My Australian Bellboy any ideas?

Hey,

How are you all.
Hello from queensland Australia This is my new boat and Im thrilled with her. Does anyone know what year it is model etc.

She is a Bell Boy and was built by Freighter Industries in South Australia serial number from alloy plate is FB1472669. Is the hardtop original? the previous owner had it raised to make it less claustrophobic.

I have removed the hardtop and I m gonna get a wrap around screen fitted anywayz here are a few pics .She came with original evinrude 33 motor and ive included photos after ive taken the hardtop off.

Thanks

Derek

Down Under

Where Crocs Rule!

[Helmar]

Hi Derek and Welcome.

Can't say as I have ever seen a cuddy cabin quite like that around our Northwest.
Of course, some of the designs are created for necessity and for the areas in which they to be used.
(does that make any sense at all, first cup of coffee just now going in )

I am sure someone here will give it a good guess.

[Dick Dow]

Bell Boy

Hi!

We've seen pics of that model boat before, and while I don't think it was produced by the Bell Boy company from Bellingham, WA, the name certainly lived on and someone was building Bell-Boys down under, possibly under license.

I think that the top is original, so put it aside and save it in case someone wants it later. The other Aussie Bell-Boy pics I've seen show the same top...

Our Skagit group up here has a very enthusiastic Aussie member living near Sydney - Jim Knowles. If interested, we can put you in touch.

Have fun!

Dick Dow

Thank you Helmar.

Its great to be here .the year she was built is what Im keen to find out and perhaps the model name so I can see similar models on the web. I guess the cabin served a s an escape from that vicious aussie sun.I cant imagine sitting under it before the previous owner had it raised with 300 mm of vinyl sheet seen from the side profile pic. And thanks for the feedback dick . I shall put the top to one side if I can just find the room around my place.same old same old story!

thanks Guys

[BruceDrake]

Australian Bell Boy

Derek
I got a xerox copy of Bell Boy Australia literature for 1962 that included the :
Ballerina, Banshee, 265 (runabout, hardtop), 404 baysider (hardtop, fisherman, express). The 265's look somewhat like your hull but none have anything that looks like your cabin top. The 265 was 15' 11" straightline not gunwale and 81" beam. ((There were also four very nice Bell Cats.))

I got the copy of the literature from R.A. Crowhurst, 83 Winchester St., Salisbury East, South Australia 5109.

If you have dimensions that don't match the 265 I could compare them with the other models but I expect the 265 is the only one that is remotely close.

Hope this helps somewhat.

thanks heaps Bruce

when you say straightline and gunwale, sorry to be ignorant but what do you refer too. She is 165 inches long from the centre back transom plate to the tip of the nose on the front excluding the alloy tipped rubber bumper and she is 67 inches wide at her widest part(half way down the boat near oar holes). She is also 3 ft high to the top . measured at the bow of the boat..its my first boat adventure and I not up on the terminology. I will follow up on the Mr. crowhurst route and will let you know how I go

Cheers

Is it time for a beer yet?

[BruceDrake]

dimensions

The gunwale length is measured from a corner of the transom along the rubrail or outer edge of the deck up to the point of the bow. Straigth line length is simply the length from the transom to the bow essentially at right angles along the ground. At least that is my understanding. Gunwale length makes the boats seem bigger and makes marketing people happy.

Yours could be a variation of the Ballerina. It measured out in 1962 at 13'10" and 71" wide.
Depth forward was 31", depth aft 24", transom width 63". Cutout width 28" and weight approx 450 lbs.

For added measure it cost 452 pounds with another 43 pounds tax.

hey bruce

all things marry up, the gunwale and transom sizes are the same.so theres a good chance shes a ballerina variant athough the bow looks much broader than a ballerina. how interesting.well we ll see what comes up.I have a few more pics I can put on later after my download has finished.its using all my bandwidth.
thanks

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Australian Bell Boy

Derek -

Sounds like you've identified your Australian Bell Boy, with Bruce's help. The hull doesn't quite look like any of the earlier Bell Boys manufactured in North America, especially the stepped bottom design. Sabrecraft purchased the Bell Boy company here in Washington State, and continued producing the Bell Boy brand (but with their own hull designs) into the late 1960's, before folding the BB name into their own Sabrecraft line. It's possible that everything about your hull is nearly identical to some 60's-vintage Sabrecraft/Bell Boy, but the stepped bottom remains uniquely Australian (and ahead of its time) in terms of any Bell Boys we're acquainted with.

The cabintop has to be 100% Aussie; we haven't seen anything like that from manufacturers here in the Northwest.

Thanks for hooking up with us; we look forward to seeing photos when you finish work on the boat.

- Marty

[BruceDrake]

Sabrecraft for comparison

Following Marty's Sabrecraft comments, I noticed a Portland CL posting from yesterday for a 1968 Sabrecraft 14' that has some similarities to your boat particularly the transom.

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/boa/1282074345.html

thanks Bruce and Marty dick and Helmar on your wealth of knowledge. It really did baffle me because i could nt find a similar example to compare it with.What a great place this is to visit.

Well onwards . Ive got a quote for a silver powder coated windscreen for her for $500 aus. so im off to check out the factory and samples on wednesday if im not working that is. I d prefer a polished alloy frame but he doesnt do them so ill see if it fits. I am fussy when it comes to spending $500. Bruce thanks for the sabrecraft pictures.I can use some of the detail as an example im sure on my boat

Cheers and thanks again everybody

I ll post in restoration next time.

I may be gone for quite some time

a few more pics

Eureka

Got this today


G'Day Derek

The boat is a Bell Boy Barracuda 14'
They were made by Freighters up to the late 70's
I had its bigger brother an 18' Hydromaster purchased new in 1972.
The Barracuda came in an open tiller steered job, a runabout, and a half cab both with and without a windscreen.
Good Luck
Cheers Bad Dog

1969 engine mate. The cabin top will be original also, with the exception of that horrible extension area.

Cheers
Bayside marine

So thats it. they continues to make the Bell boy here in Australia into the seventies and my boat is from 1969 the year I was Born.

Awesome

thanks a bunch everybody

happy Boating

see you out there

I ll be back

Derek

[Helmar]

Good info, good find.
Never know what you might find until you start digging around.

Anyway, looks like a good sound hull and safe to boot.

Enjoy it.

Heres a newspaper review of the boat from The Age Jan 1970 if anybody wants it with details and photos.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5286,1193749