Eli Lilly Posted September 22, 2007 Report Share Posted September 22, 2007 Here is my 1969 Hewes Tarpon. It's my first boat and I'll have had it for two years in November. This is not a restore project that sits in my yard and goes out on Labor Day and 4th of July. I am out in this thing +every weekend+ and I trailer it all over South Florida (we were in Ft Pierce today and Biscayne Bay last week). Remember how poorly you navigated your first boat, that is how I operate this. Luckily, the boat is built like a tank. And I don't know if it'll float in two inches of water but I know it will go very shallow, considering the neck-high gunnels. I have personally pushed it in ankle-deep water (first time at SLI intersection, oops). I just really love this boat. I think it's the oldest Hewes on the planet and the raised fibergl*** Hewes Tarpon nameplate is still fully intact on both sides. Maybe it was a good batch of gl*** and resin or maybe they are all built like this, I don't know, I just know this one has done me right. -E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketoyo Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 That's pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Hall Pass Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Looks like it is in pretty good shape too! ***...that boat is older than my bride . Thanks for posting. Brings back memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestFoto Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 That is something else! Wow, very nice to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidmotion Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 that is freekin cool..... i would love to see more photos... and keep us posted on your adventures.. LAPSTRAKES RULE! is that a led zepp t-shirt, there? (double cool points if it is...hehehehee) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barebones Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 That boat look's sweet, I saw one just like that in blue at the Hewes boat yard in North Miami and it looked real cool up close.... :thumbup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet Man Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 that is freekin cool.....i would love to see more photos... and keep us posted on your adventures.. LAPSTRAKES RULE! is that a led zepp t-shirt, there? (double cool points if it is...hehehehee) Lappys rule! Thats old school there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidmotion Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 how about some performance figures? and some specs? how fast does it run? is that a 115 on the back? do you plan any upgrades, or renovations? looks pretty solid! how does it handle in rougher seas? i totally dig the way the lapstrakes continue on the inside of the hull.....! ok....maybe we need another boat line......i'm sure no one will mind if the molds aren't perfect..... how about m/h/hc/p/c .....heheheh hc = hewes cl***ic :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Lilly Posted September 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2007 how about some performance figures? and some specs? how fast does it run? is that a 115 on the back? do you plan any upgrades, or renovations? looks pretty solid! how does it handle in rougher seas? There's a 90 on the back right now, I can do 35mph at about 5700rpm. I believe that the bottom contour for the first couple of feet forward from the transom may have become slightly malformed by an ancient roller trailer that the boat was on when I first got it. I need to go look at the one in Miami and compare the bottoms. I am showing nearly 20% prop slip and a slight hook could account for this. In rough seas (or anything other than calm seas, really) it will put your sphincter up around your waist if you try to run on plane. The last four to five feet of the bottom of the hull is almost completely flat from front to back and side to side, so it wants to ride very level and slap every chop, trim be ***ed. The seats are very far forward compared to a modern Hewes skiff. My swingback seat is further back and it's like riding on butter back there. Off plane, pull the anchor hatch shut and close the front windshield and I think you could drive it through the eye wall of a hurricane. It's 17.5' long with a 7' beam. In the back there's 30" between the top of the gunnels and the waterline at idle. On plane, the top of the bow "deck" is about 4.5' from the waterline. My plans for it at this time are just to keep it in good condition. I will be doing some minor gl***work on the inside to build a level area for my two 12 gallon portable tanks underneath the splashwell. I also need to do some work on the area where your feet rest while you are sitting in the seats (the "floor" under the "dash"). The primary owner (the guy I bought it from didn't have it very long) lived in the Keys and Bill Markie built new ski locker covers for it a few years back. The floor is solid but I do see some brown weeping in one area, but I'll tackle that project down the road. The gl*** seems to be in really good condition when I drill through it, it's not brittle and when it gets warm from drilling it smells like it's brand now. The drill filings were very flexible, as well. If it ever stops alternating between pouring rain and baking sun, I am going to get busy with the polisher and get the hull up to a shine. Next year I see an Owen and Sons trailer in the boat's future. That's about all I have planned for now. No serious "restore to original state" type thing, but I am not going anything goofy to it either. I'll take more pictures, particularly of the interior, so everyone can consider what they are missing by not having a ski locker that runs the full length of the deck. -E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidmotion Posted September 27, 2007 Report Share Posted September 27, 2007 way to go! thanks for the info! i love the 'odie but goodies'!