TOPIC: ThunderHawk

I am in desperate need of some info and or pictures of a boat I want to buy next week. The boat is a ThunderHawk 1400. It is a fiberglass tri-hull design but the hull seems to be some sort of modified design, or, I just don't know very much about tri-hulls. It is not a Larson Thunderhawk. It is a 1966 ThunderHawk 14 foot with windshield and steering wheel. The seats and the boat for that matter look somewhat like the 1965 Lone Star Flamingo. The metal transom tag says: ThunderHawk 1400, Mod. #1400 Ltd., ThunderHawk Ltd. Rebecca, Georgia PO BOX 166. I think the serial # is NC.1500. I believe the outboard is the original motor. It's a 1966 33 HP Johnson Super Sea-Horse electric. I have searched the web up and down and can find absolutely nothing on this boat and I've only seen it once but it is a gorgeous boat. Anything that anyone has on this boat would be very highly appreciated.

The US Coast Guard's Manufacturer's Identification Code (MIC) database shows: Thunderhawk Ltd, P.O. Box 188, Dawson, Georgia with MIC code "TDH" and going out of business 07 May 1976.

Thank You,
Yes, when I was looking for this boat I got the same info but what baffles me is the transom tag says: ThunderHawk Ltd. Rebecca, Georgia PO box 166. I am quite certain the name ThunderHawk is spelled with a capital "H". I'm going to look at it again in about a week so I might know more by then. The guy who owns it told me his Dad bought the boat new in 1966. Maybe it's one of those company's who went out of buisness as soon as they got started, I just can't figure it out and wish I had a picture. It would be nice to know what I'm buying. Thanks again.

It's quite possible they are the same company. Dawson and Rebecca are only about 50 miles apart as the crow flies, and with Dawson being a much larger town it's possible that they moved to a more suited location as they grew. Also, many times a new partnership or buyer would move the company to a facility or property they may have already owned.

Thanks classicfins,
I tried to find the company from Dawson also but I had to run so I couldn't spend much time looking but that does sound like a reasonable explanation. I just wonder why I haven't been able to find any of there boats on the web. By the way, I've read more than several of your posts so I'm thinking if anybody knows this boat, or other boats made by them, you might.

I think I might have the same boat ... did you find out ant further information? Does this boat qualify as a true 'Fiberglassic'? I'm looking for a sales brochure for it ...

http://www.mainecustomdesign.com/boat/

Wow - You really did a nice job on her!! Looks like a pretty soft V - pretty flat bottom - how does she handle?
Perhaps we need a "Try Haul" Section :~)

Peter
in Denver

Thanks! - She goes smooth and fast! We love it!



We spent several months looking for a retro boat project, and came across this boat on the side of the road. The old man said it was originally purchased new by the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office as a river patrol boat, and that his brother who worked for KSO bought it in 1970 and it had been in his family ever since. We took everthing off it, sanded and sanded, patched a couple holes, painted it, carpeted it, cleaned and fixed up the seats. It has a 33 and a 1/2 Johnson and we use it to get us to Farm Island where we camp every year on Moosehead Lake (40 miles long, 20 miles wide)
Restore Pics: www.mainecustomdesign.com/boat Usage Pics:
www.mainecustomdesign.com/camping08

I made a gallery here: www.fiberglassics.com/gallery/category/96-1966-thunderhawk-1400.html

Here's the Thunderhawk page from the 1970 catalog. They were out of Rebecca at that point. Doesn't look like much change over the years.

Lee Wangstad

Wow is right! You did a very nice job on that boat. I really like the color scheme you put on it. I still haven't bought the one I'm looking at but I did go look at again the day before you posted your boat. It is the exact same boat and motor. I can't believe I finally found another one. It's very difficult to get info on that company but I talked to the guy who owns it and he said his Dad bought it brand new in "66". He's got the title but he doesn't have the sales brochure or the owners manual for the boat but he has the owners manual and the full service manual for the outboard so apparently that was the standard motor that came with that boat. I wonder if the ser. no. is related to the number of boats that were made? I see your's is 1748 and the one I'm looking at is 1500. I was actually starting to steer myself away from the boat because of the tri-hull design but after looking at your's go thru the water I'm once again having serious thoughts of going ahead and buying it. Thanks darrincates.

