TOPIC: 13 ft. Barracuda

I'm not new to boating or fiberglass, i am new to posting in forums. Regardless of subject. Truthfully, the rural parish in Louisiana has no traffic lights, a few caution lights, and the majority of our stop signs are now red. Now that I get that touch of technology out there, you can well imagine my access to internet. I made the decision to come back to this area 5 years ago. I had moved to Baton Rouge in 1983 from rural central Louisiana after graduating college. These little biografical/geographical tid-bits are to explain the speed in which I respond when posting and repling in this forum.
Question? A few years ago i aquired a barn find fiberglass boat. I was told that 2 old Mercury mechanics from the Shreveport area used the boat as a race boat in ??? MARATHON RACES ???. This little boat has no hull I.D.# (i know this # system didn't start till the late 70's), it has never been registered in any state, and all manufacturer trade name badges were removed years ago. Up front the little boat has a shallow sightly rounded V hull. Mid bottom there is fiberglass keel that ends where the shallow V ends. On each side of the V almost out to the edge there is an additional shallow fiberglass skid fin that has been board to accept an additional alluminum fin to be bolted on to grab in sharp turns. At the near mid-point of the hull where the shallow V ends. there are air escape slots. Not alot unlike those later seen on Wellcraft Airslots. The remainder of the bottom is seriously flat! The transome has been strenghtened. There are rear verticle fins reminisent of the automobiles of the early 60's. On the outside of each vertical fin. There was once a name rivited on. The paint shows shadows of letters that read "Barracuda". The bow is closed. Any ideas on boat make?

Everyone here will say.."pictures please, we all love pictures". BTW a picture is worth a thousand words. Welcome.

Well there was a Barracuda Marine Co. of Aurora, Illinois and Talv Mfg. in Heavener, Oklahoma. Both made boats branded as Barracuda boats. Talv made models with sharp fins; Barracuda Marine more rounded shapes. You can check out the two manufacturers in our Library section at the following links:

www.fiberglassics.com/library/Barracuda_%28Talv_Mfg.%29

www.fiberglassics.com/library/Barracuda_Marine


I also have attached an image of what is believed to be another 1959 model of the Talv Mfg. Barracuda Boats:

Andy gives good tips above. It is also possible that Barracuda was a model name used by a number of different manufacturers.

Andreas

i'll hopefully post some pictures this week. i looked close @ the photo that was posted, the only common feature were the vertical rear fins.