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1978 Baron info on hull no.
First posting here. Hello. Name is Tom. I'm from Michigan near lake saint Clair. I finally found a Baron and bought it! The owner said supposedly the owner of Baron co owned the boat. I don't see a hull I'd no.. does anyone know how to tell out if the 14 which one this is? It has a TRS drive that looks like it's been on since 1978. Lol.
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My Baron is red. Red n white striped seats. One thing that stands out is the dash has a cutout for an old school cassette. It's been covered. It also has a 6" by 6 " square piece I found wood attached to the underside of the front section. I don't know why it's there. Kinda weird. No purpose. Maybe used a base to cover a hole on top? I don't know. The motor is black and has a small flame arrestor. Common looks like. Hydraulic trim tabs that work well. Trim takes forever to go down. Probably 35 seconds to bury it. Comes up a little faster but not fast. It had a red trailer with long board bunks.
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I heard the First Baron was blue and white. It was ran on Reed lake on its maiden voyage. They built 13 more and the company stopped. 2 guys bought the mold and made a powerplay 185xlt. They got sued from Florida comoany.over the name. Then they called it power quest. Cut up the mold a few years later.
I think that's how it goes. Anyone know the Owner of Baron co. Can I contact him ? |
Did they put any hull numbers on the 14 Barons? Where is it located. Did the owners boat have a hull number on it? Did the first one have a hull number on it? It would be interesting to find out. The guy I got it from said he bought it off a guy named Joel. But that was 9 yrs ago.. I'd have to dig deeper to go back in time ownership. I don't know Joel or how long he owned it or whom he bought it off if. Maybe someone here knows more.
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Did they put any hull numbers on the 14 Barons? Where is it located. Did the owners boat have a hull number on it? Did the first one have a hull number on it? It would be interesting to find out. The guy I got it from said he bought it off a guy named Joel. But that was 9 yrs ago.. I'd have to dig deeper to go back in time ownership. I don't know Joel or how long he owned it or whom he bought it off if. Maybe someone here knows more.
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Try pm’ing or emailing Baronmarine on here. If I remember rightly from on of his old threads he worked there as a kid and even restored one also...
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...ronmarine.html |
Originally Posted by J-Bonz
(Post 4748565)
Try pm’ing or emailing Baronmarine on here. If I remember rightly from on of his old threads he worked there as a kid and even restored one also...
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...ronmarine.html |
Didn't TommyMonza's family start Baron Marine?
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...ommymonza.html
Originally Posted by tommymonza
(Post 4556319)
Where did you buy it out of?
This is my hunch but would need a few measurements and better pics. My brother designed the original Baron/Powerplay/Powerquest 185 back in the mid 70s and built a wood plug for the hull out of cedar. The plug was cracking and moving so much that he got it close than we pulled a mold off from it. Than we pulled a plug/hull out of that mold and worked over that plug to perfection and added the lifting strikes and deck joint area. After pulling a good mold off that plug my brother short on funds sold that fiberglass worked over plug with no deck on it. The drop in the sheer about 4 feet from the stern kind of looks like the thing that always bugged me about the design. |
A little more history by Tommy here in this thread:
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...ml#post4203461 |
Congrats on your new to you Baron. I saw this a couple of weeks ago, but was on vacation. There was a red & white one for sale on craigslist over in Detroit since last year. I thought that one was a 260 with some work & a alpha. Had some different high back seats & thru prop. That 280 trs boat was I think the 2nd or 3rd one. That package was used to quick finish it for a show when there was not any 260 / alpha packages available. That is the only one. I'm sure that drive was painted white down the road some time. Ours is one of the last ones, I bought it from Tommymonza back in 1985, his brother Dave that built them lives right down the road from me. I have not seen him in a number years. Ours has a 383 ci with a surface drive I bought from Saber Marine that was on there first red 28'. Our also has been completely taken apart down to a row boat. All new stringers, transom, more bulkheads, floors, fuel tank & interior. The deck is back on it & that is all the farther I have got. Have not worked on it in the last 5 or 6 years. The motor is at Chief being rebuilt, the plan is getting it back together by next year, there is not much more to do. Oh & Tmonza is still around in Fla again, beach bum text me at 3am this morning! I'll shoot him a text that this is on here.