Oh..C'Mon..jumping blind into a boat project with no idea what you're doing or how it'll turn out is the hallmark of this endeavour :~)

Don't over think it - just get it. Don't worry - you'll buy others. Lots of others if you're anywhere near like the rest of us.

I can't speak for Thunderbird in specific but usually a boat maker sold their hulls to a dealer who then put together a package. They wern't shipped from the plant with a motor.

Peter
The Enabler
in Denver

If the Motor runs good, you might want to get it! I love the retro feel of 'driving' this boat... and I get a TON of comments like "I learned to water ski on a boat like that my Dad had". I too have the original 1966 Johnson 33 ... Model number for the one your looking at (and mine) is RXEL-14R ... I'm looking for the manual right now ... I have a 'hitch' while running forward that I believe is an adjustment I need to make in the lower unit. A tech told me today that if some gear down there is worn (which is typical I guess) then I can just swap it out with the reverse gear and the hitch will only occur when in reverse.
My serial for the motor is J2709157.
Tri Hull seems more stable to me ... planes off real nice, cruises very comfortably. Colors were picked from "Mustang Lights" brand cigarette pack I saw on the ground, picked it up and showed it to wife and said "this blue and white combo looks nice" ...

lee wangstad wrote:

Here's the Thunderhawk page from the 1970 catalog. They were out of Rebecca at that point. Doesn't look like much change over the years.

Lee Wangstad

How do I get that page you mentioned? I'd LOVE to see it, and print it off!

lee wangstad wrote:

Here's the Thunderhawk page from the 1970 catalog. They were out of Rebecca at that point. Doesn't look like much change over the years.

Lee Wangstad

Feel free to email it to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ... I don't see ant attachments on your post, but maybe I'm missing it ... I'd love to see it! - Thanks! - Darrin

My 1967 Thunderhawk 1400

Tried to upload images, but doesn't seem to work.
I've set up a page in the Gallery section instead.
Scroll down the Gallery page to "1967 Thunderhawk 1400".

darrin,the hitch you talk about ,is probably your "shifter dog",or some call it a clutch dog,it can be turned around ,but if your going to take it apart anyhow,you might be better off to get a nos one,if you like i can steer you to someone who has them,tim calmes is putting one in my father in laws motor right now,hes so good at it my father in law drove 2 motors all the way from here in western pa to perry ,ny,where tim lives.im pretty sure he has what you need,john

Hey John ... I did take it apart .. I wanted to lay eyes on those gears ... instead of finding ground gears and shavings I found everything in perfect condition! - So, at least I knew it was simply an adjustment that I found through the insepction plate where the shifter rod connects ... I worked 95% of the hitch out ... It is a very light hitch and less frequent now ... I will apply more pressure later this week and really snug it up ... Based on what you just told me, I probably should tear it apart again and flip it if I can't get the adjustment 100% ... Thanks John!

Hi guys! I'm brand new here obviously but I am so happy I found this site.

I purchased a cottage in Higgins Lake, Michigan last year and as part of the purchase the previous owner's grand children included (abandoned really) a Thunderhawk 1400 with the original 33 hp Johnson motor and a trailer. Looks like everything on the boat is original, it was garage stored, but needs a solid cleaning job and some work to make her pretty again.

It looks like mechanically everything may be sound; I am bringing it in to a mechanic in about 3 weeks to go through the engine and everything and make sure it's running, replace parts, and make sure it's sea worthy, but the body seems fine . . . just in need of cleaning and paint. The original lining inside the boat has been tore out, but I would want to carpet the inside anyway.

