Customizing a 23' Formula Thunderbird

johnmhat

Recruit
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
4
Hello Everyone!<br />I will probably be here awhile, this is a great site and I am glad to have found it. By the looks of it, there are some very sea-worthy individuals posting messages out here. Well here it is...just got it this weekend and we are still trying to determine exactly what we want to do with it...so, I am looking for ideas of what some others have done with these same hulls. It is a 23' Thunderbird...you can see some pics at <br />----<br /> http://formula23.blogspot.com <br />----<br />The guy that we bought her from, gave us some good ideas of what folks in AL are doing with these hulls, some center consoles, some restoring what the original looked like, and some cutting up the front cabin and dropping tackle lockers down the sides (kinda like a walk-through). I am looking for pictures, websites, wisdom...whatever you guys can give me...A similar hull to ours is a Chaparal, the seller showed us a pic of one in AL, it is called the Gulf King, and if we could get this to 1/2 of that boat I would be very excited.<br />Thanks for posting...I'll have plenty of questions.<br />Decisions that we have made are to glass in the back, put on a bracket and drop some twin O/B's on the back.
 

quantumleap

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Messages
813
Re: Customizing a 23' Formula Thunderbird

Welcome t-bird. Looks like a good project that will be a nice rig when you're done. (I like the vegetation sprouts!) Keep the pics coming as you progress. You came to the right place for resto-info. :cool:
 

Boomyal

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Messages
12,072
Re: Customizing a 23' Formula Thunderbird

I thought I had my hands full with a 20 ft floor resto, whew. Should be an awesome ride when you're done. Love to see future progress pictures.
 

ThomWV

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 19, 2003
Messages
701
Re: Customizing a 23' Formula Thunderbird

You need to talk to Hawkeye. <br /><br />A lot of those boats have been rebuilt and serve well. They were one of the best built hulls available in their day, and they still are about as good as it gets. They are heavy, but they sure do ride nice (very much like one of of the 24' Albemarles). I think you are doing exactly the right thing by plugging the hole and tossing a pair of outboards on the back, or even a big single for that matter. I'd give a lot of thought to either a pair of 140 4S Suziks or one of the new 250 4S Suzukis on the back of it. Clean it up, do the structural stuff, put a hard top on it and build in a fish box on the transom and go fishing.<br /><br />Let me see if I can find a picture of Billy's boat to give you something to think about. Oh, he's off fishing in Hatteras and won't be back for a few days, I may see him tomorrow or friday though. If I do I'll tell him about your boat.<br /><br />Thom
 

johnmhat

Recruit
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
4
Re: Customizing a 23' Formula Thunderbird

Thom -<br />I would really appreciate some pics...Hatteras, NC?<br />Hopefully we will get to take her up that way next fall sometime.
 
Top