New to me 26 is getting close
 

Well, I promissed I wouldn't do another restore after the Trouble Maker was finished but I just couldn't pass this one up. She was pretty rough when I got her back to Texas but the worst part was in the engine compartment. The rest of the boat was in good shape so this one won't be a complete redo. Here's some before and after pics. Sorry for the quality but it was from a camera phone. Bilge cleaned and repainted, engines are back from the machine shop with some slight modifications:D, and I'm about to start tackling some wiring issues and then it should be off to the lake....."should be".

Some more of the boat.

Wade.....Lookin' good...Keep us posted on the project.

What did you do to the engines ?

A little here, a little there. They went to the machine shop stock 260 hp's and came back right around 350hp. I couldn't go much more than that though because she's got Alpha drives. I'll just have to be easy on planing.:D

Thats a sweet little ride.
I wish I wasn't sleeping when C, emailed me on it. She was right in my back yard too.

The price was right thats for sure.

At least its got a good home.
I am sure you will have some fun with that, but why did you sell the 30 just to get another?
race boslters not right for you?

Actually, I would love another race boat. These pleasure boat seat just don't feel right. I guess the only answer I would have to that is, I get bored. When I finish a project I get tired of it real quick.

I do regret selling the 30 but what the hell, it's gone. These damn Sutphens are just addictive and they really don't exist in Texas. I'm real tired of seeing people let these boats go to $hit. I can't stand to see them in the shape they're in when I get them so I have to redo everything and make it right. This 26 should be fun but you'll probably see it in the classifieds right around the time I get it finished.

nice score, eh?

Looks good! I love the lines of the 26'. I'm dying to get my boat back together. It's like running through peanut butter this time of year.

I used to have an '87 Merc 454 "magnum" with Alpha drive, the one year they mated the big block with the Alpha and called the 330 hp engine a magnum. I had lots of air time and never broke it, although I heard lots of stories about them breaking.

CG...Yup, the jig is up. I bought it. I almost forgot what it was like to have weekly shipments come to my house from Eddie marine, Stainless marine, and Jegs.

Jammin', that's good to here because I plan on trying her out in the bay a few times.

Always thought that was a sharp looking ride...Congrats

nudder one...

Dave, Thanks for the pics. I knew it had to have had a tie bar on those drives. Those friggin' scavengers struck again. No props, no radio, no vhf, no speakers, no tie bar.:angry-smiley-038:

Did you used to own it?
Where did you get the pics?

She looks damn good in the water. Hopefully I can live that picture here pretty soon.:D
That's a good new avatar!

I've got a 22 Pachanga with the Alpha 330/454 package and it works just fine. My neighbor has a 26 Sutphen with a pair of ZZ383 crate motors (425 hp) behind stock counter rotating Alphas. He runs it pretty hard with no drive issues in 5 years.

Nice looking boat! Great project.

Kurt

Very cool ride..good luck with it..:cool-smiley-011:

Yeah, she looks real good on the water. Was never my boat, I just store pics of boats I like on my computer, in case I ever need ideas for a future purchase or upgrade. Enjoy your new ride! Dave911

wstultz, nice to see you back to work again.
Nice find.

I know that marina in onset very well I had the fastest boat there for 8yrs on the rack.:pOnce I became the boat carpet guy everyone loved me. But before it was hey art can't you get mufflers for that its so loud, I had dry SM:grinser010:. They would not have stripped anything off the boat, they got it that way. I live like 25mins from there I was surprised I did get a call last time a perf boat got there they called me but it was a dog a 40ft formula with phucked up motors meet the owner at another marina and said he let the bank have it was cheaper then to fix it it did 55:(. good luck if I new about sutphens 18yrs ago I would of bought a 26 265hp repo over my baja ol 24 330hp the 26 was 24,000 and the dealer that had the baja took it on trade from a friend who was the 1st owner so for 16700, I went with it. PLUS A FRIEND HAD A BAJA DEALERSHIP back then and they do run nice chit I have had over 585hp since94 650 since 2000 but a bulkhead has rotted so thats not to bad for all the power over 20yrs. I have two sutphens in my eyes right know ones a 31 87 needs motors there 454 370s now and the other is a 33 84 I think with 540s that need work plus paint is peeling on deck its been cover by a blue poly top for 4 or 5yrs he wanted 24,000 last yr would I look like azz asking if he would take 16,000 cause of paint, needs new vinly in cockpit, motors rebuild. maybe after I fix airtime ask if a trade and cash. but I have a lot of money in mine going from 650hp to 700 already order parts and have a new drive, shortie,rams, ex steering full going in while motor is out. plus fixing bulkhead and adding one up front dam it.

I know man, it never ends! I would say, right now, throw out the offer. The worst that can happen is him say no or get pissed off but you never know until you try. I had some stupid offers on Trouble Maker before she sold and they didn't really piss me off, I just simply told them NO. Good luck.

Oh, and I know that Onset didn't strip the boat, I'm sure it happened before it left or in travel. Everyone at Onset was very profesional and made the transaction as smooth as can be.

I had some good times there. and about the owner he has 2 other boats there to one a fountain that doesn't run and other is a ???? 30 plus footer. so how knows . well good luck. art

Dave since youstore pics on your computer of suts you like do you have any of rum runners with outboards?

I was hoping to see the cockpit layout of an outboard boat as opposed to a I/O boat. Does it give more interior room?

Wstultz :That yellow and white paint is one great looking rum runner.
One of the nicest I have seen

Hey Jeff,
Though not an interior shot, I think you can tell that there is more room for rear passengers (more cockpit room) because the back pad is smaller.
C

BTW... The Sutphen now sits on a brand-spankin'-new aluminum tandem from Ace in FL...looks sharp! Drop a line if you want to do the Branford thing one day....