After looking at the restore job Darrin did and some other pics on this site I am determined to fully restore this thing and make it beautiful again...I just have no idea where to start. Any imput you may have is appreciated.

I will post some before pics of the boat if a few weeks...than hopefully some after pics this summer.

Thanks!

I'm sorry for the delay. I never did buy that 66 Thunderhawk. It's still for sale but other things beyond my control have delayed my purchase of a glass boat. Now that everything has settled down I'm again considering that Thunderhawk and I see a couple of guys have got them. It's that time of year in Michigan! Good luck to you Zulu and any info I can find I will pass along.

You start by taking the widsheild off, then the seats out, then strip everything else down for sanding .... We took pics during the restore:

www.mainecustomdesign.com/boat

Feel free to call me if you want to! - 207 - 861 - 7919 I would love to help you get on your way to a restored retro boat! - Darrin

Did you ever need replacement parts? Like the side emblem that reads 'Island Maid'? Just wondering, because that is what I need and and I cannot seem to find. Any help or direction would be great.

I was just thinking about decals last week too ... have not had any luck yet, but will post here if I do! ... just had a great week tent camping on Moosehead with our Thunderhawk this past week.

Did you ever get the ThunderHawk 1400? I owned one of these in 68-69...69-70...Started with an Evinrude 40 Hp Big twin in the summer of 1968....In the summer of 1969 I got a new Evinrude 60 Triumph looper....That 60 took the the boat to over 40 mph with a stock aluminum OMC prop....Thats when my dad sold his 1966 Glaspar Citation with an Evinrude Starflite 100 because i beat him in a race, he then bought the Alumacraft 25TH Anniversary fiberglass boat with a 300hp V8 I/O and a volvo penta lower unit...would love to find one and restore it....Attached is a picture of my 1965 replica Switzercraft Playboy, a 15.5 ft boat...enjoy

I first saw a Thunderhawk 1400 boat one summer day sometime in the 1960s on the Thunder Bay River's Fourmile Pond a few miles northwest of Alpena, Michigan. I wanted a boat like that. But, I did not know the manufacturer or model of the boat that I had seen. It took me some years to figure out what that boat was, who made it, and where to purchase one. It turns out that in the Detroit, Michigan area Thunderhawk boats were sold by the Federated Department Store chain, then based in Columbus, Ohio. Their stores in Detroit were known as Federal's. In 1961, Federated acquired the Tiedtke's stores in Toledo, Ohio from Kobackers. Tiedtke's is where I finally discovered Thunderhawk's line of boats.

I bought my Thunderhawk 1400 new in 1970 through Tiedtke's. It is still in very nice condition. It was a special order item. Tiedtke's did not stock that model. I picked up the boat at the factory in Georgia on 6/26/1970. The boat ID plate, the invoice, and product brochure I have all say Thumderhawk Ltd., Box 188, Dawson, Georgia, 31742, phone: 912-995-2188. In 1970, 912 was the Area Code for Dawson as well as Rebecca, Georgia. The Area Code is now 229. 229-995-2188 does check out to be a Dawson land line. I drove down to Dawson from Toledo with an empty boat trailer in tow. But, as I recall, when I got there I discovered the company was not where I thought it was. I didn't have an actual address, just Dawson, Georgia. Can't tell you now where I finally found it but, I believe after asking around, someone pointed me to another town some miles away from Dawson. Could have been Rebecca, Georgia but I cannot swear to that. I remember I traveled through some very rural areas before I finally reached the Thunderhawk Ltd. boat company. This was years ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy about it all now. Possibly their mailing address was Dawson while the facility was actually in Rebecca, Georgia. Thunderhawk Ltd. was a small operation, not a big factory like one might think. It was a Mom and Pop company. Before I left I was in the front office where I purchased the top, side curtains, and aft cover for the boat. E. Boedeker signed the paid invoice. That would have been Edith Lois (Williams) Boedeker, wife of O. C. "Jack" Boedeker who owned the company.

