Shadow cat, chris cat, american offshore
 

I am looking at a boat and trying to learn more info on it has american offshore stitched into the seat but the upper deck doesn't match a american offshore, looking at purchasing this boat it came out of Michigan, the boat is a 1989 model and was rerigged in 2008, the name of the boat is american dream and it has american flags down each side of the boat, it has arneson surface drives on it with built 454 approx 650 hp each. trying to learn more about this boat i can not find a lot of info on it. thanks in advance.

pictures
 

here is photos of the boat [IMG]http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...psu3gkgqxg.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...psg046n2zx.jpg[/IMG]

Looks like a Vicious Power Boats, but I don't think they were around that early??(1989)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-Vicious...m=201436053394

Looks like a Chris Cat to me.

Shadow cats were built 1980-83, Chris cats 84-86. Not sure when AO got the molds, but I don't think it was as early as 89??

hin??

Saw this boat on ebay last year and recently at a church auction in Tn., I beleive it was advertised as an aero-tech, but I could be wrong.

Rik at arneson knew a bit about it.

Awesome and American Offshore both came out of the two Chris Craft molds. Any pic's of the interior?

I may have some, from what I remember it was mostly white, most distinct were the throttles, they were super short and had stars cut out of the shafts. Anodized red and blue.

Sorry i cant help, but sure looks like a nice and clean boat!
Behind my head, im still struggling with the idea of redoing an old cat or someday buy lets says a low budget more actual cat, like a motion, spectre or anything else like that... I always come back thinking those old cat were not, to my knowledge, slower or less quality built than the more actual cat... Don,t know if im wrong or not, but im still looking for the right project cat, not too far from home!

Keep us updated with your project, interested in following your tread! Not too late to give yourself a nice chrismas gift!!!

The interior looks like a vicious cat title says aero tech shadow cat but can't really find any info on it I guess some one had the molds for a little bit, it is still owned by the church, by the research I have done it has a little bit of American offshore hull and deck and with vicious interior and dash thanks for all your help

wasnt AeroTech a Jim Klem company?

No, that was Aero Marine, they are referring to Aerotek.

the chris cat & shadow molds went to lots of builders
in that era
the chris cat hull has a wider flat pad/sponsom on bottom at transom than the shadow cat hull did
which made hull a tad wider than shadow
chris cats were designed for BBs
and shadow for SBs/O/Bs
the vicious in the ebay add u can see the wide pad on bottom sponsom
so that pad width will tell u which hull it is
good boats for their time,,,,,thick and heavy
good lookin boat ,,,with surface drives will turn some heads
not as fast as hulls today but handles ruff good for the size

Step away from the cosmetics and look at the transom. What's the MIC code in HIN? Here's some of the builders mentioned.

Shadow Cat: GSC
Vicious: VPB
American Offshore: GSW
Chriscraft: CCB, CCH, CCT, CCU, CIT, OFV, UNF
AERO-TEK POWERBOATS LLC: AEO
AET: AERO CAT LLC
AOW: AERO-TEK HIGH PERFORMANCE INC (OOB)
AJU: AERO MARINE

First part of the vin is knk it was stamped by division of watercraft Ohio and the vin is 12 digits long is there any other place on the hull the vin would be stamped

Found it on hin decoder.com
The boat is k and k industries owner is gene Kylm anyone anything about this company or guy I would love to get in contact with him thanks

MIC: KNK Status: Inactive
Company: K & K INDUSTRIES Company Official: KLYM, GENE
Parent Company: NULL Parent MIC: NUL
Address: 16834 CHESTERFIELD City: E DETROIT
State: MI Zip: 48021
Country: NULL Phone: 3137730035
Fax: NULL In Business: 9/9/1985
Out of Business: 9/22/1988 Date Modified: 9/22/1988
Type: Outboards, Open Motorboats, Jon Boats
Inboard/Outboard, Sterndrive, Inboard/Outdrive
Addtional Address:

Thanks for everyone's help, so I wonder why the title states aero tech on and did gene own that also is gene still around the boating industry.

as stated them molds went everywhere back then
and also the "pop off" molds
T2x on this site was 1 of the original plug/ builders for them hulls
as long as stringers and transom are solid ur good to go
don't know k&k so probably used 1 of the few molds to make 1 or so

Here is good little read for you.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...t-history.html

jim klym was the owner of lancer ,aero, predator and awesome.
He was the king of poping molds in the 80"s he did a pop of a shadow cat and sold them as aero.
In the 90"s he bought some pops of a chris cat molds and sold them as awesome
.
No you cant talk to him he is dead by his own hands and that's where he should be he was a piece of **** and I am being nice with my words if you want more info on jim klym go to the awesome section there is a little about him nothing good.

LastlyThat's not a vicious boat sparky did 3 large cats 2 of them where stern power and 1 was a outboard boat his mold was a copy of a shadow sparkys boats were light and fast for the power they had.

After looking at the 2 pics for a while that's not a shadow copy that's a chris cat copy what throws you off a little looking at the bottom of the boat is the filler for the drives .
More pics and maybe we could figure out what it really is..

As rookie pointed out this was jim klyms company why it said gene klym who knows it was probably some form of scamming he was best at that. The address he has is were he built his boats for many years sparky and I were there many times.

Wow! Not very simple to follow! But interesting reading!

Well, I'm the new owner of this boat. I've yanked the motors, pulled the Arneson Drives apart, gutted the interior, and tearing the floor up. Guess I had nothing better to do. Wish me luck.

Why didn't you buy the boat?

Keep us updated on the project please,,,looks like a really cool boat.