Hi All!
I am entirely new to this sailing world but I was enlisted by a friend of mine to help sell his boat. I have searched and searched as well as called multiple dealers and can not even come close to putting a price on this boat due to its uniqueness.
It's a 1978 Wooden Catamaran built by Jerry Houlton in Florida with sails made by a Henry Bosset in New Jersey I believe. The boat was built for my friend's brother as he was a racer and he raced this boat worldwide. It comes with a trailer that was built custom for it. The link below includes photos to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Fd82MHdLWCss0l_vOeL9VD30WVWd8kwZ?usp=sharing
I have the original documentation so I will try to answer any questions you guys have. I appreciate any help I can get on this!!
Pricing a 1978 Wooden Tornado Catamaran
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- Rank: Lubber
- Registered: May 10, 2022
- Last visit: May 20, 2022
- Posts: 1
Posted: May 20, 2022 - 11:46 AM
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Jun 30, 2018
- Last visit: Mar 20, 2024
- Posts: 583
Posted: May 20, 2022 - 12:29 PM
Stinking GORGEOUS boat! Well, kind of rough now, but COULD be gorgeous again (with a lot of work). It looks like it needs to be sanded and re-epoxied. There's a Tornado boat forum where you may get a better bite on it's worth, but you'll be hard pressed to get what it LOOKS like it's worth, unfortunately. You may be able to sell it to the right individual; you won't be selling that to a broad interest group. It also looks like it may have been set up for dagger boards or the center board setup was modified? Modifications from original design makes it not particularly competitive in classic Tornado racing (I'd think). Would love to see such a boat restored, though.
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Chuck C.
H21SE 408
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- Rank: Master Chief
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Posted: May 20, 2022 - 01:10 PM
sadly the market for legacy / extra wide beach cats is very weak -
- Rank: Lubber
- Registered: May 10, 2007
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Posted: May 20, 2022 - 01:36 PM
Those were the fastest Tornados in 1978. The Marstrom boats came out later on. Would make a good race boat if a classic Tornado fleet exists. The boat would probably be strong enough to upgrade to the new rig if that is the only Fleet of Tornados. That would be expensive; carbon mast, 3sails, etc. The boat/rig may have cost around $10,000 1978 dollars.
Looks like the clear coat is peeling like on a car, so paintwork. The centerboards look normal to me from the deck view. Used cat prices seem to be going up a little. I think the bulk of them were tossed years ago, so there is a limited supply. There is a recent post here saying the T fleet is reorganizing. Contact them maybe. -
- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Apr 07, 2017
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Posted: May 20, 2022 - 05:19 PM
I saw one of these fully restored in CA many years ago. I think it was made of cedar and was something to behold. In my opinion, a work of art, almost worth owning purely for the aesthetic value.
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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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- Rank: Mate
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- Posts: 397
Posted: May 25, 2022 - 03:01 PM
Nick,
I have a (believe to be) a mid-70's Gougeon Tornado. This date and builder is from historical info from our local fleet with a couple have been involved in the fleet since the 70's. Zuteck had designed the unique grid system inside the hulls which Houlton duplicated.
Where are you located? I may have a lead for you....
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Scott
Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC
Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Nov 22, 2012
- Last visit: Apr 11, 2024
- Posts: 397
Posted: May 25, 2022 - 03:05 PM
Plus, a FYI, there is a Tornado North Americans being held this year in KS. Classic and modern.
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Scott
Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC
Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
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