Archive
Time to sell the Hobo
Feb 19, 2014 – Sorry to all of those looking for a Hobo but the Too Cute has been sold to some friends who are taking even better care of it than I did. But I wanted to keep the memory of her alive for the future so I’m leaving the old post up.
Although she is hard to part with it looks like it’s time to let the Too Cute find a new home with someone who will utilize this awesome boat more. With the move to Arizona we decided to take the Pink Flamingo and we do not get enough use out of that and Dixie’s Dinghy as it is to bring the Too Cute out also. Although it would make a great little houseboat to leave up at Lake Powell to sneak away a few weekend out of the year but I just hate letting the little boat sit so much. We used it extensively on the Chain O Lakes in Northern Illinois and it was the second of 3 boats out there. Our friend Gary was given the first one that had sat at a friend’s marina for years and named it the Q-Tee since he also likes to golf. I found mine a few years later and named it the Too Cute (2 Cute) for being the second. Another friend Don then found one and named his the Cutie Pi for the third.
These Hobo mini trailerable houseboats were built in the 60’s through early 80’s I think. There were several different manufacturers like Sea Camper and Land N’ Sea that made trailerable houseboats back in those days but the Hobo was probably the smallest and also the cutest I’ve always thought. When out in it we are constantly being stopped and asked questions about it and told how cute the boats are.
At 18′ long it’s fairly easy to trailer with a normal size truck. I’ve pulled it with my 1990 Dakota with a V8 for short distances but you probably want something a bit larger for longer trips. The brochure says the boat was supposed to weigh 1900 lbs, another 300 for the engine, and a few hundred more for the contents. Not sure on the weight of the trailer but all total you are probably looking at 3000 lbs or more.
It’s an 1975 18′ Hobo that I’m the 2nd owner of and bought it off Ebay in August of 2005. Originally it had a 1975 3-cylinder 70 HP Johnson and had sat for years . I had the transom replaced and mounted the 1986 90 HP Johnson on it that I had grown up skiing behind on our family’s boat. The Johnson still runs awesome and the compression is between 118 and 122 on all cylinders last I checked it probably 3 years or so ago. We had removed the oil injection years ago so you have to mix the oil now but it’s not a problem for me and everyone I talk to says it’s be the best way to go with these engines anyways. It’s the fastest Hobo on the Chain as it beats Gary’s by about 1 or 2 MPH and will easily get on plane with 6 people in it.
After replacing the transom we mounted the composite wood under the sides with stainless screws and then screwed on a rubber handrail from an escalator with stainless screws. We did this first on our friend Gary’s Hobo and it’s really awesome both for looks and functionality. Since the handrail is steel belted even you’re really going to have to hit something hard to do any damage compared to the cheap rubrail these originally had.
We also refinished the interior with new wood and relaminated the countertops in a nice blue and black color laminate. There’s a small back table for the dinette that is not shown in the pictures also.
The inside besides the new paneling is pretty much original. The front has an RV type flip sofa that can sleep 2 comfortably. The back dinette can be put down to make another bed also.
The bottom sides are repainted in marine paint and are dark blue. I had hoped to bottom paint the very bottom of it to make the algae easier to clean off but never got to that yet and haven’t really had too much of a problem with growth anyways.
It does have a small 120 volt fridge which did work although a bit noisy. Never used it but we left it and the sink and the propane burner intact. I would probably replace the regulator and hose for the stove on the back if I were to ever use the burner.
The trailer is a bit rusty but still very solid. When I bought it I had a dealership in Ohio wire it with all new lights, put all new tires on it, and replaced all the bearings. It did originally have brakes on it but they removed those as they were shot from sitting for so long. I pulled it back from Ohio with our friends Escalade and it pulled great.
The topside needs some minor bodywork and paint someday. The inside still has the original cushions and carpeting which I’m sure the new owner will want to replace also.
So if someone who is a bit handy wants to tackle the rest of it (the hard parts are done) this is a really solid boat and although I’m going to miss it I just have too many projects and boats to begin with.
Sold As-Is of coarse. If travailing any distance you probably want to have the trailer bearings and tires checked as you should with any used boat. We’ve maybe put 100 miles on the trailer after the big trip back from Ohio in 2005.
Here’s some pictures from the years.
