Re: 1954 Hydro Swift?
Titus has a web site titusboats.com
Here is an excerpt from that site....:
"Roy Ludlow started HydroSwift Boats in 1958. Roy and HydroSwift quickly developed new lamination wax techniques resulting in a high-gloss finish right out of the mold, which had never been done before. Hydroswift started production of 17? boat with a 75hp Johnson outboard engine. Soon after, they developed larger, hard-topped models. Each boat was built by hand, and HydroSwift quickly gained a reputation for high quality, world-class performance, and great value.
By the mid 1960?s HydroSwift had become one of the largest boat manufacturers in the western United States. As HydroSwift grew, Roy sold his interest in the company to several investors, but he just couldn't stay away, buying back his interest before too long. Always creative, and a good businessman, Roy developed HydroSwift's "Wide Track V" hull design in the 1980's. His design was so revolutionary, and performed so well, that he applied for a patent on it in 1988. He received the patent in 1991, and since then HydroSwift has incorporated Roy's amazing hull design into every boat built.
In 1989, Roy sold HydroSwift Boats to Jim Davidson. Jim's son, Randall, subsequently opened Davidson Marine in Salt Lake City and became HydroSwift's largest dealer. The father and son team of Jim and Randall Davidson continued building and selling HydroSwift boats with few changes to the product lineup during the 1990's. In 1999 Jim Davidson sold the company to Gordon Anderson, who tapped long-time HydroSwift Production Manager Justin Bateman to design HydroSwift's first new model in more than a decade, as well as redesign the venerable Classic and Premier models. In 2005, Gordon Anderson retired, offering his interest in the company to Justin Bateman.
In 2005, Justin's boat building company, Titus Boats, LLC, purchased substantially all the assets of Hydroswift, along with the exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture HydroSwift boats.
Titus Boats now manufactures both the HydroSwift brand and the Titus brand, and has three new boat models under development for the 2007 model year, including the Titus 230V."
If you do a search for hydroswift boats you will occasionally find older ones for sale, there are quite a few varieties thru the 70's. I also remember seeing one or more with years stated before 1958, but that is from my memory.
They are well known in Utah and regional from there. How mine ended up in the middle of Kansas I have no idea.
I believe from the mid-80's on they only made the 22 foot and up cuddy and bow rider models with the soon-to-be-patented "Wide Track Vee" hulls (patent granted in 1991). It appears that by the late 90's the cuddy's were special order.