Todd |
Thanks Todd for responding. My Name is Tom. I have a friend in Algonac who has owned a Red Baron forever pretty much. Still has it. And it runs good. Must of been mid 80's when he got it. His name is Tony . He has two other friends that have Barons too. McGregor and the ither guy. Lol. I forget . So that's 5 including yours and whomever else you may know that owns one. It would be cool as hell to see all the barons together on lake saint Clair .
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Originally Posted by Baronowner3
(Post 4748473)
I heard the First Baron was blue and white. It was ran on Reed lake on its maiden voyage. They built 13 more and the company stopped. 2 guys bought the mold and made a powerquest 185xlt. They got sued from Florida comoany.over the name. Then they called it a power play and cut up the mold a few years later.
I think that's how it goes. If I wrong please enlighten us all. Anyone know the Owner of Baron co. Can I contact him ? |
Not sure the color on that first one, don't remember it being blue. There are some pics on one of the old posting of it with out a windshield. Tmonza has another one now, there is one more. A gal we know bought one out of St Clair Shores years ago. Took it to Cali and lost it. Friend of mine has a 26' Baron, that John Best (Best Shot) put together years ago. He's had that since the late 80's.
Todd |
Originally Posted by Baronowner3
(Post 4749275)
. Thanks
Tommy here. My older brother Dave was the one that designed and built the Barons. He isn't into performance boats at all anymore and doesn't have whole lot of recollection of those years like I do. I guess to many Styrene fumes and too much Acetone contact. Lol Todd on here has my old Blue Baron that I think might be a 79. . Anyways I dugout the title for my current Baron I own to look at the vin. |
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My current Baron was built exactly before yours. Mine was the first colored hull and it was built In Red by suggestion of John Crouse who owned Blue Lagoon marina and was going to be put it in the upcoming Cobo Hall boat show.
I believe mine is the 3rd boat built though there is no indication in the Vin number. Anyway my boat came out of the mold with really bad alligatoring in the gelcoat so was put aside and your hull was laid up just days prior to the boat show than towed to Detroit and my brother and I basically assembled that boat outside of Cobo Hall. So dig up your vin and lets see if they make any sense . There were 11 or 13 built plus the original fiberglass plug with no deck that was sold but we don't know what became of it . My current Baron. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c6f27e12d4.jpg |
Dave with your boat at the Cobo Hall boatshowhttps://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a0028c2f0.jpeg
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The Ist Baron built had this rounded. windshield. We couldn't get the new style split windshield built in Time for the show so we temporarily attached the old style on your boat for the show.
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https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...63fa6c485.jpegThis is your boat back in the 90s. My brother used to know the guy that owned it before the guy you bought it off from.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...404f44345.jpeg |
Tommy. Thank you so much for the insight. That's awesome. Now I HaVE to take care of it. I love it.
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https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...990ac0ccc.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...5c36660e7.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f85427c4a.jpeg Some old pics of my brother during the Plug building years . The 1st plug was made out of cedar and kept moving from drying out so Dave pulled a fiberglass mold off from it when he got it as good as he could. He than built a fiberglass plug out of that mold and that plug got the strakes built and the plug perfected before pulling the final production mold. 1pic is the original wood plug the other 2 are of the fiberglass plug. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...066b2673a9.jpg |
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I'll have to take some more pics if it. Overall, for being 42 yrs old....it's in good shape. It has a red eagle trailer. Long covered bunks. Fits good. The lower transom looks like it was painted white. There was over spray all over the prop. I cleaned it and gained 3 mph. Lol. 2-stepped the teak platform and side steps. Still need to oil them. Has some bow rash from beaching. I can spray gelcoat so... No big deal. Bottom is good. The topsides has a crack about 5 inches long but not a big deal. Cosmetic. Not structural. The outdrive paint is super thick. Hard to remove by stripper or other. Grinding sounds easier.
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I want that snoopy back on there.thats cool. I love it. I think I've heard if this before with that name. Yrs ago. Didn't know it was a Baron. I wonder where I could get that made.
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My brother had told me it had been redone when saw it back in the late 90s.
Yours still has the original Merc shifter. Your was the only one built with that shifter all the other had the Morse shifter. |
Just a wealth of useless information.