PDF of Brochure Pages for Download
Remodel December 14, 2012
Finally some decent pictures!! Mainly because our friend Gene was in town and he actually knows how to use a camera. And he had a wide angle lens along which greatly helps in the small space. We’ve been in the water for 6 months now and met some great friends at the marina. The Pink Flamingo is the preferred boat to pile on and go for a later afternoon and sunset cruise. Partially because of the large top deck it has for a 34 footer and probably partially because I’ll stay sober sometimes to drive.
But either way I must say I’m pretty impressed with what we have been able to do with it over the years. I don’t know if I ever want to tackle a project like this again and I know I’ll never ever get remotely close to what I have invested in it. But for us it’s perfect.
The queen size bed is so much nicer than the twin or futon that I slept on for 10 years. The huge upper top deck has plenty of room to move around on and it’s not crowded even with a dozen or more people up there. The swim platform is awesome being able to lower it down since much of out time is spent in the marina. Dixie will swim and fetch the ball off it where before she wouldn’t jump in the 10″ off the old platform. It has also become known as “The Pool” and tends to open up when the bar at the marina closes down a 9 p.m. in the summer and it’s still 100+ out. We have the dual reclining sofa if someone stays over or plenty of room up top to pitch a tent or throw down a mattress. Plus not having a separate spare bedroom means we don’t have guests staying every weekend. And best of all we have the room of a 45 or 50 footer but get to fit it in a 40 foot slip saving a few hundred a month. And also important in Arizona is the marine air that can keep the bottom half nice and cool in the 115 temps.
I’ve lost track of how many people have come aboard and been amazed at how nice it is for a boat, especially one that is 40+ years old. We often here the “Damb, this is nicer than my house” comments from guests. Granted they must not be looking too close at things because I’ll admit I’m not master carpenter especially when it comes to trim work.
I can’t thank enough all of the people who have help or inspired me with this. Although I many times cursed out Steve who had originally made his Chris Craft larger or Jimmy who cut my railings off and started the ball rolling. It’s been a once in a lifetime experience to say the least and looking forward to the second half of our lives on The Pink Flamingo.
Remodel May 24, 2012
The Pink Flamingo is now in Arizona and has been for a year. By the time we moved out it was too hot to work on it and being that the marinas are a hundred steps down when the water is high, a 1/4 mile walk to the slip, and 30 minutes from the nearest Home Depot I figured it was best to finish the majority of work on shore before dropping it in. But as always time flew by and it’s hot again and time to drop it in the water.
In the last year I finished most of the inside, wiring, added a more permanent hatch for the top, and designed and helped build a 6′ swim platform that has a 3′ section that will drop in the water. At least I hope it will. It’s been 10+ years since I’ve done any real Mechanical Engineering work so most of it was by the seat of my pants design. On the swim platform I decided to go with a white aluminum deck. We actually need more weight in the back but a wood deck would float and the composite almost floats plus gets too hot. While the aluminum transfers heat fast the white color actually helps keep it a bit cooler in the blaring Arizona sun than the wood was.
Hales Marine had repainted the entire upper cabin for me and I must say it looks sharp. With the graphics added on The Pink Flamingo is looking better than the day it was built I bet.
Remodel October 18, 2008
It doesn’t seam like we have made much progress since the first weekend when it all came together so fast. But then again I did meet the love of my life Tammy and I’ll blame it on her. Or maybe thank her for the progress that we did make because she wasn’t going to stay on it until it had a working bathroom so much of that is done at least. Plus we only get a few good months of boating in Illinois and who really wants to spend all of that time working on the boat.
Thanks to a dear friend Dave Bishop who has since passed away we scored a great deal on some nice cabinets for it. During his weekly visit to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore for his house remodeling he saw an entire semi full of nice cabinets they had. At the time I was still trying to figure out the complete design for the inside. I knew we needed a bar up by the driver so when I was the DD I could still join in the conversation. We also needed a kitchen area now that I had a great women in my life. And a computer desk so I could work from the houseboat as I had for the last 8 or so summers.
So off to the ReStore I went with a million ideas in my head but no official plan. The cabinets were going fast at $35-$50 per cabinet for brand new cabinets so I picked out a bunch of different ones that I figured might work for what we needed. We took them back to the marina and started placing them on board and playing with a few combinations and finally decided on the layout I have. And even more a miracle than actually coming up with the final design was the fact that I had just the right number and sizes for it to work out nicely. I think I ended up with 2 shorter cabinets that we didn’t use and we had to have a friend custom make a tall cabinet then for besides the fridge.
