Thunderbird Cathedral Hull model?

rosbullterrier · Sep 15, 2015

Any idea which model my Thunderbird is?

serial no. - SH 66105
Max H.P. - 75
capacity - 1000

I tried everywhere, maybe the my UK boat is not recorded on US sites.
It's 16'3" long.

I just finished rebuilding the keel and inner floor - nearly ready to go, but I would like to know which badge it needs.
Shawnee would seem appropriate but mine does not have the walk through screen to bow section.

Many thanks.

Mr Efficiency · Sep 15, 2015

Your best plan would be to take some pics and put them in this thread.

bajansailor · Oct 3, 2015

I think that she is possibly a Signa 16 - although the photos of the S 16 below seem to have a 'walk-through' screen to the forward cockpit.

PAR · Oct 3, 2015

The S-16 hull came as a bow rider (3 piece windshield), a runabout (2 piece windshield), a cuddy and I think a side helm fishing boat too.

rosbullterrier · Oct 13, 2015

I am grateful for your work gentlemen.
However I feel as it's no. is 'SH' it may be the Shawnee also the Signa looks a little too posh to be mine.
I do apologize for lack of pics, I shall try for some on Saturday when I go to do some more to it. The transom / outboard well is cut down by about 6" unlike the Signa.
Maybe it's an early (1966) cheaper UK import without the bow seating and smaller H.P. rating. We Brit's are used to the less exotic!

Mr Efficiency · Oct 13, 2015

The Americans do seem to have had a glut of affordable choices in trailer boats, whereas many countries made do with a limited array of local products.

rosbullterrier · Oct 17, 2015

Please find five pics from hopefully useful angles to show which Thunderbird model.
I've rebuilt the keel, fitted the marine ply floor (on good stringers) with expanded poly foam and glassed over.
Still some work to do. Why? - must be a glutten for preserving old things!

Mr Efficiency · Oct 17, 2015

I like rectangular plan small boats. Typically there is a greater margin of stability, though the cathedral hull form was not really that great in choppy conditions, ride-wise.

rosbullterrier · Oct 18, 2015

The thinking behind the complete rebuild of this elderly dory style hull is to result in a heavier stable boat suitable for occasional short trips but mainly to collect logs from the river for firewood.
We are on a small tidal river in the south of England with a speed limit of 6 knots, and I doubt it will ever go past the end of the estuary to the real sea!
I'm mounting a Mercury 40hp 4 cylinder two stroke as another item to make it a little different . . .
The Thunderbird bird decals are available from the US but they cost a shedload, and the postage/ shipping is astronomical!
Still cannot find the Thunderbird text though.

PAR · Oct 18, 2015

There's nothing "dory" like about that Thunderbird hull. I've seen lots of these over the years, even owning one about a decade ago. This era Thunderbird was a heavy chopper build and known to be fairly stout. They don't turn that well and as previously mentioned, aren't the best thing in a confused chop, but they are pretty stable and can carry a good load. Low speed handling isn't great, but is better than most warped bottoms of the era, as the sponsons help with tracking.

SukiSolo · Oct 18, 2015

PAR said:
There's nothing "dory" like about that Thunderbird hull.

With respect PAR, in the UK a lot of cathedral hull types have become synonymous with the Dell Quay Dory brand. That type is loosely similar to a Boston Whaler but for UK waters. Hence the OP's reference to 'Dory type', I myself will refer to it as such, and it is understood this side of the pond.

I personally think 40Hp is a bit overkill, you could probably get away with 30 and hardly miss the extra. Might depend on just how heavy the logs are!. The actual Dell Quay cathedral hulls are very good in relatively flat water including estuaries and behave as expected. They do pound your rear when flat out over a short chop, but a small price to pay unles you are going a long distance. Short shallow dead rise RIBs' (say 4.3 meters) are not too disimilar in behaviour.

PAR · Oct 18, 2015

My bad, I didn't realize the correlation. At the speeds he'll be traveling, he only needs a 20 HP, though she'll not be able to get up and plane off.

powerabout · Oct 18, 2015

best use for those is in the Texas Tri Hull racing
best boat racing ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3QrsmMCOG8
yes most new hulls

Kevin DeRosa · Jun 24, 2019

I see this is an older thread, but I am rebuilding a 1969 Thunderbird Shawnee Tri-Hull Bow rider and came across this page. I hope you are still registered and have completed the restore and are using this boat still.
The boat stats you have posted meets the criteria of a 1966 Thunderbird Shawnee before the bow rider option came out. SH in the serial number stands for Shawnee and the first 2 digits are 66, where my Serial number starts with 69

See this page for more info if you still are registered here.
http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/images/a/aa/Thunderbirdbb004.jpg

Thunderbird Cathedral Hull model?

rosbullterrier

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Mr Efficiency

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bajansailor

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PAR

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