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Lilly Posted October 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2007 Here is another picture I found, this was taken right after I got it in Nov '05 (before cleaning it up). In this picture, the ski locker has its 3 covers removed. The locker runs all the way to the bilge. Where it stops in the front, you step down about 8 inches, and there are the three storage areas underneath the closed bow area. Someone did a great job of adding an anchor roller and bow cleat (mounted to teak which is mounted to boat), so anchoring is an ease. For rough water operation, the bow area hatch slides back to meet the windshield line and the windshield closes. Both are open in the picture. You might also notice the mercontrol, I bought the boat with a Merc 650 (the horrible 3 cyl one) but have since switched to a Johnson 90. The extra weight in the rear has had a m***ive, m***ive positive impact in the boat's ride. I also switched the seats out to some cheap Wise ones with some padding. I can't believe how freaking much seats cost, there is no price point between the $20 I paid for the cheap Wise ones and the $299 I see the nicer ones start at. After my original post, I took it out of SLI during those 8-10s we had a couple of weeks back. It was like a roller coaster, and obviously I wasn't on plane, but no water was coming in. I wanted to see exactly how well it would take the waves (squidmotion got me curious). I drove head on into them, then parallel with them, and then with them behind the boat. I also put the boat in neutral during each of these tests. The boat never took waves over the sides, back, or front. It's just so light that it always rides on top of the water, although I suspect if the waves were thinner and taller that the boat's flat bottom may create a risk of flipping. I'll be taking her out in about an hour, just screwing around on the nerdbox right now waiting for the hangover to lighten up a bit. -E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted October 13, 2007 Report Share Posted October 13, 2007 That's way cool! What a tank!! Cl***ic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshnmgcn76 Posted October 25, 2007 Report Share Posted October 25, 2007 Great boat, I saw a Hewes Tarpon @ Markham Park earlier this week?? Was it you??? Hang on to that baby, that's a sweet ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Lilly Posted December 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Great boat, I saw a Hewes Tarpon @ Markham Park earlier this week?? Was it you??? Wasn't me, I am not in freshwater too much. I have heard of a fully restored Tarpon down here, maybe that was it, and I'd love to see it. I really need to stop in the yard (can't remember if its Bob Hewes Boats or Joel's) that has the Tarpon and Wildcat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmalone3232 Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 @ Eli Lilly. Nice Hewes Tarpon! I was just given the same boat around the same year as yours and am looking to have some work done on it but sadly I can't find any information on these boats; it's like they never even existed. Found this blog via Google and was wondering if I could pick your brain a little. Please reach out and we can chat about them! Thanks! kmalone3232@yahoo.com -Karl- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Welcome to MBC Forum. I gotta tell ya though, being that the last post on the Tarpon was 8 years ago I don't think you will get a response from the owner. Squidmo though who was very active on the post is still around, I think he owns stock in MBC :susel: . My brother-in-law worked for Bob Hewes many moons ago had actually re-did a Tarpon for our father-in-law back in "78". That was the boat that the original lap strake flats boat molds came from, they just removed the two top strakes. Wood transom and floors will need alotta maintenance if not upgraded. Not much in regards to collectibility but more for nostalgia for sure especially for purest like you'll find on this forum. Best of luck with her and keep us posted how how everything goes with her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmalone3232 Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 @MuddyBottomBluz Hey thanks for the information and the welcoming. Yea just reaching out to wherever I possibly can to get any info or actual specs. Perhaps I could create a dedicated posting for this model and my project. It's gonna be a lot of work and I'll keep everyone posted. Very cool about your brother-in-law! -Karl- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rms007 Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 nice ride boss, glad somebody out there uses there "vintage" Hewes just as much as i do.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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