So at this point we had most of the cabinets and countertops in, a working bathroom and shower, windows, and part of the ceiling. The swim platform is on as well as the ladder to the top deck, railings on the top deck, and the hatch and stairs to get to the top deck from inside the front of the boat. Of coarse all of that was accomplished because we needed it to be done in order to have the band play on top for the yearly sandbar party. But still no back door or finishing touches on it yet so there is plenty to do still. Here’s the few pictures I could find from then.
Start of the Big Pink Flamingo Remodel
I’m not sure if remodel is the correct term or not. The front cabin and windows, steering wheel and console, wiring to the engine, and engine and outdrive or still original and untouched. In this process the head was moved, cabin pushed out and back, 90% of the AC wiring redone, gas and water tanks moved and replaced, hell even the holding tank was moved. Although the holding tank was then moved back to the original location which was really a shitty job (sorry for the pun LOL).
To keep a long story short as short as I can after 10+ years of owning The Pink Flamingo and having lots of fun on it my friend Jimmy finally got sick of me talking about remodeling it and cut off the old railings (half of which were broken anyways) and got the process rolling. A friend had done a similar remodel 15+ years ago which I was always envious of how much room he had in his after pushing the cabin out and to the back of the boat.
We built the walls up out of 2×4 for strength (yearly we put a band and about 20 people ended up on top of the boat so it had to be strong) and 1/4″ plywood with a fiberglass sheet glued to that. Similar to how they build many RV’s. The 3 walls were built ahead of time at a friends place and on the day (May 31, 2008 I believe) that we were going to start ripping off the old cabin we had over 15 friends who showed up to help. In 1 day the old cabin was cut-off, new cabin put in place, and the roof rafters and sheeting were installed. Not bad for a days work. At the time I figured it was going to be simple, little did I know 5 years later I’m still trying to finish it (and still wasting money on it).
These are the pictures of the start of it. I wish I would have taken better pictures and documented the process while we were doing it. But shortly after the cabin was installed the rain started for weeks it seams and our lakes were so flooded that the parking lot was 1.5 feet deep under the boat. Which greatly slowed the progress on it the first year.
The Old Eliminator
After seeing a Facebook post of an 88 Hallett it got me to thinking about the 1988 Eliminator I was lucky enough to own for a few years back in the mid 90’s. I had bought it from a friend of mine and this boat was probably one of the reasons that kept me in college. Granted the beer and fun helped plenty also. But our friend Steve had bought this boat and I loved it the first time I road in it. After college I first purchased an 18′ Stratos tunnel but it didn’t handle nearly as well as the 20′ Eliminator. As it just so happened the dealer in Wisconsin where I was storing it at called in March and had taken a customer up to the shed to get his boat and he saw my Stratos and wanted to buy it. Since you seldom make money selling a used boat I let it go and started shopping around. Much to my amazement I called Steve to ask his advice on another boat and he said if I was serious he would sell me his. The price was reasonable, the bank didn’t even blink to loan me the money on it for that price, and as soon as the ice broke the Eliminator was mine.
It was a 20′ Sport Tunnel I believe is what they called it. It was a modified V tunnel that rode amazing for it’s size and turned on a dime. Not to mention it was also a great ski boat back when I was in shape still. This particular boat was made at Eliminator in Shawno, Wisconsin instead of California. The gelcoat on it was a 7 color fade that had 1 minor bubble by the gauges was it for a flaw. To this day I honestly don’t think I have ever seen a better boat both in looks or in how straight and perfect the lines of the gelcoat were. I don’t know if it’s true but another Eliminator owner I once ran into said that they guy who did the gelcoat in Shawno turned down huge money to move to California once the Shawno plant closed and he also thought that the guy did far better work than the California plant.
When I decided to quite my Engineering job in Barrington I put the Eliminator up for sale to help fund the programming company that I would start a few years later. It was the right decision for the time but I still to this day miss that boat.
