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Thread: Fino

  1. #136
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    olredalert, you own one special hull, thanks for posting some updates, the lines are truly amazing
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  2. #137
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    Fino

    just read all the posts on the Fino. its a beautiful boat. any further thoughts on the one out of the Ozarks. i love the lines and was thinking about buying it. Any concerns about the boat. any idea what would be a fair price?

    Adam

  3. #138
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    It's seems a bit odd that the partially stripped twin I/O Fino hull, (now drive & engineless), that has been sitting almost abandoned for some years now has not been snapped-up by some colletor/restorer.
    It was said to have once been the Fino Owner/Builder's (Bobby R.) own personal Fino.
    I had heard that this boat has some serious interior & structural termite damage.
    I have not inspected the boat first hand to confirm this however~
    It has also been said that the twin I/O style Fino did not ride & plane as nearly well as the conventional straight inboard style V-drives on most other Fino boats.

    The Fino boats sure has some of the most attractive lines of any boat I have ever seen.
    The Fino reminds me of the great & much sought after Riva boats.
    Last edited by silverghost; 01-05-2012 at 01:26 AM.
    "BENCHSEAT 18" ~~YellowJacket~~ project owner~
    1929 Chris~Craft 28' Tripple Cockpit Mahogany Speedboat / A-120-A 845 Cu.In. 375 H.P. Chris~Craft V-8 racing engine.
    24' American Skier
    Super Eagle 454 HO Skiboat
    1991 454 SS Chevy Super Sport Pick-up for towing my "Toys".

    There is no such thing as going too fast ~ ~~
    OR~ Being too old~ for a new "Toy"!

    Brad Hunter
    Huntingdon Valley Pa (Just outside Philly)~
    Ocean City NJ
    silverghost1926@msn.com
    215 947 4676 (PA Home)

  4. #139
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    ----Adam,,,At this time the Ozarks Fino is probably the most original Fino around, and I pretty much know where all the existing ones are (am always lookin for another). Its a nice Fino that is sort of a time warp, but your interest should be based on what you want to end up with. Be aware that the Chrysler engines were the base powertrains. I dont know of any other Finos that are currently being "used" that are so powered. Re-powering is obviously expensive. Doubley so as you pretty much need everything to step up to big-block GM power, as most of the originals were.

    ----The factory installed V-drives are pretty noisy too so you may choose to step up to some quieter units, so mo moola, mo moola, etc. The cost of the rigging just depends on the hourly rate and how much the shop will probably cheat on the hours.

    ----As well,,,I found out the hard way that my stringers were basicly hollow. Thanks to the guys at Sunsation, I had new stringers installed that will last as long as I live anyway. I dont know of a Fino out there that has been restored that hasnt had rot in the stringers. The fiberglass around the stringers is so thick that if it wasnt for the motor mounts I wouldnt have re-done them though!!! Wish I could pinpoint just how the water wicked in.

    ----I dont know what # in production the Ozark boat is but if its an early boat the fuel tanks will be towards the stern on either side of the motors. Somewhere around the 7th boat they changed to two tanks under the cockpit for balance reasons. Those early boats were stern heavy and I have been told by one of the original riggers that they handled badly.

    ----With the bad stuff (probably not all the bad stuff) out of the way, there were only 30 original Finos built. There may be as many as 20 left, but far fewer currently being used. Most of the unrestored or original boats have restos planned, but it takes a bit of faith to jump in to the money pit, so to speak. I feel like its a privelege to own one. It is, in my eyes, the most beautiful fiberglass boat boat ever built in the U.S., and I have been a DONZI nut since somewhere around 1965.

    ----If you want to get a bit deeper than this, give me a call at 810-420-0431 in the evening. Hope this helps. always looking for people as crazy as mee to get involved in the Fino world!!!......Bill S

  5. #140
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    ----So,,,SG,,,With all that you have noted about this one of a kind Fino it seems that you have answered your own question. I know precisely where that Fino is and know what it can be bought for as well as what is missing off the boat. Based on that knowledge (that other people can find out pretty easily) you can extrapolate out to the end......Its just too much of a project for pretty much anyone with a brain. There may come a day when the amounts and values change to make things a bit more viable, but it sure isnt NOW!!!.....Bill S

  6. #141
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    Damn Bill thats the most I seen you write about a boat ever. Tell us how you realy fell about restoring a Fino. Here a few more spy shots of Bills Fino.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  7. #142
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    ----Hey Mark,,,I can use these two fingers when I have to. You know better than most that a Fino is not a restoration to be taken lightly. Adam should know just what he might be getting in to. And,,,with that said I hope he joins the fun. Every time I look at mine Im more than proud to be the current caretaker. Just because fiberglass came after wood in the boating world doesnt mean they are any less important. H ell, I think that boats designed as fiberglass boats are more ground breaking design wise than wood boats,,, but certainly no less beautiful......Bill s

  8. #143
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    I agree with Bill S's comments about the Ozarks Fino - it is very original (other than the shelving unit that replaced the sink/head, which the owner still has) but whether it is a good buy or not depends what you want to end up with. If it's going to be a Sunday driver, and you don't mind fussing with things, you might opt to keep it as is. If you want the boat to be more headache-free, it will need some work. Those 440s have been rebuilt once, but will need work or replacing in the not too distant future. All of the wiring is original. The stringers, as Bill says, are almost certainly compromised. As for the gas tanks, they are under the cabinsole and have been replaced, so that is a plus. The hull is in very nice shape considering its age, and personally I think the brown looks pretty cool considering its vintage. There is, as I mentioned in a previous post, some fiberglass bubbling in the deck, although you could probably live with this. It needs to be re-upholstered.

