TOPIC: Thunderbird 19' twin inboard engines

Good day. My church had a boat and trailer donated. It is a Thunderbird, cathedral hull, twin inboard engines and 19' long. And yes, I know that 19' is an odd length for twin inboards, but that is what it is. I have gone over various pictures of Thunderbirds and it certainly looks like one, although the engines look like an older design then the several pictures I have seen.

We are not sure what we are going to do with boat. Ideas? Information?

Can you add any more info and, especially, pictures? I'd love to see what you have. Get good pictures of the motors, hull and trailer. Also where are you located?

Thunderbird made a 19 ft twin I/O (Inboard outboard). I am trying to remember, however I think they were 4 Cyl

Without a picture I would guess twin mercruiser 470's. I think they were Merc designed engines with a Ford 460 iron head and an aluminum block. Fresh water cooling. Rear cylinder had a tendency to warm up a little but not a real problem. I had one many years ago on a 17' Ralley and it was reliable except for the internal alternator, great on gas also.

Thank you for the replies:
- I am with the Alpha Omega Foundation, and we are in Oakland CA. We get a lot of stuff donated to us, which we in turn hand out to the local community. We give food to several hundred people each week, plus clothing, furniture and household goods. We also run a transitional facility. We get a lot of unusual stuff donated, although this boat is a first.
- I understand about the need for pictures. We are running a fund raiser this weekend and everyone is tied up with that at the moment, but my Pastor will take some pictures of the boat which we will post. Hopefully in the next several days.
- Agreed that the engines are I/O, and not true IB. They seem to be a very old design. You have to manually tilt the engines and then secure the tilted engines with a metal dowel. And the engines do not tilt up very far, maybe 30 degrees maximum. Better then nothing, but power boats I used in the late sixties were automated on their tilt, and tilted maybe 90 degrees. And the back part of the engines look different then pictures I have seen of similar Thunderbird. Older.
- The boat does not looked trashed but also looks like it has been on the trailer in someone's back yard for a number of years.

If your intentions are to use the boat to raise funds it probably isn't worth much maybe a few hundred dollars. I would list it for what it is, an older boat for someone who will give it TLC and unknown if it's seaworthy. If you intend on giving it away I would be very careful, you know what they say about the road to hell. IMHO

Yes, Thunderbird made a tri hull with twin 4 cyl I/O's that were NOT 470's, which were not offered until the 1970's. Some of us are old enough to remember the most famous Thunderbird with twin white Mercruiser I/O's, driven by Ranger Ricks on the TV show Flipper. Still remember the underwater shots of the boat passing by, with the two Jet Prop Exhausts streaming behind.

The engines are "Volvo Penta" (according to the plate on the engine). One of the engines has been worked on (according to a church member who knows this stuff).

The engines are "Volvo Penta" (according to the plate on the engine). One of the engines has been worked on (according to a church member who knows this stuff).

One more picture.

Picture #3.

4th and final (for now).

DAW,

WELCOME ABOARD. = I like the old Tomahawk dual I/O boats & they work well as fishermen "out on the salt".

Some had twin 110 or 120 Mercruisers.

yours, satx

Looks like a 58 or 59 Miami model. The Miami's are more rarely seen that the 60s tri-hulls.

DAW,

I believe (from what I can see) that those are "marinized" Volvo 164 automobile engines.

IF I'm correct they are pretty good engines BUT some of the parts are hard to find AND expensive when you do find them. - Exhaust manifolds, for example, are HARD to find.

yours, satx

The underwater shots were actually of the Formula 233 boat and
Not the Thunderbird Iroquois 22' model that was the actual boat used.

Michael R Cole
Son of Richard C. Cole
Original designer of the a Thunderbird Cathedral hull
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

mrc0043,

WELCOME ABOARD. - THANKS for the info, too.

yours, satx

The boat is a Thunderbird Miami model. It was sold as a 18' model

Michael R Cole
Son of designer Richard Cole
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Commanche

I know exactly what those engines are...I have the same one in my 1961 Hydrodyne. They are the Volvo Penta BB70 also known as the Volvo B16a auto engine. The rebuild gaskets and other parts to the engine can be all found at a few different internet sites. By the time I had mine rebuilt, it was about $1200, but well worth it to me. The lower unit is the penta AQ100. You can also get the rebuild kit for it. I didn't need to rebuild mine because it is in very good shape. I think the kit was around $100. I can tell your lower unit is the AQ100(A) and not (b) because the shifting mechanism on the upper portion is not enclosed like the (b) model. So I would guess the engines and outlegs are from 1960-1961. I am a pastor and very excited to see how someone donated this vessel to your church! Use it for His glory!

Do you happen to still have this boat? I should probably ask if the church still has this boat since it was donated. I am looking for more information, I also have a 1958 Woodson Miami Thunderbird. (It is a restoration project).