TOPIC: Time for vintage Ski Doo Boats are put away.

Got my 69 Ski Doo 12/3 up and running.
Got to do a few things to do before running it this year.
Re-do the seat . Reinforce some rusted body parts. Replace windshield and do some painting. The engine and drivetrain are running fine.
Just waiting for snow.

Now if your talking snowmobils I have a 72 Evinrude that runs and 2 Sno Jets 440 one 75 and a 72. That i will be getting on the snow if we ever get any.
Heres a pic of the Evinrude
Mike aka the pirate

i had a 73 harley davidson 340, and later a polaris ss 440. had a lot of fun on those machines bar-hopping in the Poconos. ran with Mario Andretti's group once. he had a place about 8 miles from me. ron

I also used to run a 70 and 71 Olympic 399. 15" track
I do own a 94 Polaris. 340 Indy Lite. Too new and too fast. Selling it.
I had a friend who used to own a Mercury Twister.
Pirate, I'll do a snow dance for you.

I used to have 2 '73 Arctic Cat Panthers. My dad bought them new and paid about $1400 a piece. They were great machines and were the Cadilacs of their time. They ran 440 Kawasaki engines and ran great. I was always the one pulling back all of the " trailer kings " that regularly broke down. That was the year they updated to a newer styling on the hoods and went to a 2/3rds metal cleat on the tracks to improve the ride and keep them from breaking. They were also one of the first companies to go to slide rail suspension on the track. Had alot of great times barhopping in rural Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota. Most of the trails we rode on back then were too narrow for any of these new 100+ MPH, 4 ft wide machines. Just like with our boats, we weren't trying to see how fast we can get somewhere but how much fun we can have getting there!!
Bill

When I moved to Duluth MN in the early 70s it seemed every other house had a 12/3. Mom said no to us getting one. I thought the old Mercs were cool, looked like a bumpercar. When the Raider Double Eagles came out I wanted one, never did. Johnson and Glastron also did snowmobiles.

My uncle had a pair of Raiders. Twin tracks. They were cool too. The 60s and 70s of snowmobiles were like the 50s and 60s of fiberglassic boats we restore today.

my harley had bogie wheels but the following year had slide suspension. my bud had a 74 raider eagle 340...cool machine. every year mario would get a new arctic cat for his promotional work with them.i'll take a pic of the poster he gave me next time i'm up at the poconos.

Heres a vidio of us back in 95 when I had to 73 artic cats 440 and 2 poloris one 340 and one 280. We ran up in hope valley Calif for about 5 year and ran the back country. Made our own trails and up in the high Seirra's mountians that can be fun. Sure wish i was in the shape now as I was them. My buddy was 50 and I was 55 back then and would take out these young 20 years olds trun them into dragons at the end of the day everything was a dragon.
Mike aka the pirate

PS
Enjoy the vidio

elgindave wrote:
[quote The 60s and 70s of snowmobiles were like the 50s and 60s of fiberglassic boats we restore today. [/quote]

The sleds are cheaper to restore & take up less space. Just about as unreliable as the old outboards and about as rough riding as the old flat bottom glassics.

Windshield is mounted on the cowl. Just got to do a few touch ups to it. Now I'm going to start to redo the seat. The base board is cut and ready
After that a little body work and wait for the snow. We only got about an inch right now. I have a feeling when the snow comes we will get dumped on. By then I hope I'm ready.
Oh yea, got the boogies and steering greased up yesterday.
She is a 69 Skidoo 12/3 Olympique

All I got to do is mount the seat.
Then I'm going to register it as a vintage snowmobile.
One time fee of $50.00 and no trail permits required! This is for Mich.
The requirments are that the snow machines are at least 26 years old. Kinda like an antique car plate. Pirate. check your local laws for your vintage machines

I hope to post some photos of my old Ski Doo

Seat is mounted! Just waiting for snow on the ground and safe ice on the lake

Still now snow here in the desart and none in the mountians. If we don't get a good snow pack in the mountians my lake out here is going to dry up by july and that will be the end of boating for me. No lake closer then a 100 miles to boat in. If this keeps up I will have to put and air boat motor on the boat and big wheel on the trailer and run the boat up and down the hwy.
Mike aka the pirate

Sitting here in Omaha we still have no snow. 50 out today. Got my snowmoble all ready this summer and now it just sits. I couldn't use the boat last summer because of all the flooding around here and all the lakes were closed due to high water unless you wanted a no wake lake. Really sucked. Summer to much water, winter no snow.

My Ski Doo is ready to role! As I write this we are getting snow. They are expecting 3-5" Plenty to run.
She don't look like much but she is ready to run.

Now that a Ski Doo, plane and simple. Easy to work on and a blast to ride. Have fun, Skip.

Thanks Skip!
I have a spare drive belt,windshield and muffler for her. With the
cowl and seat off you couldn't even tell it was a snowmobile.
I do have a lead on a track if that goes. But I think I can get at least one season or more out of the one that is on there now..
It isn't worth finding a trunk for it. They go for big bucks.
I got the muffler,windshield and drive belt off of Flea Bay from a guy here in Mich. 1/10 the cost of new or NOS.
The wear bars for the skis I had bought 10 years ago. Made out of 3/16th round stock bent up on each end with a threaded stud welded to it to attach it to the skis. No fancy carbide.
I'm raring to go. Had to clear snow today so no time for riding.

We had a couple of them back home on the ranch. Ran the hell out of them. Not to fast but would run all day and never give you any trouble. We used 3/8 rod for our bars annd would never worry about them. Only thing I didnt like was the headlight, was always bounceing around.

Now after reading your last post. The wear bars I used are 3/8" not 3/16.

pathfinderz1 wrote:

Now if your talking snowmobils I have a 72 Evinrude that runs and 2 Sno Jets 440 one 75 and a 72. That i will be getting on the snow if we ever get any.
Heres a pic of the Evinrude
Mike aka the pirate

Mike,

Your pictured snowmobile is a 1970 20-inch Evinrude Skeeter. This sled came with a 437 cc engine with electric start and a reverse transmission. This 25 horsepower engine came standard with a towing hinge for pullling loads.

Just a friendly FYI in case you ever are looking for parts for this particular year sled.