Tom I knew Tommy would have some good info for you, give him a day or two & who knows what he will dig up.Tommy, Sheri miss's you, me not so much. LOL. Talk soon brother. Todd |
Some other old Baron pics i found The white one with no windshield is the 1st one on its maiden voyage on Reeds Lake in Grand Rapids the day before Thanksgiving 1977.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ed265caf5e.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...1636a3124d.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...7b82542351.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...e96e52b9ab.jpg |
I want that snoopy back on there.thats cool. I think I've heard of this before with that name. Yrs ago. Didn't know it was a Baron. I wonder where I could get that made.
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The hull Vin numbers were molded into the right upper corner of the transom but being yours was a early production boat it might have had a metal vin tag attached in that location.
Most likely it was repainted and the molded in Hin got filled in . |
Originally Posted by baronmarine
(Post 4749349)
Just a wealth of useless information.
Tom I knew Tommy would have some good info for you, give him a day or two & who knows what he will dig up.Tommy, Sheri miss's you, me not so much. LOL. Talk soon brother. Todd https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8de7d9056f.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...60116b1544.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...0427687095.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f931642652.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...1279c6c0a7.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...78be38bbe1.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...030ebb248e.jpg |
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...39a7389ebd.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...49432c0b24.jpg
Originally Posted by Baronowner3
(Post 4749274)
Thanks Todd for responding. My Name is Tom. I have a friend in Algonac who has owned a Red Baron forever pretty much. Still has it. And it runs good. Must of been mid 80's when he got it. His name is Tony . He has two other friends that have Barons too. McGregor and the ither guy. Lol. I forget . So that's 5 including yours and whomever else you may know that owns one. It would be cool as hell to see all the barons together on lake saint Clair .
I believe this is the 2nd boat built and used to be All white with a yellow and white candy stripe interior . The reason I say that is the Coast Guard built in flotation boxes are upright against the hull not built flush with the stringers like the later boats were. The interior is Far from the original design . https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...035b685aaf.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ae82f56c5e.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...5849d1f87b.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...b65dae29c2.jpg |
According to brother Dave there were only 13 Barons built between 78 and 79 before the shop closed doors. I own 1 and Baronmarine Todd on here owns my old one so that is 2 out of 13 that leaves 11.
There was a beat overpriced mustard colored one out in Washington and another blue one that Todd knew the owner that went to California 20 years ago so that has you down to 9 left in the area. There is 3 that are accounted for in the St Claires area 1 being yours the restored red TRS boat and another blue one that is nice and the guy goes by Badazzbaron on Donzi.net and a newly purchased mustard colored one and the owners said they would never part with them so that leaves 6 unaccounted for if the build numbers are right. There used to be the second one built was in Holland Michigan forever until a few years ago it was white and could now possibly be the candy red one that was for sale in Algonac I posted. So that leaves 5 unaccounted for. The 1st 2 built were all white and one of them used to be in Holland Mi forever. So that leaves 4 colored boats out there and most likely they are red or blue. This is the.beat overpriced mustard colored one that was for sale out in Washington https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...bfa4fef88b.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...38d021ad2c.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...17008142fc.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c8e0f4ffa5.jpg |
The boat for sale your talking about is not the boat my buddy has. His boat is red too. He knows two other guys that own them.
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Originally Posted by Baronowner3
(Post 4749382)
The boat for sale your talking about is not the boat my buddy has. His boat is red too. He knows two other guys that own them.
Do you know what color those boats are? The ones I have heard about are your red one . Than a guy posted years ago that he bought a mustard yellow one of which 2 were built and the other is the Beat one inWashington . BadassBaron has the Blue one What other colors are out are out there in your area that you know of ? |
Originally Posted by Baronowner3
(Post 4749275)
. Thanks
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There is still a white Baron in the Holland area that has been around this year.
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Originally Posted by beckmwi
(Post 4749416)
There is still a white Baron in the Holland area that has been around this year.
ill have to ask my brother if hes seen it, he keeps his boat at MBYC. SO THAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE 2ND ONE BUILT, GOOD TO SEE ITS STILL AROUND. the candy red one is defintely the1st one built that was originally all white .The steering wheel is the only one of that style installed on the boats |
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