will never get back out if you sell but value when completed is not important.
The mirage "Cortes" built boats are all great boats and built like a tank.
If I had the cash I would buy this mirage in a second but I would love an old cig flat deck for my project next

I agree the old offshore boats are gorgeous and there's nothing else like them on the water. For me if it qas a true race boat is kind of the icing on the cake haha

I have been looking for a mirage for about 3 years and even considered this one when I fist saw it. But the lack of a back seat and a sun pad wouldn't work for my family. But luckily this popped up on eBay I got a hell of a deal. [ATTACH=CONFIG]565173[/ATTACH]

I just listed mine under misc v if anyone is interested.

Looks nice around 80ish?

This Mirage I believe belonged to Mike Johnson out of Sagatuck Michigan & was raced as Rage M-73. I dont believe it raced in many races but was listed to race in the 1982 Stroh Light down river Detroit race. Some where I have a color pic of this Mirage, but it is not the Rhino..

WELL IM GLAD YOUR BACK- THE KNOWLEDGE VACUUM FOR THE LAST WEEK HAS BEEN IN- MEASURABLE
Rino got striped for the blue max, it got sold off and i think it went to NJ, re rigged and i remember it breaking up bad in the keel area , never to be seen again

Yes I'm back not enuff water in AZ for me..

The hull I'd numbers are 1 up from mine that is number 4 built

Yes it's 290040476 is the HIN so would that be built April of 76

Wolverine & Rhino were hulls 1 & 2 so this confirms that this Mirage is not the Rhino. There were other staggered engines Mirage's like Silver Streak & The Hawk, all from Lake St Clair today where are they ?????

Well atleast we can confirm that it's not rhino then. It's amazing how much silver streat looks like this mirage other than color. Any way to tell them all apart other than Hull ID?

could be the silver streak , it had small blocks-- and the manifolds are small blocks and the tail pipes look very familiar , god knows i saw the rear end of it for a while , the dash and cabin could of been added or changed

I guess the only way to know for sure is sand down the paint to see if you can find silver.....its definitely been resprayed

Rob this Mirage had the SBC Crusader log manifolds & dry pipes that many of the Lake St Clair boats had, it could be Silver Streak ????

I have a 1976 Mirage 9M SS that I bought from the Lake St. Clair area in 2015.
It was sanded down to gelcoat on purchase. It was repainted white on the sides with hybrid petit bottom paint last summer.
If I read the HIN correctly, is it #01 for Feb 76? (Hull 290010276)
Just took it out yesterday on Lake Erie for its first run of the year.

Did you buy the boat from the Howell Michigan? And where on Erie do you boat? I have a 77 9 meter in port Clinton.

Yours would be the first one built, built in February 1976. So your boat is either Lil Rhino or Wolverine would be my guess from what I have read and some people have told me. Post pictures of it if you get a chance

Yes, it was purchased in Howell. I live about 15m south of Lake Erie and typically launch boats from Fenwick or Turtle Creek. We're probably going to be putting it up for sale this spring.

https://ibb.co/b6D3Fk

https://youtu.be/1CA-cZklb1c

1979 9m ss

Getting mine cleaned up for the season. Still need to find the life line stanchions. [ATTACH=CONFIG]566515[/ATTACH]

This is the old Silver Streak, I sold it to mike. It used to have triple bolsters with center steering. I can't believe they cut out the dash. I always wondered what happened to it.

Is this your Mirage in Port Clinton , if so it's my old red & white Mirage I had back in 1989. Post # 35 is my last Mirage I had that I sold to Jim, he sure made it VERY NICE !!!.

The Mirage in Howell [ that Elliot had ] I believe was the Mirage that Wally Harper bought after he sold his race Magnum. Wally only had it for one season then he bought a 32' Spectra vee hull.

h2oboater My mirage is a 1977 that I bought out of northern Chicago last fall. But funny you ask because my friend owns your old boat and I keep mine next to it. Lol[ATTACH=CONFIG]567754[/ATTACH]