Another strange turn of events in the story happened probably 10 years later. I had heard from my friend Steve that he has seen the boat for sale in Colorado. Since the ski pylon was custom built after the fact it was easy to tell it was our boat. Anyways I think I was flying back from the Winter in Arizona and had a layover in Denver. As I’m waiting as the gate for the flight to Chicago I hear someone yell my name. I look over and here is Steve and his family! They were in Denver on a ski vacation and he actually had stopped to look at the boat while there. While he said it was still nice it was no where near the mint shape when we both owned it and someone had put a bunch of snaps on it for a cockpit cover which was a shame also. Steve decided not to buy it and the motor was probably on it’s last leg by that time.
Someone contacted me from Scream and Fly around 2011 and I think and it’s now located in Vegas area. Lucky bastard.
Also a couple years later another one turned up on Craigslist in Beloit, Wisconsin. I called Steve and he knew that an almost identical one had been made at the same time. I almost purchased the one in Beloit which was supposed to be in mint condition still. The main difference is that ours had multicolor gray o the sides where the sister had the maroon on the side also. Again I’ll probably regret never driving over from Fox Lake to look at it but at the cost of gas these days I guess it’s a good thing.
The first pictures are of our old one when it was for sale in Colorado I believe and it has the ski pylon. The other pictures were the sister ship in Beloit.
Launching in AZ – June 1. 2012
After a year of tinkering on the Pink Flamingo she was finally ready to hit the water. Besides removing almost all of the extension cords and actually wiring things properly I also designed and help fabricate a 6′ swim platform for it where 3′ of the platform can lower into the water.
Unlike Fox Lake where we had a few sandbars to hang out at most of the lakes in Arizona are deep and hence we’ll be hanging out in the marina and the bays. So having always loved Steve’s platform back on his Chris Craft in Fox Lake I figured that it would be well worth it to make a similar one for the Pink Flamingo.
I also blame it on Dixie since she doesn’t like to jump off things to swim. So our hope was that she would swim off a platform that’s a foot below the water. Now that the boat has been in the water for a few months it’s probably the best thing I ever did and it get’s plenty of use.
The graphics I found on the web and Sean at Fast Track Designs in Phoenix (www.fast-tracdesigns.com) tweaked the lettering and did a great job with the graphics. It really made the boat come together.
The boat is maybe 90 to 95 percent complete now. A few finishing touches here and there but it’s looking better than it ever has.
The 30 mile transport to the lake was interesting following behind it. Launching was a snap and it took us half the time to launch it than it did for the guys to get their 28 foot pontoon boat and a trailer and out of our way. Hales Marine Service again did an excellent job. The Pink Flamingo started right up and it’s great to have here back on the water.
Look out Arizona, The Pink Flamingo has arrived!!!!
The big move to AZ – May 2, 2011
In 2011 we decided to see how Arizona would be year round. After many years spending the winters in Arizona and the summers in Fox Lake, IL I had learned to hate snow and cold. Tammy said she always wanted to move someplace warm and she received a job offer 20 minutes from the house we already owned so we decided to give it a shot.
We were partially done with the remodel on the Pink Flamingo and having owned it for over a decade I just couldn’t part with the old girl. But most transport quotes I received I just couldn’t justify it until the local marine transport in AZ called and they had an empty load going back from Chicago. The only kicker was it was Thursday and he was hoping to head back on Monday. So after a long weekend of work to get it ready and lots of help from my brother Brian and my father we had it packed full of household stuff and ready to go.
I have to admit I was awfully nervous but Hales Marine Transport took awesome care of the old girl and since it was arriving in AZ a month before us I decided to have them do some of the fiberglass repairs and repaint it so it was ready when we go out there. Unfortunately when we arrived in AZ it was already blistering hot and I still had lots of work to do on it before launching it so it took over another year for it to finally hit the water. But that’s another story.
Dixie’s Dinghy
Tammy caved in and allowed me to break the maximum fleet numbers for my addiction and I purchased another little mini boat, but only because Dixie wanted it. The Addictor will be going up for sale in Wisconsin as will the Sea Doo Jet boat we never use out here in AZ now that the houseboat is in. Hopefully the mini will fit on a jet ski dock at the marina so I (and hopefully Dixie) can easily use it in the mornings while it’s calm and allow Tammy to sleep in. It should also fit on the swim platform or easily tow behind if we go out to camp out so we can take Dixie to shore for bathroom breaks.