See: currentobituary.com/Memory.aspx?Memory_ObitdID=31772

Oscar C. Boedeker was born 9/17/1922 and passed away on 5/5/1981 in Dougherty County, Georgia which would be the Albany area.

See: familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V43L-RYG

In my mind their signature product was the Thunderhawk 1400. One of the employees told me the owner of the company really did not like the Thunderhawk 1400 model. Maybe it was because it was not profitable or sell well enough. More likely it may have been because the transom height was only only 18-3/4 inches instead of the standard 20 to 22 inches, too high for a short shaft motor and too low for a long shaft motor. The brochure says 20 inches. The Thunderhawk 1400 had a uniqueness in styling not quite found in their other models. Somehow it was cute. It was the shape of the deck and its trim that made the boat. The rest of their model lineup consisted of larger bowriders, the Thundercloud 1500, the Thunderchief 1600, and the Thunderstorm 1800. There is no 17 foot model shown in the brochure I have which probably dates to 1970. There was another small boat manufacturer that made a model similar in size and styling to the Thunderhawk 1400 but I do not recall that company's name now. Anyway, I wanted the real thing, a Thunderhawk 1400. As you can see in the photo, my 1970 Thunderhawk 1400 has the three piece windshield assembly whereas in earlier years they used a one piece curved windshield. Thunderhawk's quality did not match that of what Crestliner and MFG produced. It took quite a bit of fitting and fiddling to make me satisfied with the boat and then it was still lacking in some respects. Nevertheless, the Thunderhawk 1400 is definitely a great boat, very stable, smooth ride, and handles well. This boat is truly a classic.


It is known that the Thunderhawk 1400 model, with some trim modifications, was rebadged as "Island Maid" for International Marine Corporstion, a boat distributor in Camilla, Georgia.

See: www.fiberglassics.com/wiki/images/d/df/Islandmaidbb001.jpg

And: www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-gallery/category/117-1967-thunderhawk-1400.html

It appears the that the only product International Boat Company sourced from Thunderhawk Ltd. was the Thunderhawk 1400.

Thunderhawk Ltd. was in business manufacturing boats at least as early as 1966 and probably earlier. Thunderhawk Ltd. of Dawson, Georgia formally ceased to exist on Friday, May 7, 1976.

Here is the Thunderhawk 1400 ID plate:


Name plate and logo on each side of the boat:


The nameplate on the dash:


Notice that it says "Thunderhawk 1400" not "ThunderHawk 1400". On the left side of the steering wheel I added an engine hour meter and the horn button. To the right are the light switch and the ignition switch. The bracket on the top of the dash is for a TBL100 BottomLine fish finder.

Next are the seatbacks and motor control:


All four seats have the original upholstering in like new condition. Click on the photo to enlarge. Then look closely and you will see "Thunderhawk LTD." and the Thunderhawk logo impressed on the seatback. A fire extinguisher is located to the left of the front passenger seat.

And finally, the gas tanks and battery holder:


Two handles are mounted on the lower area of the transom, one on each side, which serve as a step to help you get into the boat after a swim. One is seen in the photo of the motor leg which follows in the motor discussion.

Now for the motor on the Thunderhawk 1400. I started out with a used 1968 Chrysler long shaft 20 HP Autolectric Outboard but quickly found that it was too small for the boat. Not recommended. The prop was the standard P324 8-1/2 x 8-1/2 (medium load) three blade prop that came with the motor. The diameter in inches is followed by the pitch in inches per revolution. With just myself on board the 20 hp motor would quickly plane the boat. With two people in the front seats and no one in the rear the 20 HP motor would plane the boat but it took a little longer to get it up on plane. However, it did not have enough power to pull a water skier. And, if you had people in the back the motor could not plane the boat. Maybe I should have tried a different prop but I only had the standard prop. I sold that motor so I cannot go back and try it again now. The hour meter had 20 hours on it when I took the 20 hp motor off of the boat.