I'll get back to ya...from home computer...D

Hope this helps...

Oh, and this is how you do a Sutphen interior....
Shoulda never sold that boat...'72 Gran Sport 18.

CG - Mybe you know the girl on the right from W. Hartford CT - Amy Angelastro. She actually passed away a year ago from cancer. She was one hell-of-girl. :(

nice..whenever I decide to get back in the game..this is what I'm looking for...

great boats...

Thanks dave and christian I appreciate the pics. I was not online much lately. too busy trying to buy a rum runner.

I will have C post some pics once I get her.(if you don't mind)
I hope I don't regret selling my little 20 that boat was fun as hell.
I just built a nice 350 for it that ran like a top.
I had Liefert in torrington CT do the engine. He is paul newmans crew chief and he does a great job of getting extra power with out using the trick parts fo the week.

Only has about 15 HRS on the engine.

I am hoping to pick up the Rum runner tomorrow.
I do think its got alot more room with the out boards.
Hate to pop one of those though $$$$$$$$$

Anyway thanks again for the support guys.

I am hoping to try and make the sutphen reunion deal with the boat too if I can.
eevn if just to hang out where the boat are launching that day and follow over for alittle ways.

Very excited I have been wanting to move up for a while now.

C, I wish I knew you needed a trailer we still have ours from when the 30 got totalled it was 3 weeks old!

I have another question, Is the Ocean pacer a deeper boat than the Rum Runner?
It seems like the cabin has a lower cieling height , and if you look at the pic in this post when the guys are standing in the bolsters they seem to be up much higher than the stand ups in the OP'S

Congrats!! what 26 did you end up getting?? CT boat??

What trailer do you have?

Its an aluminum from our 30 ft OP that got totaled I will ask my brother the brand but I know he got it out of fort lauderdale.



Well I got my Rum runner today. I am very excited to get it wet.
I need to change the impellers in the drives before I put it in the water. Hasn't been wet in almost 2 years.


Its the white and red one in the upper three pictures.

Post # 23.

hey jeff...
sweet...call when you're down this way, we'll call sewfast from east haven and run around a bit...

..couldn't pass up the new trailer. terry, from ace, was at sutphen when i called, it's a perfect fit...i remember you said yours might be a bit too long, i had to worry...you know the skinny road the beach house is on, a real (sorry) to back down into...this set up nailed it...

Yeah I know what your saying C, That trailer was kinda long especially for a 26.

Probably just right for the 30.
The trailer this RR is on is fairly long too. I couldn't beleive how big Of a corner I had to take with it on the way home.

I am used to my 20 ft car trailer so I thought this would be the same but the car trailer has the wheels much farther forward than the boat trailer, so it pivots in a very diferent place.

Much easier in the tight corners.

My driveway is very tight with two big oak trees on either side and My street is busy. I actually have to pull in and turn around on the front lawn.

Theres no backing in with all the a*&holes around here.LOL

I can't wait to get down that way.

A bunch of my Jetski buddies from light house point are coming up to the pavillion tomorow. If I can get the impellers done and get INS. on her. I may catch up with them around 1PM

NICE! :ernaehrung004:

Cool boat wade, keep us posted on the progress....\

Yep thats her dave.

Thanks for the pics.
Do you have pics of every sutphen ever made?

Did massis ever sell your old RR?
That was a sweet boat.

Too far away or I would have bought it.

Off Topic
 

Honestly, I surf way too much on boats and cars. The only ones I save on my computer are Sutphens and Porsche 911 (the old cool stuff). Here's my idea of a real car...color might be a bit too much though...

Sorry guys, I haven't been able to take pics for a while. I'll try and get some tonight.

Here's the update.

-Bilge is painted
-Engines are assymbled.
-engines were put in the boat this weekend
-just need to fill them up with oil and time them.
-other than that there is a lot of little BS to do but I can do that after she is running and in the water.

Thats a good looking Rum runner what condition was the hull and gell/paint in when you got it?

That was a great find you'll have a new boat when your done for the price of well used.

I love the yellow too you just don't see it to often.

Well, she had her shake down run today after some adjusting the linkages on the shifter. We found out this morning that one of the drives was disconnected from the gimble shifter. Pulled the drive, reconnected it, and it was good to go.

Put the boat in around 6:00pm and ran around the lake for a few hours. The boat ran and felt WAY different from my old Ocean Pacer. Ran good but the loss of the four feet made me realized how choppie the lake really is. I came out of the water four or five times just cruising around at 3500 or so.

I didn't want to push it so I never took her over 4000 RPMs. Pretty good numbers with a 23 pitch three blade prop.

3500............45.1 mph
4000............54.4 mph

I'm thinking when all of the kinks get worked out, and I find the right prop, she will hang around 75?

I'll keep you guys informed as to what happens when I put the new carbs on it and tweek everything else. It should make someone a nice Rum Runner. If anyone is looking for one, PM me your offer. I still need to do some wiring and clean up some cosmetics but so far so good.

Sounds like a nice set up. My outboard 26 runs mid 50's at 4000 rpm's Has more prop to it though.

Haven't made any top speed runs yet. I wanted to get used to it a little more after the old chine walk incident.LOL

If I had known youd be selling that quick I would have waited to see what you had done before buying one.

I like the outboards for the fact that with the standoff box it really is like a bigger boat by a few feet.
If I line up the props with my brothers 32 fountian it is beak to beak with it.

Still not too sure about the exhaust note though.
I miss that rumble.

I may have a few guys local who would be interested in your boat. when you get it all done send me some pics and I will float them around for you.