    For me, I've gone the opposite direction, opting to make my Fino more user-friendly by introducing some modern technology. Last winter I replaced the original 427s with EFI 502s. These were built for me by Alex Haxby (see attached, finished in Claret Red to match the hull). This winter, we are replacing the original Walter vee drives with ZF drives for smoother, quieter and better low-speed operation, and to get a more optimal gear ratio (the 502s at 505hp/side were too much motor for the original gearing- we tried 4 or 5 different props but still couldn't get enough prop in the water). Irrational? Perhaps. But I feel the same way as Bill- to my mind this is the nicest looking fiberglass boat ever built in North America, and I plan on enjoying it for a long time!

    I'm also happy to chat in more detail about the Ozarks Fino- if you're interested, PM me.

    Sean
    Attached Images Attached Images

  9. #144
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    Guys~
    I don't know what the current asking price is for the stripped twin I/O Fino project ?
    It may be that it's current owner has unrealistic expectations ?
    That said~~~
    It's still a Fino.
    And as you stated there are only a few original boats out there that are for sale, or still exist, as it was a very low production boat originally.
    How many did the newer Fino company actually build ?
    Restoring it might just be a labor of love today; from a money & time standpoint.
    There might however be someone out there who is willing to spend the time and ,insane money, necessary to restore it some day.
    I suspect so~~~
    But~
    Given what similar style Riva boats are selling for today I would think that sooner, or later , it mght be a great project for just the right owner/end user.
    If one were to tear into this project might it be possible to convert it to inboard V-drive configuration ~~~
    Or if you were to restore it would you keep it in it's original I/O configuration ?
    I would really like to see someone save this rare Fino hull.
    If I could buy this hull for a fair price I would consider buying her.
    The restoration cost would not really matter~~~as it would be a labor of love for me.
    I have spent insane money on Antique & full Cassic auto restorations before.
    My 1926 Springfield Rolls~Royce Silver Ghost is an example of this.
    But~~~
    It IS a rare One-Of-A-Kind custom 1926 salon show car Wimbledon Coupe' body style.
    So how much is too much to spend ?

    What is the current Fino owner asking for this rare & partially stripped project twin I/O Fino boat ?
    Last edited by silverghost; 01-05-2012 at 01:52 AM.
    "BENCHSEAT 18" ~~YellowJacket~~ project owner~
    1929 Chris~Craft 28' Tripple Cockpit Mahogany Speedboat / A-120-A 845 Cu.In. 375 H.P. Chris~Craft V-8 racing engine.
    24' American Skier
    Super Eagle 454 HO Skiboat
    1991 454 SS Chevy Super Sport Pick-up for towing my "Toys".

    There is no such thing as going too fast ~ ~~
    OR~ Being too old~ for a new "Toy"!

    Brad Hunter
    Huntingdon Valley Pa (Just outside Philly)~
    Ocean City NJ
    silverghost1926@msn.com
    215 947 4676 (PA Home)

  10. #145
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    http://yachtbroker.escapeartist.com/.../19/index.html

    Brad, it says "69,900 firm" on this particular ad, which I think has been sitting there for at least 5 years. I have no idea what the owner would take by now. I'd think half that was closer to market value than the asking price. I presume you've seen the thread with Oldredalert's world's greatest summary of any rare model's used market. It has about half a page of useful detail on each of the known Fino 30s in the USA. I think that was what he was referring to a couple posts up about information being easily available to us here, or something along those lines.
    "I don't have time to get into it, but he went through a lot." -Pulp Fiction

  11. #146
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    I still say that economics are out the window when it comes to a Fino. You buy it because the lines may be the nicest ever and then passion drives the restoration. Passion needs to override logic unlike other boats
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  12. #147
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    ----Ghost,,,That price has remained firm, as far as I know. Thats the Ozarks boat. The boat that was built with TRS drives is in south east Florida completely stripped out and mostly uncovered at a storage yard. When I say stripped, its even missing its windshield which is a major blow to the value. And,,,as stated earlier up in this thread the boat handled badly, and because of the drives, it also didnt have the beautiful stern and built in swim platform of the V-drive Finos. All in all, a rare boat for sure, but collectable.....not to me!

    ----Greg,,,Thanks for the kind comments. I was misled by the former owner about the condition of my boat when I bought it. Boy, do I regret calling him a great guy earlier in this thread. I would have bought the boat anyway but would have made a much greater effort to beat the price down. At the time my Fino was the best of the few out there that could be bought. In hindsight, the termite ridden one in Ft Lauderdale at app. $40,000 less than what I paid might have been a better choice. I bought mine with the idea of just updating a few things per year over a period of years, but when we found out all that was needed I dug in and decided to "git-er-dun"!!!.......Bill S

  13. #148
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    [git-er-dun"] YES YOU DID!!!!, and then some. Pictures dont do Bills Fino justice. Mark

  14. #149
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    Chicago Fino

    Anybody know the scoop on this one, Is this one rebuildable? I owned a 73' W/MERCS. and am thinking about looking at this one as a project. Chryslers will have to go. We changed one from Chryslers to BB chevys on a 1970 Fino in Annapolis and it was Fast for the time.

  15. #150
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    Tom's Fino

    Here's Mine in May 81.img085.jpg

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