I purchased it from someone in California and apparently his brother and a friend have one also. It’s a 1989 year from the Hull ID and color scheme also puts it around that age. It has a 1990 Yamaha 40 HP that apparently is an Australian motor from the model number. The only thing is the motor does not have trim and tilt on it which would be nice.
Overall it’s a good shape for it’s age. Some major spider cracks in the front but part of those will be covered up when I install a bow light. But for an 11′-6″ boat there is quite a bit of room in it with the back seat that many mini boats do not have.
I’ve buffed and waxed the topside. Installed a new battery, new fuses, and it started up fine. The lower unit only held 7 psi when they tested it so waiting on a seal to be installed in that along with a new water pump so hopefully it will hit the water on Friday 8/3/2012. I’m planning on installing lights to make it legal at night and I would like to put a built-in tank into it.
I’m not sure why they added the grab bars onto the front but I might have to remove those and either put some popup cleats or something there.
Unfortunately where the radio is mounted it doesn’t leave enough room for gauges so I’m still up in the air on if I will add any or not.
I’ll likely add a bimini and probably get a custom cover made to keep it in good shape since it will be out in the Arizona sun so much.
They thought it was a mini Hallett boat but in researching it I found Ron Hill’s post and it looks like it was made in Mexico.
http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/showthread.php?p=122268
According to Ron.
I never knew what Hallett called their boat, this boat was designed by Bob Carlson, the plug was built be my dad in his garage in Garden Grove. Ron Eddy of Eliminator Daytona and other boats fame, finished the deck and actually lengthened the plug.
Somehow, Nick Barron and I “Hooked Up” and Nick build the mold. We called our boats “Snappers”, I never knew what Nick called his.
Nick told me their was no money in these Mini Boats, so I I sold the mold for $6,000 to a guy in Oceanside. He took the mold to Eliminator’s Mexico shop. My friend, Marion Davies has had the mold since the late ’80’s in Mexico.
I met with Marion in March, 2012, and asked what he’d charge me to build a boat. We have not “Hooked up” since March…He said he was busy, I told him I was real busy.
What these boats needed was a 50-60 HP, not 30 HP as the Coast Guard required…They ran like a “Rocket” with a 50 Yamaha, with power trim.
Nick decided that Hallett Boats didn’t want to be in the Mini Boat Business, so he sold me his half of the mold. I in turn sold the mold to a guy in Oceanside. A man named Bud Holtz took the molds to Mexico and Marion Davies built several for Bud and the guy from Oceanside.
Marion still has the mold in Mexico, as I talk to him earlier this year.
Bob Carlson, the son of Art Carlson, drew the plans for this boat. My dad built the plug in his garage in Garden Grove. Art Carlson refused to finish the plug because he had not designed it or built it. So, I hired Ron Eddy, of Eliminator Fame to finish the deck. He finished the deck, but also lengthened the boat about 14 to 16 inches.
If you compare the deck of this Mini Boat to an SST Stoker, and several other Eliminators you’ll see the similarity of the lines, all of which were tooled by Ron Eddy.
Nick Barron finished the “PLUG” and built the mold…This boat in the above pictures is no a Hallett lay up. It for sure is a Mexican built “SNAPPER” as we called these little “Pipsqueaks”….
Thanks Ron for the info and I can’t wait to get the boat in the water.
Every marina has a few jackasses I guess
Life is much different out here in the desert. For starters Dixie’s morning potty break is no longer as easy as opening the door and letting here walk past the tiki bar to the grass to do her thing. Now it involves a nice long walk down the docks, up the stairs, and out for more walking. Although she usually goes right at the top of the stairs which looks to be a popular spot thanks to the lazy dog owners who don’t pick up after their own dogs.
I figure though that the exercise is good for us and even though I don’t always feel like doing it 3 or 4 times a day overall it probably won’t kill me to hike the stairs.
Luckily if we purchased a collapsible wagon which helps moving the main stuff back and forth easier and there is a tram if you want to skip the stairs also.
Everyone we have met so far has been really nice although nobody can ever replace the great friends we made back in the midwest. But I knew sooner or later there would probably be a jackass or two in the marina and sure enough they startled us this morning on our walk. Kind of funny seeing wild burros next to the parking lot.
The Pink Flamingo in Arizona 