In January of 1972 I found a nice, used, low hour, 1969 Chrysler long shaft 55 HP Magnapower Outboard in Detroit. This motor moves the Thunderhawk 1400 with great ease. It is M/N 5591, S/N 2699. I have a P273 10-3/8 x 13-1/2 (light load) prop on it. The hour meter now reads 50 so I have only put about 30 hours on the motor. Maximum recommended full throttle rpm is 5000-5500. Gear ratio is 13:21, i.e. prop rpm = motor rpm x 13/21. Weight is 154 pounds. The motor has been modified by shortening the driveshaft and driveshaft extension housing by 2-1/2 inches. This places the cavitation plate at approximately 1 inch below the bottom of the transom.


Click on the photo to enlarge and then look close. You can see the bottom area of the transom. Still the cavitation plate is lower than recommended as indicated by the illustration below. However, it is better a little too low than too high.


It is best if the bottom of the motor's cavitation plate is even with to 1/2 inch below the bottom of the keel which is actually the bottom of the boat at the transom as the keel tapers down to zero at that point. In effort to best accommodate the oddball transom height of the Thunderhawk 1400 without having to shim up the motor, the motor driveshaft housing extension was modified to reduce its height from 5 inches to 2-1/2 inches by removing a section from the extension and having an expert weld the resulting two pieces, the top and the bottom, of the extension together. It turned out very nice. I was able to get Chrysler to make a special driveshaft of proper length for me. The price was reasonable at $36 and delivery was quick. I only bought one but should have bought two at that price. The cavitation plate is now at a reasonable level and the modification has worked out well. Top speed is approximately 40 mph with the P273 prop.

The standard prop for the Chrysler 55 HP Magnapower Outboard was the P293 10-3/8 x 12-1/2 (medium load) prop. I also have a P290 10-3/8 x 14-1/2 (very light load) bronze prop for the motor I picked up new in the box on eBay in July of 2010 for $9.99 plus $13.99 shipping. The seller had two of them. Lack of financial resources sometimes limits one's actions. I cannot explain my stupidity. I only bought one. Wonder what a prop like that might cost today if you could even find one. I have never put it on the motor. It is too pretty to actually use. It weighs just over 4 pounds. The standard aluminum prop weighs exactly 2 pounds. And, there is the P278 10-3/8 x 10 (heavy load) prop in nice condition I found at a flea market for $5.00. Don't need it but I could not pass it up at that price. All of the props I have mentioned are three blade props. There was also a P297 10-1/2 x 15 two blade bronze prop available for the motor. Being a small boat I assumed the P273 prop would be a better choice than the standard prop that came with the motor. However, the P290 prop may be an even better match for the size and weight of the boat.

The full throttle rpm range specification for the Chrysler 55 HP Magnapower Outboard is 5000 to 5500 rpm. Prop pitch and load determine what the full throttle rpm will be. Thus, for your specific boat and motor combination, one has to select a prop with a pitch that will, at full throttle, with one person in the boat, put you in the motor manufacturer's specified full throttle rpm range. You absolutely do not want the motor rpm at full throttle to exceed the full throttle rpm specification by using a prop that does not have enough pitch. You really need a tachometer to do this properly. I don't have a tachometer for the motor so assume 5250 rpm. Gear ratio for the lower unit is 13:21, i.e., prop rpm = motor rpm x 13/21. Boat speed in mph = prop rpm x prop pitch in inches x 60 x (1-slip) / (5280 x 12) or mph = prop rpm x prop pitch in inches x (1-slip) / 1056. For a light load, i.e. one or two 145 pound people in the front seats and no one in the rear, a typical slip factor would be 5%. At a full throttle rpm of 5250 with a 13-1/2" pitch prop and a slip factor of 5% the speed of the boat calculates out to be 39.5 mph.