Running Down the River

This is the first video of the Sanger on the SAC River running with what the boat had when I received it. Well I must say that it was quite a trip.... Found some good flat calm water to try and run it out on but there were just too many things going wrong with to get it going very well.

I think we may have got to around 50-60 mph with my 'speed-demon' daughter on board. She said "it was fun but was a little scary being so close to the water"... Well YEA!!!!  I guess its not a safe as being surround by 3,000 lbs of metal, glass and plastic. ;-)

Take a look:


 

The ride was a bit rough, the cav plate pedal doesn't even move, it needs some cav plate adjustments I'm almost sure, the 660 carbs are leaking fuel out the bowls, but it runs!!! Engine sounds good but who knows whats in it at this point Im still trying to get info from the seller.

Update on the pedal; The Trimetric pedal was taken apart and the inside was full of mud and rust, no wonder why the pedal didnt move!!!!...   replaced the gears and greased it all up, now I have a pedal that WORKS!

Welcome

First entry for this new blog on V-Drive boats: I have always loved v-drives and drag boats since I was a kid and was a regular visitor to the CVDBA events during the 1970's and 1980's. This was a great time in the history of drag boat racing down the central valley of California. It's a damn shame that all the eco/epa-nazi's ended up here in our fine state to do away with this type of fun and gamesmanship. Oh well, I still have my memories and they can't take them away or incarcerate me for having them.

I just became the owner of a pretty decent 1975 Sanger Flat bottom Bubbledeck. It's actually the "Family Ski" model boat that was made when Sanger was in their Fresno facility. The engine is a 461 CU IN big block Chevy with about 500 hp. Iron 990 heads, Tunnel Ram and 660 Holley carbs. It has a Casale drive with a Power glide transmission in it right now, I dont think that was stock from Sanger. Looks like it has all the stock Sanger rigging that came in it during the '75 era of boat building and is still in pretty good shape today.

It needs some serious TLC and most likely some parts here and there, but the hull, floors and stringers look good and no major flaws and all the parts are there to work with.


UPDATE:
Found out from the original owner - one Mr. Mike Romani that this was his boat before I bought it from the seller I got it from. He had all this paint work done by "Smooth As Glass" in Riverbank, CA and the deck and part of the hull was repaired after it was used as a speed bump by a Bayliner.... He also told me a story of his wedding day on the SAC River where he and his bride took some pictures in it and then he took it for a ride and got thrown out of it and swamped it!!!

Mike is great guy and he saw it at the Big Wake Weekend at Folsom in 2013, He actually had tears in his eyes... must have been some good memories!