I have a 1974 Signa/Formula that I assume was made by the Porter family/Formula. Can any one tell me the history on why Signa came about.I am putting it up for sale and want to know the history of Signa Hin# SGN40271M74K. Bud

look here

http://www.formulaboats.com/history.aspx

I had a '78 version of that boat for 9 years. The F-18 is one of the best boats Formula ever built. I ran that boat back and forth to Bimini from Miami/Homestead at least a dozen times...often times in seas that I had no business being out in!!
I hit some big water in that little boat and came off some waves that I know I fell 6'~8' and never broke anything!!

Having owned 3: Formulas prior to my current '79 255 Liberator (No. 4) I looked into this.

Vic Porter started Signa Boat Co long before his association with Formula. Signa has always been a Decatur, IN based boat building company. In the early and mid '70's Formula belonged to Fuqua industries out of Atlanta, GA and I believe that Vic Porter was an exec with them while making boats through his own company in Decatur. Seems like after the Porters aquired Formula in '75 ~ '76 Porter operated Signa and Thunderbird/Formula with plants in Miami, Decatur and Paso Robles, California. The Paso Robles plant closed after a few years and production was primarily in Miami and Decatur. Boats that were built in Miami had HIN's beginning with TRNM and Decatur boats HIN's began with SGN or SGND.

The Miami plant was closed in late '86~early '87 and all production shifted to Decatur where it is to this day. My 255 was built in Decatur in March of 1979...having a SGND prefix on it's hull number.

All 3 of my previous boats were TRNM boats having been built in Miami. I think it's safe to say that your '74 is a Decatur boat built while Porter was with Fuqua....there were molds in Decatur by then giving Vic Porter the ability to build any Formula he needed to in Decatur.

I wondered why the Porters abandoned Miami until I ran across a guy down here that was a lay-up foreman in the Miami plant. Accordingly there was a big push to organize a trade union through the AFL/CIO and instead of fighting the union, Porter sold the property and moved the operation to Indiana...his "neck of the woods" where he had some decent tax incentives that Florida and Dade Co could not match.

One of the coolest things I ever did was to watch my '86 272 LS being built in the Miami plant. I would go over after work and since I had a close relationship with John and Bob Ellis that owned Hi-Lift Marina in North Miami Beach (right next door to Magnum and Cigarette on NE 188th St.), one of the largest Formula Dealers in the country, I could go in and out of the plant with no problem. I had done the same thing a year earlier with my 242 SS.

The former employee also elaborated how picky Formula was to detail. He told me a story how nearly 20 233 hulls were popped at the Miami plant that had appearance flaws in the gel coat. He wanted the opportunity to use Imron on those several hulls to cover any cosmetic flaws. The Formula execs. decided that the breach in reputation was too risky to allow the paint over and ordered the hulls destroyed. The day the bull dozers showed up to crush the hulls there were only 14 hulls in the yard...six were missing. I had to ask about the six and was told that they were never found but were used by Sea Craft, Contender and others to plug new molds. Before I could say a word he told me "Compare a 23' Sea Craft and a 233 Formula hull and draw your own conclusions"

It would not surprise me to learn that some 233 Formula hulls are still lurking around in South Florida warehouses.

Sorry I got off on a tangent but I have a feeling you don't mind knowing some of this.

Thanks for the info on Signa..my boat is 20 ft,no cracks in he gel and has a 225 ford and alpha drive. Should have it posted in the OSO classifieds this week. Bud

hahahaha sprink, is there anything you DON'T know about formula's????

Yea...why I don't have a new 45" Yacht with IPS Drives ?...or at least a 40SS...still trying to figure it out.

I just bought a 1974 thunderbird signa 20 foot tri hull. I found some soft spots in the deck and a small hole the size of a pinky nail in the front under the anchor where the trailer hooks to. Anyone have any good suggestions on how to repair it? Along with one scratch the size of a quarter that is down to the fiberglass.

SIGNA TRI HULL, never saw pictures of one. Post some photos so we all can see,still have my 74 SIGNA 20 foot Formula which I am going to restore back to its original condition. There is not a crack or fracture in its hull and when it's complete (see it in Magnumboatandrestoration.com) it looks like an old Chris-Craft. My intentions are to paint or vinyl the hull blue with a white boot stripe and due the top with a wood type of vinyl and make it look like a an old woodie. I'll post pictures as I go along. Bud

CORRECTION
magnumboatrestoratiom.com